Infrared-guided missile (Sidewinder)
Misil guiado por infrarrojos (Sidewinder)
- Date
- 1953-1956 · confidence high
- Place
- Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California, United States
- Credited to
- William McLean (China Lake)
- People
- 👤 Willie McLean1904–1977
- Field
- Conflict
What it is
An air-to-air missile that chases the heat of an enemy engine with an infrared sensor and simple guidance. Still in service seventy years later, it set the model for the cheap smart weapon.
What it led to
- Beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile warfare
- Precision-guided weapons and smart bombs
- Countermeasures (flares) and electronic warfare
Built on
- Discovery of Infrared Radiation1800
- infrared detectors
- air-to-air rockets
- servomechanisms
Made possible
- Anti-ship missile (P-15 Termit / Styx) and the sinking of Eilat21 de octubre de 1967
- Precision-guided munitions (Paveway, JDAM)1968-1991
- Short-range missile-defence system (Iron Dome)2011
- laser-guided bombs (Paveway)
- man-portable anti-aircraft missiles (Stinger)