KRIS OSBORN
Yesterday at 10:31 PM
The U.S. Army Test-Fires an AIM-9X Sidewinder Missile from a Ground Launcher, Destroying Drone
The U.S. Army and Raytheon recently fired an air-to-air missile from a ground launcher to destroy a small drone flying 1,500 meters in the air -- as a way to explore adding new layers of ground-based air defenses, Raytheon officials told Scout Warrior.
The missile test fired the AIM-9X Block II missile from a ground-based Multi-Mission Launcher in order to assess the potential for an air-to-air weapon to be used from the ground, said Mark Justus, Raytheon’s director for the AIM-9X program.
The AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is an advanced infrared-tracking, short-range air-to-air missile historically fired by the U.S. Navy and Air Force from platforms such as F-15, F-16 and F-18 aircraft, among others.
Firing the weapon from a ground launcher was intended to demonstrate its effectiveness against a range of targets such as drones, enemy aircraft and incoming cruise missiles, Raytheon officials explained.
During this initial ground test of the weapon at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the AIM-9X missile locked onto an unmanned aerial system (UAS) before launch, and then intercepted and destroyed its target, Justus said.
“The Army identified a gap in ground-based air defense – such as point defense of troops or an area they want to protect. Their systems today are either long range such as a Patriot missile or a Stinger which is very short range,” Justus told Scout Warrior.
The AIM-9X was fired from an Army 15-tube Multi-Mission Launcher at a UAS target in the air to demonstrate the launcher and the missiles’ ability to track and destroy airborne targets from the ground.
U.S.. Army
“The intent of this first test was primarily focused around the multi-mission launcher so that the missile could safely separate and acquire and track a target after leaving the launcher. Not only did we manage to show this primary objective but we also did intercept the UAS target. This showed the strength and capability of the AIM-9X weapon system,” Justus added.
The ground launch of the AIM-9X from the Army’s new multi-mission launcher is a component of the Army’s Indirect Fire Protection Capability Increment 2-1, or IFPC, program – a system designed to protect forward-located Soldiers on the ground from a range of potential enemy weapons.
“The IFPC Inc. 2-1 program is designed to engage a variety of threats, ranging from cruise missiles and unmanned aerial systems, to rockets, artillery and mortars,” Lt Col. Michael Fitzgerald, IFPC Inc 2-1, Product Manager, said in a written Army statement earlier this year.
The AIM-9X entered operational service in 2003, however technological improvements to what is called the AIM-9X Block II were ready in March of this year.
Block II includes the addition of an electronic ignition safety device as well as improvements to target identification, Justus added.
“We added a new fuse system target detection technology. In that system we added a data link which gives us more advanced capability to provide target updates during missile flight,” Justus said. “This gives us a much better lock on target after launch.”
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