The last days of the Second World War concomitantly signified the dawn of the missile age. Victorious Allied powers quickly noticed the wonders of German engineering and launched their own programs. One of those projects on air-to-air missiles involved the AIM-9 Sidewinder.

Still one of the most frightening weapons of air combat today, AIM-9 Sidewinder’s story began during the Second World War years. Having lost air supremacy as of 1942, Germany was going through hard times under heavy assault by US B-17 bombers targeting production facilities.