The U.S. Department of State has approved the Netherlands’ possible acquisition of AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II missiles and related equipment under the Foreign Military Sales program. RTX will be the principal contractor.
Valued at $691 million, the Dutch government’s request includes the purchase of the following major defense equipment:
- 246 AIM-9X Sidewinder Block II tactical missiles,
- six AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder captive air training missiles,
- two AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder special air training missiles,
- 14 AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder tactical guidance units and
- two AIM-9X Block II Sidewinder CATM guidance units.
The deal also includes delivering personnel training and training equipment, technical documents, missile containers, and other services.
According to a press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Congress has been notified of the possible sale.
The AIM-9X missile acquisition follows the Netherlands’ expression of interest in August in acquiring Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace’s NOMADS mobile short-range air defense system, a vehicle-agnostic solution compatible with the AIM-9X-II Sidewinder missile.