WASHINGTON — The AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II missile was launched for the first time from a National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System during a flight test in May, according to a Raytheon news release.

During the launch, which was supported by the Royal Norwegian Air Force and took place at at the Andoya Test Center in Norway, the missile engaged and destroyed a target, Raytheon said.

“This flight test opened the door for NASAMS customers to add a vital, short-range layer to their ground-based air defense,” Kim Ernzen, vice president of Raytheon Air Warfare Systems, in the release. “Pairing Sidewinder with AMRAAM means forces can have complementary interceptors with a mix of sensors to better engage and destroy threats that may attempt to overwhelm a defense system.”

Raytheon produces the AIM-9X missile, which is part of a U.S. Navy-led program involving the U.S. Air Force and 24 Foreign Military Sales partners.

The weapon can be launched from the air and ground, the release said.

NASAMS is jointly produced by Raytheon and Kongsberg, and is part of the air defense architecture that protects Washington, D.C.

About Kelsey Reichmann

Kelsey Reichmann is a general assignment editorial fellow supporting Defense News, Fifth Domain, C4ISRNET and Federal Times. She attended California State University.

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