Raytheon Delivers 3,000th AIM-9X to Warfighter
TUCSON, Ariz., July 8, 2008 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Raytheon Company
(NYSE: RTN) has achieved a significant production milestone with the
delivery of the 3,000th AIM-9X short-range air-to-air missile.
"The 3,000th delivery is yet another measure that the AIM-9X is a
mature system warfighters know they can rely on," said Capt. Jeffrey
Penfield, the U.S. Navy's air-to-air missile program manager. "Achieving
this milestone means American and allied aviators are fully equipped to
continue their critical advantage in the within-visual-range fight."
The AIM-9X is an infrared-guided air-to-air missile. It offers the
warfighter unmatched maneuverability, off-boresight capability, and speed.
"Every delivery is made possible thanks to the hard work of our U.S.
Navy partner, our eight international customers, our employees and our
suppliers," said Dave Adams, Raytheon's AIM-9 program director. "Everyone
pulls together to ensure the men and women going in harm's way have the
most capable within-visual-range missile in the world."
Raytheon Company, with 2007 sales of $21.3 billion, is a technology
leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government
markets throughout the world. With a history of innovation spanning 86
years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems
integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing; effects; and
command, control, communications and intelligence systems, as well as a
broad range of mission support services. With headquarters in Waltham,
Mass., Raytheon employs 72,000 people worldwide.
Note to Editors:
AIM-9X is a launch-and-leave air combat missile that uses passive
infrared energy for acquisition and tracking. It can be employed in the
near beyond-visual-range and within-visual-range arenas. The weapon has
extremely high off-boresight capability, which gives a pilot first-shot,
first-kill dominance. It provides enhanced acquisition ranges in blue sky
and clutter.
The missile's IR countermeasures deliver the capacity to resist
ever-changing threats. The AIM-9X has a highly agile airframe; its
fifth-generation seeker and thrust vectoring control provide unprecedented
performance.
The AIM-9X has been fired more than 137 times in the past eight years
by the developmental and operational test communities of the U.S. Navy and
Air Force. It entered the U.S. Navy's Weapons System User program in late
2007.