AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder
Contents
Description
Write an introduction to the article in 2-3 small paragraphs. Briefly tell us about the history of the development and combat using the weaponry and also about its features. Compile a list of air, ground, or naval vehicles that feature this weapon system in the game.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the missile.
Effective damage
Describe the type of damage produced by this type of missile (high explosive, splash damage, etc)
Comparison with analogues
Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.
Usage in battles
Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.
Pros:
Cons:
History
Development
The missile’s history starts at the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at China Lake in 1947.[1] Under William B. McLean, the missile conception sprang from mating lead-sulfide proximity fuzes that were sensitive to infrared radiation with a guidance system to home onto the infrared source.[2] Initially his own private project, McLean eventually received approval by Admiral William S. Parsons for development.[1]These missiles were first test fired in 1951, with the first air-to-air hit was made on 11 September 1953 on a drone.[3] This experimental missile would be designated as the XAAM-N-7. The missile would also earn the name "Sidewinder" by the development team, named after the desert rattlesnake that senses its prey’s heat and moves in a winding motion.[1][2]
Initially a US Navy project, the US Air Force was urged into participating by Howard Wilcox, the next project lead after McLean was promoted to upper management at NOTS in 1954.[1] This culminated in a shoot-off in June 1955 between the Navy’s Sidewinder against the Air Force’s GAR-2 Falcon missile. The Sidewinder’s performance in this event resulted in the US Air Force putting their support in the Sidewinder.[3] By May 1956, the missile was officially adopted as the AAM-N-7 for the US Navy and the GAR-8 for the US Air Force.[3][4] These designation would remain until 27 June 1963, when the Sidewinder’s designations were standardised across all armed services as the AIM-9.[5]
AIM-9B FGW.2
The AIM-9B (pre-1963 Navy designation AAM-N-7 Sidewinder IA) was the initial production version of the Sidewinder.[3] More than 80,000 units of the AIM-9B Sidewinder would be produced.[4]
The Sidewinder was also acquired by NATO forces for their air forces. The AIM-9B licensed production was distributed to West Germany, who would produce 15,000 units.[4] Like the US Navy and US Air Force, the manufacturer sought to improve the AIM-9B design. These improvements modernized the components with solid-state technology, added a carbon dioxide cooling for the seeker, developed a new nose dome and implemented better optical filtering.[6] The culminations of these improvements developed into the AIM-9B FGW.2, which is also known as the AIM-9F in US nomenclature.[3] These missiles would see service in 1969, with conversions being done on European AIM-9B with the FGW.2 upgrade.[4][3]
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
- References
- Bibliography
- Gervasi, Tom. America's War Machine: the Pursuit of Global Dominance: Arsenal of Democracy III. Grove Press, Inc., 1984.
- Goebel, Greg. "The Falcon & Sidewinder Air-To-Air Missiles." Air Vectors, 01 Apr. 2019, Website.
- Hollway, Don. "The AIM-9 Sidewinder: Fox Two!" HistoryNet, Website.
- Kopp, Carlo. "The Sidewinder Story: The Evolution of the AIM-9 Missile." Air Power Australia, 27 Jan 2014, Website.
- Parsch, Andreas. "AIM-9." Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles, Designation-Systems.Net, 09 July 2008, Website.
- Parsch, Andreas. "Current Designations of U.S. Unmanned Military Aerospace Vehicles." U.S. Military Aviation Designation Systems, Designation-Systems.Net, 30 March 2020, Website.
