AIM-9X Successfully Completes Second Guided Launch: First From an F-15 Aircraft
TUCSON, Ariz.---The AIM-9X Sidewinder, under development by Raytheon Company, met another major program milestone this week by completing a guided launch from an Eglin AFB F-15 at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. The successful launch resulted in the intercept of a remotely piloted QF-4 aircraft on the morning of Sept.1. This was the first guided launch from a U.S. Air Force F-15 fighter aircraft and the second in a series of guided launches off F/A-18 and F-15 aircraft. "This flight continues to show the superior performance of AIM-9X, demonstrating the ability to successfully engage targets against difficult terrain,'' said Chuck Anderson, Raytheon Systems Company vice president for the Air-to-Air Missiles product line in Tucson, Ariz. This guided launch marked the next significant milestone for the AIM-9X program as it was the first look-down, shoot-down engagement evaluating the ability of the missile's infrared seeker to track a full-size target through launch, flyout, and intercept in a rugged, desert background. Data from the flight is being used to validate the high fidelity simulation being used to further predict missile performance. "This success comes on the heels of the successful F/A-18 guided attack against an F-4,'' said Capt. Dave Venlet, program manager Air-to-Air Missile Systems, PMA-259. "These missile shots keep us on the path toward FY '00 production approval.'' In parallel with the guided flights, separation and control missiles are launched with preprogrammed maneuvers to evaluate separation and flyout characteristics throughout the aircraft envelope. The AIM-9X program has now completed four separation and control test launches, two from the F/A-18 and two from the F-15. Subsequent guided launches and separation tests off U.S. Navy F/A-18 and U.S. Air Force F-15 aircraft are scheduled throughout 1999. The AIM-9X is a joint U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force program currently in engineering and manufacturing development. It is the newest member of the AIM-9 Sidewinder short-range missile family currently in use by more than 40 nations throughout the world. Raytheon Company, based in Lexington, Mass., is a global technology leader that provides products and services in the areas of commercial and defense electronics, engineering and construction, and business and special mission aircraft. Raytheon has operations throughout the United States and serves customers in more than 80 countries around the world.
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AIM-9X Successfully Completes Second Guided Launch: First From an F-15 Aircraft
