Group : Air-to-Air Missiles
Status : Active
Also Known As : AIM-9A, AIM-9B, AIM-9G, AIM-9H, AIM-9J, AIM-9L, AIM-9P, AIM-9P-1
Origin : United States of America
Contractor : Raytheon
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : 1983
Total Production : ?
Unitary Cost : USD $84,000

The AIM-9M Sidewinder missile was introduced in 1983. It retains all-aspect capability of the L model but providing higher performance. The M model has improved defense against IR countermeasures, enhanced background discrimination capability, and a reduced smoke rocket motor.

Group : Air-to-Air Missiles
Status : Active
Also Known As : AIM-9M-8
Origin : United States of America
Contractor : Raytheon
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : 1993
Total Production : ?
Unitary Cost : USD $84,000

The AIM-9M-9 Sidewinder missile is a derivative of the AIM-9M missile with expanded IR countermeasures detection capability.

Group : Air-to-Air Missiles
Status : Active
Origin : United States of America
Contractor : Raytheon
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : 2003
Total Production : 15,750
Unitary Cost : USD $370,000

The AIM-9X missile is the next generation Sidewinder. AIM-9X will provide US and allied nations fighters with the following capabilities: full day/night employment, resistance to countermeasures, extremely high off-boresight acquisition and launch envelopes, enhanced maneuverability and improved target acquisition ranges. One of the main breakthrough of the AIM-9X missile is a thrust vector controlled airframe. AIM-9X carries a contact fuze device and a new IR seeker that will enable, through the JHMCS, high off-boresight engagements. Its digital design architecture will ensure future growth capability.

The AIM-9X missile will be integrated on F-15C/D/E, F/A-18C/D/E/F, F-16s and F/A-22A. No plans have been released about integration of AIM-9X on the F-35.

No combat related features of the AIM-9X are its reduced ownership costs, reduced maintainability, high availability and affordability. The US Navy and the US Air Force plan to buy 10,080 missiles. AIM-9X foreign military sales could be 5,000 units according to US government sources.

On November 18, 2004, Raytheon was awarded a $158 million contract to exercise an option for more than 550 AIM-9X missiles, 167 captive air training missiles and 170 missile containers. The work is expected to be completed in April 2006. This AIM-9X missiles were distributed as follows: US Air Force (178), the US Navy (93), and the Governments of Poland (178), Denmark (60), South Korea (41), and Switzerland (quantity classified). It represents the first full rate production contract awarded to Raytheon for the AIM-9X program.

Raytheon delivered the 1,000th AIM-9X Sidewinder missile to the US Navy and the US Air Force on March 29, 2005. The Navy and the Air Force have commitments to take delivery of up to 10,142 missiles worth $3 billion including development costs.

Group : Air-to-Air Missiles
Status : Active
Also Known As : AIM-9X Agile, AIM-9X Block II
Origin : United States of America
Contractor : Raytheon
Initial Operational Capability (IOC) : 2014
First Flight : November 2008
Total Production : 3,875
Unitary Cost : USD $1.2 million

The AIM-9X missile is the next generation Sidewinder. AIM-9X will provide US and allied nations fighters with the following capabilities: full day/night employment, resistance to countermeasures, extremely high off-boresight acquisition and launch envelopes, enhanced maneuverability and improved target acquisition ranges. One of the main breakthrough of the AIM-9X missile is a thrust vector controlled airframe. AIM-9X carries a contact fuze device and a new IR seeker that will enable, through the JHMCS, high off-boresight engagements. Its digital design architecture will ensure future growth capability.

The AIM-9X-2 Sidewinder, also known as the AIM-9X Block II, is the next generation of the AIM-9X missile adding a lock-on-after-launch capability, redesigned fuze and a one-way forward-quarter datalink capability to the AIM-9X Block I air-to-air missile. The US Navy conducted the first test launch of an AIM-9X-2 missile in November 2008. The newest Sidewinder variant is expected to go into production in late 2010 or early 2011.