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According to recent news, the United States announced a list of military assistance worth $250 million to Ukraine on August 29, local time, which for the first time included the AIM-9M "Sidewinder" infrared guided air-to-air missile. The news attracted widespread attention and people expressed their surprise. It is reported that to date, the total amount of US military assistance to Ukraine has exceeded $43 billion.
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Although the AIM-9M Sidewinder missile has been gradually replaced by the more advanced AIM-9X, the AIM-9M still shows certain advantages in some aspects, so U.S. fighters will carry a mixture of the two missiles when performing certain missions. It was reported that Canada also supplied 43 AIM-9 missiles to Ukraine last September, but the model was not specified.
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In addition, some analysts believe that Ukraine may integrate these AIM-9M missiles into its MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters as a supplement to the existing Soviet-made R-73 infrared guided air-to-air missiles. Moreover, compared to the AIM-120 radar-guided air-to-air missile with a longer range, the AIM-9M missile is much less difficult to integrate on Soviet-made fighters.
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Although the AIM-9M is not the most advanced model in the Sidewinder series, it has all-round attack capabilities, strong anti-jamming capabilities, and is equipped with a low-smoke rocket engine. It is speculated that the Ukrainian Air Force, equipped with this type of missile, will greatly increase its ability to combat UAVs. At the same time, these missiles can also be used as self-defense weapons for Ukrainian Su-24 bombers and Su-25 attack aircraft, and may be carried and launched by drones.
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Reports also show that Ukraine's current stock of anti-aircraft missiles has been "in a hurry", and its stock is close to exhaustion in the face of a large number of missile and drone attacks. After modification, the AIM-9M missile is expected to be launched from the ground, which will positively replenish Ukraine's stock of anti-aircraft missiles. This time, the $250 million US military aid provided by the United States to Ukraine includes not only AIM-9M air-to-air missiles, but also anti-aircraft missiles, rocket ammunition, mine-sweeping equipment and anti-armor weapons.
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Regarding NATO's continuous increase in military assistance to Ukraine, Russia has repeatedly stated that any material containing Ukrainian weapons will become its legitimate target. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that NATO's supply of weapons to Ukraine is "playing with fire."