U.S. Navy Orders 1,989 AIM-9X Sidewinder Missiles in $1.1B Raytheon Deal to Rebuild Air Defense Stocks.

Raytheon will produce nearly 2,000 AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles under a $1.108 billion U.S. Navy contract modification announced on June 25, 2026, expanding short-range air-to-air and air-defense firepower for U.S. forces and allied operators. The award strengthens inventories of infrared-guided interceptors at a time when Western militaries are rebuilding missile stocks and preparing for sustained high-intensity operations.

The Lot 26 order covers AIM-9X Block II and Block II+ tactical missiles for the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Foreign Military Sales customers, with allied funding making up most of the obligated amount. This scale points to growing demand for proven, networked short-range missiles that can support fighter combat, layered air defense, and coalition deterrence through the end of the decade.

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Raytheon received a $1.108 billion U.S. Navy contract modification for AIM-9X Sidewinder Lot 26 production, adding Block II and Block II+ infrared-guided missiles, training rounds, spare guidance units, propulsion sections, and support equipment for U.S. services and Foreign Military Sales customers through 2029 (Picture source: U.S. DoW).

Lot 26 is structured less like a simple missile purchase and more like a production-and-sustainment package. In addition to the 1,989 tactical missiles, the order includes 156 CATM-9X-4 captive air training missiles, 16 Special Air Training Missiles, 10 Captive Test Missiles, 57 Data Air Test Missiles, and 17 multi-purpose training missiles. It also funds 587 all-up round missile containers, 193 spare AIM-9X-4 guidance units with live batteries, 44 spare AIM-9X-5 guidance units for FMS users, 23 spare Block II propulsion steering sections, five spare Block II+ propulsion steering sections, 20 spare warheads, advanced optical target detectors, electronics units, maintenance kits, and sectionalization kits. That mix matters because AIM-9X readiness depends on test assets, training rounds, spare seekers, fuze components, propulsion-control sections, and certified containers as much as on complete missiles in storage.

The AIM-9X Block II is a 127 mm infrared-guided missile measuring 119 inches, or about 3.02 meters, and weighing 186.2 pounds, or 84.37 kg. Its armament consists of an annular blast-fragmentation warhead, a solid-propellant rocket motor, and an imaging infrared seeker linked to a digital guidance and control section. The missile is not designed as a long-range substitute for AIM-120 AMRAAM; it occupies the shorter-range layer where aircraft, cruise missiles, or unmanned aerial vehicles have entered the visual or near-visual engagement envelope. In that role, the weapon’s value is determined by seeker discrimination, high-angle launch geometry, resistance to infrared countermeasures, rapid post-launch maneuver, and fuze reliability against small or crossing targets.

The principal technical change from earlier Sidewinder generations is that AIM-9X Block II can be launched before the seeker has a traditional pre-launch lock. NAVAIR stated that the Block II missile introduced lock-on-after-launch, new software, an upgraded guidance control unit, longer battery life, improved probability of kill, increased launch range, and enhanced target-detector functionality. In practical terms, this allows the aircraft to cue the missile using onboard sensors, a helmet-mounted sight, or datalink support, then let the missile acquire the target after separation through infrared emissions or datalink information. This is tactically relevant because a pilot no longer has to point the aircraft’s nose directly at the target before firing, which shortens the time needed to take a shot during a high-aspect merge or while defending against an aircraft approaching from the rear hemisphere.

The propulsion steering section is one of the most important items in the contract because it enables the missile’s high off-boresight performance. AIM-9X uses thrust-vectoring control during the initial phase of flight, allowing the missile to turn sharply immediately after launch before aerodynamic surfaces become fully effective. This gives the weapon a different engagement profile from earlier AIM-9 variants, which required more favorable launch geometry and were more dependent on the aircraft’s nose position. When paired with helmet-mounted cueing on aircraft such as the F/A-18, F-15, F-16, F-22, and F-35, the missile can be fired against targets well away from the aircraft’s longitudinal axis. The operational effect is not simply a wider firing cone; it changes the pilot’s decision cycle by making a valid shot possible during short exposure windows.

The optical target detector and fuze package also deserves attention because short-range intercepts often involve high closing speeds, hard target maneuvers, and small infrared signatures. The contract includes spare advanced optical target detectors and dedicated containers, suggesting that sustainment of the fuze and target-detection chain remains a funded priority. NAVAIR previously described Block II improvements as including enhanced target-detector functionality, and earlier Block II test events included all-weather laser fuzing against small targets. This is relevant for counter-cruise missile and counter-unmanned aerial vehicle missions, where the target may not present the heat signature, size, or predictable flight path of a fighter aircraft.

AIM-9X also has a surface-attack and ground-launched air-defense dimension that is often understated in air-to-air missile reporting. NAVAIR has identified Block II capabilities as including lock-on-after-launch, datalink, and surface attack, while Raytheon states that AIM-9X is configured for aircraft and ground-launched use, including NASAMS. This gives the same missile family relevance across fighter armament, base defense, and point air defense. For the U.S. Army, whose funds are included in the Lot 26 financing, the missile can contribute to a layered architecture against low-altitude threats without relying exclusively on radar-guided interceptors. For allies, common AIM-9X stocks simplify integration across F-16 and F-35 fleets and, where applicable, ground-based launchers.

The industrial distribution of Lot 26 illustrates the fragility and breadth of the missile supply chain. Tucson accounts for 36.14 percent of the work, but the contract also assigns production shares to North Logan, Utah; Niles, Illinois; Keyser, West Virginia; Hillsboro, Oregon; Midland, Ontario; Heilbronn, Germany; Goleta, California; Simsbury, Connecticut; Anaheim, California; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Murrieta, California; Valencia, California; San Diego, California; Kalispell, Montana; St. Albans, Vermont; San Jose, California; Cincinnati, Ohio; and additional U.S. locations. Raytheon said in June 2025 that a previous $1.1 billion Navy contract would raise AIM-9X Block II output to 2,500 missiles per year, which places Lot 26 within a broader effort to stabilize missile production at higher volumes.

The foreign component of this award is consistent with recent allied procurement activity. DSCA records show Norway received a May 2, 2025, approval for a possible AIM-9X Block II sale estimated at $370.9 million, while Denmark received a November 12, 2025, approval estimated at $318.4 million. Those cases fit the Lot 26 pattern: European air forces are refreshing short-range air-to-air missile stocks for F-16 and F-35 operations while also aligning weapons, training, and sustainment with U.S.-managed production lots. The practical issue is not only missile performance but whether production can keep pace with training expenditure, alert commitments, and wartime reserve requirements.

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