|
Testing of the F/A-22's ability to roll and launch AIM-9 heat-seeking, short-range missiles was completed on 10 June, with a Raptor pilot successfully launching a Sidewinder at 1.7 M at 21,000 feet, while pulling 4 g's at the Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division range near Point Mugu, California. The F/A-22 rolling AIM-9 separation test program, a first for any flight test effort, included a total of seventeen launches across a wide range of conditions. None of the test launches had to be repeated. The F/A-22 is designed to fire either the AIM-9M or the new AIM-9X version of the Sidewinder from its two side weapon bays.
Photo By Kevin Robertson
|
