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Enthusiast Joined: Jun 04, 2007 Posts: 26 Status: Offline

Might be a stupid question but since the Russian radar seeking surface to air missiles mid and high altitude missiles is physically rather large, could in a crisis the AIM-9X be used to destroy a incoming missile in flight?

I believe the AIM-9X can be queued from the radar, mid-course update, and has of course the IR seeker and TVC nozzles for high agility, and a fragmentation warhead.

Perhaps the SAM is too fast? Any thoughts.. ?

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Elite 1K Joined: Jul 20, 2005 Posts: 1035 Status: Offline

No RADAR capability with AIM-9X.

Enthusiast Joined: Jun 04, 2007 Posts: 26 Status: Offline

yeah but that wasn't the question...

Elite 3K Joined: May 10, 2004 Posts: 3098 Status: Offline

Good question. It sure wouldn't hurt if the missile is in front of your 3/9 line.

Elite 1K Joined: Apr 26, 2004 Posts: 1215 Status: Offline

Check is right.....for that you need some type of radar..........Maybe a 120 could do it.

Could they put a radar in the AIM-9X??? That could be worth looking into...

Elite 3K Joined: May 10, 2004 Posts: 3098 Status: Offline

My question is why you'd need radar? The SAM is subject to aerodynamic heating just like anything going through the air at high speed. It also has a fairly hot exhaust plume. I would think you'd be able to use the JHMCS (coming sometime to the Raptor, standard on many other jets) to tell the missile where to go and let the AIM-9X do its thing.

Elite 1K Joined: Jan 31, 2004 Posts: 1561 Status: Offline

flames wrote:

Could they put a radar in the AIM-9X??? That could be worth looking into...

Not economically feasible for such a narrow threat parameter.

And parrothead has a point. Some of the later 9L/Ms had pretty good frontal IR detection. Would it pick up a SAM at Mach Many? Dunno. Even the SA-2, as big as it is, doesn't have a very big relative frontal cross-section (for good reason). So the aero heating on the nose and canards may not get to a point where the 9X would see it. OTOH....I know zilch about the 9X's seeker.

Elite 1K Joined: Jul 26, 2005 Posts: 1455 Status: Offline

Not feasible for the 9x type missile but what about the AIM-120?

The NCADE AMRAAM uses the 9x IR seeker..ok it is being proposed as an air launched ABM, but you can`t have everything!
http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/200 ... /index.php

It would be a waste to shoot down numerous SAMS with a much more expensive counter-measure. However, if there is a will, there is a way!

Vipernice wrote:

Might be a stupid question but since the Russian radar seeking surface to air missiles mid and high altitude missiles is physically rather large, could in a crisis the AIM-9X be used to destroy a incoming missile in flight?

I believe the AIM-9X can be queued from the radar, mid-course update, and has of course the IR seeker and TVC nozzles for high agility, and a fragmentation warhead.

Perhaps the SAM is too fast? Any thoughts.. ?

Isnt this the purpose of SEAD/DEAD missions? so you dont get into this situation?

Enthusiast Joined: Jun 12, 2007 Posts: 22 Status: Offline

Hi Cchief16,

pleasure to meet you. Sorry but I don't have understand your reply. SEAD Strike or SEAD Escort roles I think that are to prevent enemy surface to air threat, the question is about the use of AIM9X as countermeasures against enemy SAM launch but I think that this informations are restricted... Wink

Regards

Vipernice wrote:

could in a crisis the AIM-9X be used to destroy a incoming missile in flight?

Uh.......no.

MAYBE ....
a fighter should try to unbalace the sam , just like those RAF pilots in ww2 with german v-1 bombs... Crazy Pilot

the MIM hawk has some big wings
hmm ...
OK not a sam but how about those tomahawk missiles ?

I think it could. It would be a low percentage shot. Probably around 2%.
The pilot would be much better off to pull a hard turn and pop flares and chaff.

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AIM-9X as self-defense against SAMs ?