In a First, Australian Army Fires Sidewinder Air-to-Air Missile from NASAMS Surface-to-Air Launcher

The Australian Army has become the first in the world to fire an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile from a high-mobility launcher integrated with the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile System (NASAMS), during a live-fire exercise at the Woomera Test Range in May.

This marks Australia as one of only three countries to have ever launched a Sidewinder from NASAMS—and the only one to do so using a high-mobility launcher mounted on a Hawkei protected vehicle. The 16th Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery, carried out the test, using a modified Hawkei vehicle capable of launching up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.

The Sidewinder is a highly manoeuvrable missile typically used for air-to-air combat, while the AMRAAM offers longer range. During the Woomera trial, soldiers executed a “ripple fire,” launching from both a canister and a mobile system at the same target.

This event follows the regiment’s 2023 milestone, where they conducted Australia’s first NASAMS live-fire using an AMRAAM. The latest test concluded an 18-month training period for 111 Battery soldiers, many of whom were firing live missiles for the first time.