Canada is sending Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine

May 31, 2023 10:11 AM PDT

2 minute read

(U.S. Air Force)

SUMMARY

While the U.S. has greenlit F-16 transfers, Canada is the first country to announce a donation of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine.

A vital capability in modern warfare is air defense. An offensive spearheaded by infantry and armor is vulnerable to enemy air assets without sufficient air defense units keeping the skies clear. Similarly, a country under siege is reliant on its air defense network to prevent long-range missile, drone and aircraft attacks on its major cities and infrastructure. This is why Ukraine has constantly requested NATO F-16s to bolster its own air defense system. While the U.S. has greenlit F-16 transfers to Ukraine, Canada is the first country to announce a donation of AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles to Ukraine.

Multiple upgrades have kept the Sidewinder lethal into the 21st century (U.S. Air Force)

The Air Intercept Missile 9 first entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1956. It was adopted by the U.S. Air Force eight years later and has gone on to serve in the air forces of most of America's allies. Even the Soviet K-13 missile used by Communist Bloc countries was reverse-engineered from the AIM-9. The missile's nickname, Sidewinder, comes from its heat-seeking targeting system which mimics the snake of the same name.

An F-104 shoots down a target drone with a Sidewinder (DoD)

In 1958, the Sidewinder scored its first kill with the Republic of China Air Force. Flying North American F-86 Sabres, Taiwanese pilots used the short-range missile against MiG -17s of the People's Republic of China. This marked the first successful use of air-to-air missiles in combat. Since then, the AIM-9 has been upgraded with improved tracking systems culminating in the modern AIM-9X variant.

The NASAMS was developed by Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace and Raytheon (Kongsberg)

Although Ukraine has yet to receive NATO fighters that can employ the Sidewinder, it does have an air defense weapon system that can use the missile. The National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System was first supplied to Ukraine by the United States in November 2022. Canada and Norway later sent their own NASAMS to Ukraine. A medium-range air defense system, the NASAMS generally employs the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile. However, it is also capable of firing the AIM-9X. In a National Defence press release, Canadian Defence Minister Anita Anand announced that "Canada is donating 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine, from CAF inventory." She further noted that "this donation will help Ukraine to secure its skies in the face of ongoing Russian attacks."