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US Air Force F-22 Jets Now Armed With New Sidewinder Missiles

© REUTERS / Master Sgt. Kevin J. GruenwaldTwo US Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters fly near Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. File photo
Two US Air Force F-22 Raptor stealth jet fighters fly near Andersen Air Force Base, Guam. File photo - Sputnik International
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The US Air Force’s arming of the fifth-generation F-22 stealth fighter jet with new Air Intercept Missile-9X sidewinder missiles is causing excitement among the war plane’s pilots. Last year the weapon was integrated into the Raptor fleet, but it has been featured on the F-15, F-16, F/A-18 and other aircraft since the early 2000s.

Daniel, a lieutenant colonel from Tyndall Air Force Base’s 95th Fighter Squadron who pilots F-22s, said the 9X Block 1 version of the missile is "a dramatic leap within visual range missile capabilities," according to Defense Tech. 

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The 9X’s first live fire was conducted at Tyndall.

The addition of the infrared, dual-use weapons is part of the F-22’s 3.2 upgrade. The aircraft itself is a Lockheed Martin-produced twin engine fighter capable of carrying up to eight missiles, including two sidewinders and six Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), both made by Raytheon.

The previous version of the weapon was "literally a 50-year-old missile on the Air Force’s newest fighter," Daniel said. The difference between the AIM-9X, which brings eight missiles on board, compared to the previous AIM-9M’s six, is "night and day," he said.

According to Air Force maintenance crews, the Air Force made changes to the F-22 so the sidewinder could be integrated, including "both the physical change to the hardware to hold the missile and also a software upgrade to the aircraft to be able to employ it … And the pilot training piece to be able to employ it effectively." 

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The first unit to become combat operational with the AIM-9X was the 90th Fighter Squadron of the 3rd Wing at Alaska’s Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.

In a release at the time, 3rd Wing Weapons Manager Chief Master Sergeant Chuck Jenkins said, "To put it on the Ferrari of aircraft, the F-22, the most advanced aircraft we have, it gives the pilots more maneuverability, larger range, and it’s a much faster missile … It brings us on par with most of the other infrared missiles around the world," he said. It also gives pilots the ability to "shoot a lot further with better tracking capability out of the seeker."

90th Fighter Squadron Commander  Lt. Colonel David Skalicky remarked, "Every aspect about this missile, it's a huge capability increase in all facets … We can employ it in more scenarios, at greater range, and reach edges of the envelope we would have had a more difficult time reaching with the AIM-9M."

Skalicky added, "This missile makes the most lethal combat aircraft the world has ever seen even more capable. It's a giant enhancement to the already formidable F-22 arsenal … We've invested a lot of resources getting this missile to the combat Air Force, and now it's finally here."

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