The U.S. Navy intends to award the production of almost 1400 new AIM-9X Sidewinder air-to-air missiles in Block II and Block II+ configurations.
The Naval Air Systems Command has announced in the last week notice posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website that this will be a new Fixed Price Incentive Firm (FPIF) contract for the United States Navy, United States Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers.
According to notice , the Sidewinder production procurement will include a maximum quantity of 1,400 Tactical Missiles, Captive Air Training Missiles (CATMs), Special Air Training Missiles (NATMs) and Captive Test Missiles (CTMs) per lot, with associated spares, containers, training and test missiles, tooling and special test equipment, training kits, maintenance kits, and other related supplies and data.
NAVAIR intends to award this procurement sole source to Raytheon Missile Systems as the main contactor.
The company’s website said the AIM-9X Sidewinder missile is the most advanced infrared-tracking, short-range, air-to-air and surface-to-air missile in the world. It is configured for easy installation on a wide range of modern aircraft, including the F-15, F-16, F/A-18, E/A-18G, F-22 and F-35 fighters.
The current version, the AIM-9X Block II missile, is in its 16th year of production. It adds a redesigned fuze and a digital ignition safety device that enhances ground handling and in-flight safety. It also features updated electronics that enable significant enhancements, including lock-on-after-launch capability using a new weapon datalink to support beyond visual range engagements.