Navy asks Raytheon to build lot-19 of AIM-9X air-to-air missiles for U.S. forces and allies
PATUXENT RIVER NAS, Md. – U.S. Navy aerial warfare experts are asking the Raytheon Co. to build several hundred AIM-9X precision short-range infrared-guided air-to-air missiles for jet fighters and other combat aircraft under terms of a $419.1 million order announced Tuesday.
Officials of the Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md., are asking the Raytheon Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., to build lot-19 AIM-9X block II air-to-air missiles.
These air-to-air missiles are for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and the governments of Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Qatar, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
The order is for lot 19 AIM-9X Block II and II+ all up round tactical missiles, captive air training missiles, captive test missiles, special air training missiles, advanced optical target detectors, guidance units (live battery), captive air training missile guidance units (inert battery), Block I and II propulsion steering sections, Block II electronic units, tail caps, containers, and spares.
Related: F-35 air-to-air missiles can now hit two unmanned aircraft at once -- changing air combat
These sophisticated short-range air-to-air weapons are for the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and military forces of Israel, Norway, Qatar, South Korea, the United Arab Emirates, Australia, and The Netherlands.
The AIM-9X is an infrared heat-seeking missile that equips most jet fighters, fighter-bombers, and other offensive combat aircraft in the U.S. arsenal, and is for shooting down enemy aircraft close-by. The AIM-9X works by homing in on an enemy aircraft's hot engine exhaust. Variants of the AIM-9 Sidewinder have been deployed since the 1950s.
The AIM-9X is among the latest versions of the AIM-9 missile family. It entered service in 2003 on the Navy F/A-18C Hornet fighter-bomber and on the U.S. Air Force F-15C jet fighter. It has an imaging infrared focal plane array seeker with 90-degree off-boresight capability for accuracy.
The missile is compatible with helmet-mounted displays such as the U.S. Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, and features 3-D thrust-vectoring control for increased turn capability. The AIM-9X also includes an internal cooling system.
This contract involves the latest version of the AIM-9X, called the AIM-9X Block II. This newest version has lock-on after launch capability for use with the F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter and the F-22 Raptor advanced tactical fighter.
On this order Raytheon will do the work in Tucson, Ariz.; Andover and Amesbury, Mass.; Keyser, W.Va.; Santa Clarita, Valencia, Chatsworth, San Diego, San Jose, Goleta, and Claremont, Calif.; Hillsboro, Ore.; Ottawa; Sumner, Wash.; Hillsboro, Ore.; Cincinnati; Cheshire and Simsbury, Conn.; Keyser; Ontario, Canada; Heilbronn, Germany; Anniston, Ala.; and in other locations in the U.S., and should be finished by October 2022.
For more information contact Raytheon Missile Systems online at www.raytheon.com, or Naval Air Systems Command at www.navair.navy.mil.
Ready to make a purchase? Search the Military & Aerospace Electronics Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos
