Difference between revisions of "AIM-9H Sidewinder"
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+ | {{About | ||
+ | | about = American air-to-air missile '''{{PAGENAME}}''' | ||
+ | | usage = other versions | ||
+ | | link = AIM-9 Sidewinder (Family) | ||
+ | }} | ||
== Description == | == 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.'' --> | |
+ | [[File:WeaponImage AIM-9D Sidewinder.png|thumb|left|420px|The AIM-9H Sidewinder missile (scale is approximate)]] | ||
+ | {{Break}} | ||
+ | The '''{{PAGENAME}}''' is an American [[Air-to-air_missiles#Infrared_homing_.28heat-seeking.29_missiles|infrared homing air-to-air missile]], it was introduced in [[Update "Danger Zone"]]. | ||
=== Vehicles equipped with this weapon === | === Vehicles equipped with this weapon === | ||
Line 6: | Line 14: | ||
* {{Specs-Link|f_14a_early}} | * {{Specs-Link|f_14a_early}} | ||
+ | * {{Specs-Link|f-4s}} | ||
== General info == | == General info == | ||
− | ''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the missile.'' | + | <!-- ''Tell us about the tactical and technical characteristics of the missile.'' --> |
+ | The AIM-9H is a further development of the AIM-9G, retaining all of the AIM-9Gs characteristics with a better tracking rate. | ||
+ | |||
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" | ||
− | ! colspan="2" | | + | ! colspan="2" | '''Missile characteristics''' |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Mass'''|| 88 kg |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Guidance'''|| IR |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Aspect''' || Rear-aspect |
− | | | ||
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Lock range'''|| 5.50 km |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Launch range'''|| 18 km |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Maximum speed'''|| 2.5 M |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Maximum overload'''|| 18 G |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Missile guidance time'''|| 60 secs |
|- | |- | ||
− | | | + | |'''Explosive mass'''|| 3.53 kg TNTeq |
|- | |- | ||
|} | |} | ||
+ | |||
=== Effective damage === | === Effective damage === | ||
− | ''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of missile (high explosive, splash damage, etc)'' | + | <!--''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of missile (high explosive, splash damage, etc)''--> |
+ | The AIM-9H, like all of its competitors, uses a high-explosive warhead to shower the target in shrapnel. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Similarly to nearly every missile in the game, a direct hit from the missile will most likely destroy the target aircraft either through the explosion itself or the resulting damage and/or fire. | ||
=== Comparison with analogues === | === Comparison with analogues === | ||
− | ''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' | + | <!--''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.''--> |
+ | The most similar thing to the AIM-9H is the AIM-9G, borrowing the same degrees of boresight and rocket motor, but the AIM-9H features a better track rate. Compared to the USAF Juliet model, it has a longer guidance time and motor burn time, but has a slightly lower G limit, making the Hotel inferior in dogfight scenarios but slightly more suited to ranged launches. It can be radar slaved, like the Juliet. | ||
+ | |||
+ | {{AIM-9 Comparison Table}} | ||
== Usage in battles == | == Usage in battles == | ||
− | ''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)'' | + | <!--''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)''--> |
+ | The AIM-9H is most effective against unaware or occupied enemy aircraft from about 2.4 km or less (1.5 miles) from the rear or side aspects, able to tackle many opponents who are even attempting to evade the missile. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Depending on the encountered aircraft, the AIM-9H can occasionally lock an enemy aircraft from head-on, allowing a skilled player to launch said missile from the front. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Most players will be expecting an AIM-7 from your aircraft, so an AIM-9 would sufficiently confuse the enemy and net you a good hit. | ||
+ | |||
+ | Using the AIM-9H is situational however, as a misjudged shot could either result in a miss, or worse, a friendly fire incident. Good judgement and timing will net you many rewards, but the IR seeker will not differentiate between friend or foe when it matters most. | ||
=== Pros and cons === | === Pros and cons === | ||
− | ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' | + | <!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the weaponry in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark pros and cons as a list.'' --> |
'''Pros:''' | '''Pros:''' | ||
− | + | * Long lasting rocket motor allowing for shots beyond 3 km | |
