An analysis of the Aim-9 Sidewinder Missile, and how it works, its practical usage, as well as its effects on aerial combat. This article will cover the 20th century, and what the Aim 9 Sidewinder did to Russia.

With the introduction of jet engine powered aircraft, planes began to accelerate to ever-faster speeds, with supersonic and ultrasonic planes becoming the norm. With such leaps in technology and speed, being able to successfully ground these planes had become an endeavor that is no easy task. In supersonic combat, pilots not only have to manage their own speed and positioning, but also need to somehow track and predict the movement of their enemy as well. This requirement has rendered simple “spray and pray” tactics obsolete, with gunfire and missiles that have no way of repositioning becoming useless.

These conditions necessitated the introduction of guided missiles, missiles that would track their target with precision and change directions in a second, in order to deliver a devastating payload to their target. Thus, superpowers around the world raced to develop an accurate missile, as being the first to do so would give an unprecedented edge over their opposition.

While the first guided payload deliverance systems were rudimentary,—being bombs that had no way of accelerating on their own, having to be dropped from a plane and only being able to hit stationary targets,—current technology has far surpassed this standard.

The AIM 9 sidewinder was an air to air missile designed by the United States military in order to specifically combat other high speed jet powered aircrafts. This missile is capable of being fired off an aircraft, before independently tracking the heat signature of its target, not only following but predicting the movement of the target. The introduction of this missile single handedly changed aerial warfare forever, and it has since become one of the most widely known missiles in history.

The sidewinder’s capabilities were centered around close range dogfighting between aircrafts, an environment filled with sharp turning and manoeuvring, making resisting high G-forces a necessity for any piece of technology designed to operate on these levels. In addition, the Sidewinder is equipped with precise systems which assist with its repositioning, with thrust vectoring and exterior fins being used to control its movements to accurately hit its targets. 

But how exactly does the Sidewinder work?

The Sidewinder uses an infrared sensor, which detects strong infrared radiation, filtering out interference, which allows it to focus on the exhaust heat of the aircraft that it is targeting. This is done through a photovoltaic cell, which has the advantages of being smaller than a radar system, as well as being cheaper and easier to produce. The cell is mounted behind a spinning mirror, which allows the target’s angle to be calculated and tracked over a period of time. Data from the heat sensor is then fed into a computer, processed, and turned into a calculated path that the missile should take in order to reach its target.

In order to follow this path effectively, a series of flight control systems are used. Canards, which are fins mounted at the front of the missile, are rotated using a system of servo pumps and pistons, steering the missile in different directions. To increase the stability of the missile's flight, wheels are added to the end of the Sidewinder’s tail fins, using the gyroscopic effect to stabilise it against rolling motions. Newer versions of the Sidewinder also incorporated thrust vectoring, which is the process of directing the thrust of the exhaust in different directions,allowing for greater maneuvering.

The Sidewinder makes use of a solid-propellant rocket for propulsion. This propellant is created through the combining of a fuel and an oxidizer, which are then solidified inside the motor. The use of this form of propellant grants several benefits, namely maximizing the amount of fuel which could be stored within the missile. This grants an edge over liquid propellant, which is less dense, meaning that solid propellant missiles can carry more fuel, giving it more range and speed. Additionally, the sidewinder’s solid propellant does not produce a prominent smoke trail, which helps the missile avoid detection. Stronger smoke trails can also hinder an aircraft's other onboard detection systems.

The sidewinder’s payload system incorporates a high explosive warhead which propels fragmentation rods in an outward cone shape. Its warhead consists of around 20 pounds of PBXN-3, a modern plastic explosive which is highly stable. This explosive is surrounded by almost 200 titanium fragmentation rods, neatly arranged to fully surround the missile. These rods carry immense energy, and a single rod can deal significant damage to the aircraft.

To detonate this payload effectively and safely, the sidewinder features an electronic arming system, as well as a proximity fuse. To avoid accidental explosions close to the aircraft that fired it, the missile is only electronically armed once it reaches a safe distance away from the aircraft. A proximity fuse system feeds data to and from the computer, making sure the missile is positioned in the optimal location to deliver the highest amount of damage to its target, before detonating.

All of these aspects combine to make the sidewinder one of the most effective and economically viable weapons in the world. Since its introduction, the sidewinder has amassed over 270 confirmed kills, being deployed by over 30 countries. Its development has led to other countless superpowers scrambling in order to develop their own versions, with the Russians being quick to reverse engineer a sidewinder that did not detonate during a conflict in Taiwan. Overall, its implementation shook the aerial combat industry around the world, urging other military superpowers to rapidly develop countermeasures and their own versions of this weapon.

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