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Article is about the AIM-9X... shows a picture of the AIM-9M.... These missiles are very common and probably the cheapest carried by modern fighters. The only

Article is about the AIM-9X... shows a picture of the AIM-9M.... These missiles are very common and probably the cheapest carried by modern fighters. The only other option for US fighters is the AIM-120 AMRAAM, which costs almost double the quoted AIM-9 cost. The question should not be whether the AIM-9 is the right weapon but rather why do these missiles cost that much when we buy them in such abundance?

credit_guy 4y ago
Maybe because we don't buy that many? The procurement for 2023 [1, p. 73] was 383 missiles (all AIM-9X) for a total of $171 MM. That's for both the USAF and the US Navy. This allows for about 1 missile per day for fire practice. Which means the vast majority of the pilots don't get to actually shoot one (there are about 20000 active pilots in the USAF and USN together). [1] https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudget/FY2023/FY2023_Weapons.pdf https://comptroller.defense.gov/Portals/45/Documents/defbudg...