The international delegation, headed by Ana Lucía Bueno, ICRC Public Health Coordinator, and Sujit Panda, Head of the Physical Rehabilitation…
American AIM-type missiles have been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine for several years.
The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine described their features.
AIM missiles are successfully used from F-16 aircraft and NASAMS air-defense systems. Their most suitable targets are enemy helicopters, jet-powered UAVs, and cruise missiles.
“Today, about a dozen different modifications of AIM missiles exist. Ukraine actively uses three of them”, — the Ministry noted.
AIM-9 Sidewinder is the smallest missile in the AIM series. It is effective in close-range air combat against helicopters and drones. It is 3 meters long, weighs about 90 kg, and its fragmentation-explosive warhead weighs 9 kg and contains 200 titanium rods.
The missile reaches speeds of up to 3,000 km/h with a range of up to 35 km. It has an infrared seeker, and detonation is triggered by a proximity laser or radio-frequency fuze.
The Ministry noted that AIM-120 AMRAAM is a medium-range missile. It effectively destroys helicopters, aircraft, cruise missiles, and jet drones. AIM-120 AMRAAM can destroy air targets beyond visual range thanks to active radar homing — it has its own radar.
The missile is 3.7 meters long, weighs around 160 kg, and reaches speeds up to 4,900 km/h. Its warhead weighs 20 kg, and its effective range is up to 75 km. A modernized version can hit targets at distances up to 180 km.
AIM-7 Sparrow is the largest in the AIM series. It effectively destroys helicopters, aircraft, cruise missiles, and jet-powered drones such as Shahed-234 or Geran-3. It is 3.7 meters long and weighs 230 kg.
It has a 39-kg fragmentation-explosive warhead. The missile reaches speeds up to 4,900 km/h, with a range of up to 70 km. It uses semi-active radar homing.
“AIM-series missiles are highly effective due to the ‘fire-and-forget’ principle, resistance to electronic warfare, diverse guidance methods, maneuverability, and continuous modernization”, — the Ministry of Defense emphasized.
