F-35 aircraft completes missile test fire with Raytheon's AIM-9X Sidewinder
NewsAugust 11, 2016
TUCSON, Ariz. The U.S. Navy and Air Force teamed up to test fire three of Raytheon?s AIM-9X Block I missiles at airborne targets from an F-35A aircraft. Offcials mark this as the first short-range, air-to-air missile used on the F-35.
"These tests validated the on-board communications and handoffs between the aircraft and the missile required to prosecute an aerial target," says Mark Justus, AIM-9X program director for Raytheon Missile Systems.
The guided live fire tests also validated overall end-to-end system capability of AIM-9X on the F-35, including loading, launch initiation, and in-flight guidance. The fourth guided test in the series is expected to take place later this year.
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