Earns Initial Operating Capability with the Air Force

The U.S. Navy and Raytheon Company celebrated today the achievement of initial operational capability of AIM-9X with the U.S. Air Force. The 12th and 19th Fighter Squadrons of the 3rd Wing, 11th Air Force, are the first operational units to field and train with AIM-9X.

"I'm extremely proud of our AIM-9X government and industry team. They have successfully developed and fielded a dominant air-to-air missile to the American warfighter," said Capt. Scott Stewart, Naval Air Systems Command program manager for Air-to-Air missile systems. "No longer a development program, AIM-9X is a reality that will change the rules of air combat forever. "It's very satisfying to hear the words of praise from the Elmendorf aircrews and ordnance personnel. After all, warfighter satisfaction is what it is all about."

"We are extremely proud to deliver on our promise of 21st century air dominance," said Donald M. Targoff, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president for air-to-air missiles in Tucson, Ariz. "It is rewarding to see a program go from a design and a dream to operational employment by our nation's fighter pilots."

"We're thrilled the 3rd Wing has the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of combat technology," said Col. Russ Handy, 3rd Operations Group commander at Elmendorf Air Force Base. "The AIM-9X adds even more lethality to our already awesome air-to-air capability. As always, the 3rd Wing stands ready and able to place the right people in the right place at the right time, and the AIM-9X will be key to our success during any contingency."

AIM-9X changes the rules of the aerial combat through a system design approach that incorporates a fifth-generation staring focal plane array seeker for robust guidance performance and infrared countermeasure resistance and jet vane control for extremely agile turning performance.

AIM-9X has undergone an extensive and highly successful flight test program complemented by a sophisticated and accredited modeling and simulation capability. AIM-9X is a U.S. Department of Defense flagship program for modeling simulation, saving more than $50 million in development costs.

The program scored an unprecedented 18 successes in 19 guided flights during development testing and completed 22 Operation Evaluation (OPEVAL) firings.

The missile has also undergone more than 3,500 hours of rigorous captive flight testing. Currently in its third year of production, the AIM-9X program is on schedule. Formal OPEVAL has been completed and all Lot 1 deliveries were accomplished ahead of schedule. A fourth production contract award is planned for late 2003. With a planned 18-year production run, AIM-9X will provide revolutionary capability to U.S. and allied war fighters through 2018. Future AIM-9X plans aim to further enhance the missile's capabilities, particularly in the transformational network enabled warfare environment.

Potential improvements include lock-on after launch mode that creates a 360- degree threat engagement zone and a vertical acquisition scan, or helmet-less high off bore-sight mode, that permits first shot opportunity with AIM-9X even if the aircraft does not incorporate a helmet mounted cueing system.

Eleven countries have expressed interest in the AIM-9X. Switzerland, South Korea and Poland have selected AIM-9X to fill their future short-range missile requirements after thorough comprehensive evaluations. Raytheon expects to produce more than 10,000 missiles to be divided between the Navy and Air Force and more than 5,000 for international customers.

FMI: www.raytheon.com