− | * Long lasting rocket motor allowing for | ||
* Large seeker ring making off boresight shots more effective | * Large seeker ring making off boresight shots more effective | ||
− | * No G limit when launching the missile so you can launch the missile when turning | + | * No G limit when launching the missile so you can launch the missile when turning at an high angle of attack |
+ | * Front-aspect locks are occasionally possible | ||
− | + | '''Cons:''' | |
− | '' | + | * Small explosive warhead |
+ | * IR Seeker sometimes tracks friendlies | ||
+ | |||
+ | == History == | ||
+ | <!--''Examine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Weapon-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>.''--> | ||
+ | {{main|AIM-9G_Sidewinder#History|l1=History of the AIM-9G Sidewinder}} | ||
− | + | The [[AIM-9G Sidewinder|AIM-9G]] variant of the Sidewinder was thought by some engineers at China Lake to be the pinnacle of Sidewinder designs. Compared to the preceding [[AIM-9D Sidewinder|AIM-9D]], the AIM-9G introduced the "Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode" (SEAM) that allowed the Sidewinder to be slaved to the aircraft's radar or perform a circular scan of around 25 degrees. Though some engineers thought the AIM-9G was perfect, others engineers involved with the Sidewinder project since its [[AIM-9B|inception]] like William McLean (originator of the Sidewinder weapon) and Walter LaBerge (Sidewinder's missile engineer) believed that the AIM-9G's reliability could be further enhanced.<ref name="Westrum_ChinaLakeAIM9_2ndGen">Westrum 2013, p.187</ref> | |
− | |||
− | + | In December 1965, McLean and LaBerge (who is at the time employed by Philco-Ford) got together to consider options of improving the missile's reliability. One proposal was to convert all remaining missile electronic components to solid-state gradually. While the US Air Force was open to this gradual replacement of electronics into solid-state, the proposal to the US Navy by engineer Walt Freitag was instead a complete the transition to solid-state all at once.<ref name="Westrum_ChinaLakeAIM9_2ndGen" /> The tracking rate was improved from 12 degrees/second into 20 degrees/second to complement the missile's more powerful actuators. The new missile, designated the '''AIM-9H''', was introduced into the US navy service in 1972 at the tail end of the Vietnam War, though sources are mixed on whether they were used in combat before the US withdrawal in 1973. A total of 7,700 AIM-9H units would be produced between 1972-1974 by Philco-Ford and Raytheon.<ref name="Designation_Sidewinder">Parsch 2008</ref> | |
− | + | Projects after the Vietnam War to continue improving the AIM-9s led to using the AIM-9H as the basis of the improvements. China Lake started the program as the ''AIM-9H Product Improvement Package (PIP)''. The United States Air Force, also seeking a missile improvement from their [[AIM-9E Sidewinder|AIM-9E]] and [[AIM-9J Sidewinder|AIM-9J]] models of the Sidewinder, became involved with the US Navy's AIM-9H PIP under direction the Pentagon. The variety of improvements input by both service branches led to the missile that would be designated as the [[AIM-9L Sidewinder|AIM-9L]].<ref name="Westrum_ChinaLakeAIM9L">Westrum 2013, p.191</ref> | |
− | |||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
Line 67: | Line 94: | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
− | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | + | <!-- ''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.'' --> | ||
− | + | ;Related development | |
− | * | + | |
+ | * [[AIM-9 Sidewinder (Family)]] | ||
== External links == | == External links == | ||
− | ''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' | + | <!--''Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:'' |
+ | * ''topic on the official game forum;'' | ||
+ | * ''other literature.''--> | ||
+ | |||
+ | === References === | ||
+ | |||
+ | ;Citations | ||
+ | <references /> | ||
+ | |||
+ | ;Bibliography | ||
+ | |||
+ | * Parsch, Andreas. 2008. "AIM-9." Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Last modified July 09, 2008. [http://www.designation-systems.info/dusrm/m-9.html Website] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20220107172850/http://www.designation-systems.info/dusrm/m-9.html Archive]) | ||
+ | * Westrum, Ron. 2013. ''Sidewinder; Creative Missile Development at China Lake''. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press. | ||
− | |||
− | |||
{{Missiles}} | {{Missiles}} | ||
[[Category:Suspended armaments]] | [[Category:Suspended armaments]] |
Latest revision as of 15:50, 22 October 2024
This page is about the American air-to-air missile AIM-9H Sidewinder. For other versions, see AIM-9 Sidewinder (Family). |
Contents
Description
The AIM-9H Sidewinder is an American infrared homing air-to-air missile, it was introduced in Update "Danger Zone".
