An Air Force F-15C completed the first captive carry test of the AIM-9X Block II air-to-air missile, Raytheon Co. [RTN] announced.
The infrared-guided AIM-9X Block II missile faced the same stresses — wind, vibration and altitude — that it would encounter during an operational mission. The test demonstrated that the AIM-9X Block II hardware and software could perform in combat-like conditions.
The test also proved the missile could be integrated on the F-15C Eagle.
“This test keeps the Raytheon-government team on track for test firing the AIM-9X Block II by year’s end and achieving initial operating capability in 2010,” said Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of Air Warfare Systems. “By adding lock-on-after launch capability and a one-way forward quarter datalink capability, the Block II builds on the legacy of the more than 3,000 AIM-9X Block I missiles Raytheon has delivered.”