AIM-9B

The AIM-9B guided missile was adopted by the United States in 1956 (at the same time as its prototype, the AIM-9A, with 240 units produced) as the GAR-8. The AIM-9B was the first mass produced variant of the Sidewinder family. It remained in production until 1962. In total, more than 80,000 units were produced for the U.S. Navy and Air Force.

The AIM-9B first saw combat over the Taiwan Strait in 1958. Taiwan's F-86 Sabres actively used the AIM-9B missile against superior Chinese MiG-17 fighters. During this conflict, an incident occurred that significantly influenced the development of Soviet guided missiles. One of the Chinese MiG-17s was hit by an AIM-9B, but the missile did not explode, instead becoming lodged in the fuselage. The MiG-17 returned safely to the airfield where the technical staff recovered the missile. Later, by mutual agreement with the Chinese side, the "trophy" was handed over to the Soviet Union. During a thorough study of the missile, it became clear that the AIM-9B had a large number of technological innovations and was easy to mass produce and operate. The simplicity of the AIM-9 contrasted with the complexity and short service life of Soviet guided missiles. The AIM-9 was reverse engineered by Soviet specialists and entered service in 1960 as the K-13/R-3C (NATO designation: "AA-2 Atoll B"). The K-13 was an almost complete copy of the American missile, down to the parts that were compatible with the original.

The AIM-9B missile is ineffective against actively maneuvering targets and its IR lock can be easily interfered by the signatures of false thermal targets and the sun.