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
The AIM-9H is a further development of the AIM-9G, retaining all of the AIM-9Gs characteristics with a better tracking rate.
Missile characteristics | |
---|---|
Mass | 88 kg |
Guidance | IR |
Aspect | Rear-aspect |
Lock range | 5.50 km |
Launch range | 18 km |
Maximum speed | 2.5 M |
Maximum overload | 18 G |
Missile guidance time | 60 secs |
Explosive mass | 3.53 kg TNTeq |
Effective damage
The AIM-9H, like all of its competitors, uses a high-explosive warhead to shower the target in shrapnel.
Similarly to nearly every missile in the game, a direct hit from the missile will most likely destroy the target aircraft either through the explosion itself or the resulting damage and/or fire.
Comparison with analogues
The most similar thing to the AIM-9H is the AIM-9G, borrowing the same degrees of boresight and rocket motor, but the AIM-9H features a better track rate. Compared to the USAF Juliet model, it has a longer guidance time and motor burn time, but has a slightly lower G limit, making the Hotel inferior in dogfight scenarios but slightly more suited to ranged launches. It can be radar slaved, like the Juliet.
- AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder - A European-licensed version of the AIM-9B with their own improvements; however the performance in-game are quite similar.
- R-3S/PL-2 - Infamous as a reverse-engineered variant of the AIM-9B, the R-3 missile shares many of its in-game performances with the AIM-9B, only falling slightly short in locking and launching range.
- Shafrir - Shares in-game performance values despite their design differences
- Rb24 - Licensed-produced version of the AIM-9B for the Swedish, and as such shares in-game performance values.
Missile | Guidance | Lock range (rear-aspect)(km) |
Launch range (km) |
Maximum speed (Mach) |
Maximum overload (g) |
Mass (kg) |
TNT Equivalent (kg) | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Type | Aspect | Time | Uncaged seeker | Radar slaving | ||||||||
AIM-9B Sidewinder | IR | Rear | 20 | 4 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 72 | 7.62 | |||
AIM-9C Sidewinder | SARH | Front | 60 | 9 | 18 | 2.5 | 18 | 95 | 4.69 | |||
AIM-9D Sidewinder[note 1] | IR | Rear | 20 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.5 | 18 | 88 | 4.69 | |||
AIM-9E Sidewinder[note 2] | IR | Rear | 20 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.8 | 10 | 76 | 7.62 | |||
AIM-9G Sidewinder | IR | Rear | 60 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.5 | 18 | 88 | 3.53 | |||
AIM-9H Sidewinder | IR | Rear | 60 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.5 | 18 | 88 | 3.53 | |||
AIM-9J Sidewinder[note 3] | IR | Rear | 40 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.5 | 20 | 76 | 7.62 | |||
AIM-9L Sidewinder | IR | All | 60 | 11 | 18 | 2.5 | 30 | 84 | 4.58 | |||
AIM-9M Sidewinder | IR | All | 60 | 11 | 18 | 2.5 | 30 | 84 | 4.58 | |||
AIM-9P Sidewinder | IR | Rear | 40 | 5.5 | 18 | 2.5 | 20 | 76.93 | 7.62 | |||
AIM-9P4 Sidewinder | IR | All | 40 | 11 | 18 | 2.5 | 20 | 76.93 | 7.62 | |||
AIM-9B FGW.2 Sidewinder | IR | Rear | 20 | 5.5 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 72 | 7.62 | |||
Shafrir | IR | Rear | 20 | 7 | 10 | 1.7 | 11 | 65 | 7.62 | |||
RB24 | IR | Rear | 20 | 4 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 72 | 7.62 | |||
R-3S | IR | Rear | 21 | 9 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 75 | 8.8 | |||
PL-2 | IR | Rear | 21 | 9 | 10 | 1.7 | 10 | 75 | 8.8 |
Usage in battles
The AIM-9H is most effective against unaware or occupied enemy aircraft from about 2.4 km or less (1.5 miles) from the rear or side aspects, able to tackle many opponents who are even attempting to evade the missile.
