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 could conduct an operation like Israel's successful air campaign against Iran's nuclear sites, military leadership and air defenses, but readiness issues would make it risky, airpower experts said. Limited spare parts and training, low mission capable rates and few flying hours would put a drag on USAF's…