How Did a 30-Year-Old Jet Dodge the Pentagon's Latest Missile?
The AIM-9X Sidewinder failed to bring down an aging attack jet.
Getty Anadolu Agency.
By Kyle Mizokami
Jun 26, 2017
By now you've probably heard that a U.S. fighter shot down a Syrian jet about a week ago. What you might not know is that before the F/A-18E hit its target, it missed–and it missed with the best, newest U.S. missile.
On June 18, just moments after a Syrian Arab Air Force Su-22 attacked Coalition forces, a U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet strike fighter rolled into a firing position and opened fire. The Super Hornet locked onto the Su-22 "Fitter" and launched the Military's most advanced short-range air-to-air missile, which promptly missed. While the plane was eventually brought down by another, different missile, the question remains: why did the AIM-9X Sidewinder miss?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/news/a27094/su-22-dodge-aim-9x-sidewinder/