Depending on the encountered aircraft, the AIM-9H can occasionally lock an enemy aircraft from head-on, allowing a skilled player to launch said missile from the front.
Most players will be expecting an AIM-7 from your aircraft, so an AIM-9 would sufficiently confuse the enemy and net you a good hit.
Using the AIM-9H is situational however, as a misjudged shot could either result in a miss, or worse, a friendly fire incident. Good judgement and timing will net you many rewards, but the IR seeker will not differentiate between friend or foe when it matters most.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Long lasting rocket motor allowing for shots beyond 3 km
- Large seeker ring making off boresight shots more effective
- No G limit when launching the missile so you can launch the missile when turning at an high angle of attack
- Front-aspect locks are occasionally possible
Cons:
- Small explosive warhead
- IR Seeker sometimes tracks friendlies
History
The AIM-9G variant of the Sidewinder was thought by some engineers at China Lake to be the pinnacle of Sidewinder designs. Compared to the preceding AIM-9D, the AIM-9G introduced the "Sidewinder Expanded Acquisition Mode" (SEAM) that allowed the Sidewinder to be slaved to the aircraft's radar or perform a circular scan of around 25 degrees. Though some engineers thought the AIM-9G was perfect, others engineers involved with the Sidewinder project since its inception like William McLean (originator of the Sidewinder weapon) and Walter LaBerge (Sidewinder's missile engineer) believed that the AIM-9G's reliability could be further enhanced.[1]
In December 1965, McLean and LaBerge (who is at the time employed by Philco-Ford) got together to consider options of improving the missile's reliability. One proposal was to convert all remaining missile electronic components to solid-state gradually. While the US Air Force was open to this gradual replacement of electronics into solid-state, the proposal to the US Navy by engineer Walt Freitag was instead a complete the transition to solid-state all at once.[1] The tracking rate was improved from 12 degrees/second into 20 degrees/second to complement the missile's more powerful actuators. The new missile, designated the AIM-9H, was introduced into the US navy service in 1972 at the tail end of the Vietnam War, though sources are mixed on whether they were used in combat before the US withdrawal in 1973. A total of 7,700 AIM-9H units would be produced between 1972-1974 by Philco-Ford and Raytheon.[2]
Projects after the Vietnam War to continue improving the AIM-9s led to using the AIM-9H as the basis of the improvements. China Lake started the program as the AIM-9H Product Improvement Package (PIP). The United States Air Force, also seeking a missile improvement from their AIM-9E and AIM-9J models of the Sidewinder, became involved with the US Navy's AIM-9H PIP under direction the Pentagon. The variety of improvements input by both service branches led to the missile that would be designated as the AIM-9L.[3]
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
- Related development
External links
References
- Citations
- Bibliography
- Parsch, Andreas. 2008. "AIM-9." Directory of U.S. Military Rockets and Missiles. Last modified July 09, 2008. Website (Archive)
- Westrum, Ron. 2013. Sidewinder; Creative Missile Development at China Lake. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press.