Raytheon has delivered the 3,000th AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range air-to-air missile that it is building for the US military and coalition partners, the company said in a release yesterday. The Navy is the lead service for the missile program and already operates the sophisticated dogfighting asset on its F/A-18s. But the Air Force is also buying the AIM-9X to replace earlier versions of the Sidewinder. The new missile is already carried by F-16C/D fighters and F-15C/D models, an Air Combat Command spokeswoman confirmed yesterday. And USAF has said it has plans to integrate AIM-9X on the F-22 and F-15E fighters. In Fiscal 2009, USAF intends to procure 275 AIM-9X missiles.
The Air Force plans to have its new Integrated Capabilities Command stood up by the end of 2024, Chief of Staff Gen. David W. Allvin said May 2, offering new details of one of the signature reforms announced by the service earlier this year. Allvin said around 500-800 Airmen will…