AIM-9X Land Launch Demo Advances Sub Payload Capability
By Team Submarine Public Affairs, NAVSEA Newswire, 5 Jan 06
WASHINGTON - The Navy successfully conducted a research and development (R&D) land based test at an Army range in New Mexico, leveraging the Sidewinder AIM-9X missile, an air to air missile used on tactical fighter aircraft, to proof out critical missile adaptation features for submarine use. Among the test objectives achieved in November 2005 were the ability to vertically launch the missile from zero velocity, and to lock-on after launch. The test was a collaborative effort between the Joint Program Office for Air to Air Missiles, Raytheon Missile Systems and Team Submarine Advanced Research. Capt. Mark Bock, program manager for Team Submarine's Undersea Defensive Systems Program Office, led this effort.
The land launched test involved detecting, tracking and destroying an unmanned helicopter drone. The target was not visible to the missile at launch. The missile turned and acquired the target several miles down range, remaining locked on until intercept. Many “firsts” were achieved during this demonstration. Aside from the zero air speed vertical launch, this test was also the first AIM-9X launched from an Army Chaparral trailer, the first AIM-9X to engage a target below 3,000 feet, or 300 knots, and the first launch using a commercial off the shelf fire control system. Because the AIM-9X missile is a good choice for research and development (R&D) of small missile payloads for the guided missile submarines (SSGNs) and attack submarines (SSNs), the results can be extended to other missile payloads and different platforms such as the Littoral Combat Ship.
The next step in this R&D process is to analyze the vertical launch thrust characteristics of gas production and temperature in support of encapsulation for an underwater test. According to Capt. Bock, planning for in-water testing of the capability is currently underway. “The ‘encapsulation’ technique will be the forerunner for deploying air breathing payloads like unmanned aerial vehicles from submarines in the future,” he said. The most mature of these encapsulation technologies, the Stealthy Affordable Capsule System or SACS, will be leveraged for the next phase of risk reduction testing. This effort, led by the Northrop Grumman Corporation, will demonstrate the capability to encapsulate and perform submerged launch of the AIM-9X from a launch fixture representative of a submarine Vertical Launch System that is currently used for Tomahawk cruise missiles. The long-range research goal is to be able to field any existing Department of Defense missile payload onboard submarines rapidly and at low cost.
