TIME.com - Tools to Fight Terror

A heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft.
Has a high-explosive warhead and an infrared heat-seeking guidance system.
Main components are an infrared homing guidance section, an active optical target detector, a high-explosive warhead and a rocket motor.
Guidance section enables the missile to home in on the engine exhaust of target aircraft.
Infrared unit costs less than other types of guidance systems and can be used day or night in all weather conditions.
Infrared seeker also permits the pilot to launch the missile then leave the area or take evasive action while the missile guides itself to the target.
The most widely used air-to-air missile in the West, with more than 110,000 missiles produced for 27 nations excluding the United States.
The AIM-9 is one of the oldest, least expensive and most successful missiles in the entire U.S. weapons inventory.
Primary Function: Air-to-air missile.
Power Plant: Thiokol Hercules and Bermite MK 36 Mod 11; single-stage, solid-propellant rocket motor.
Length: 9 feet 6 inches (2.89 meters).
Diameter: 5 inches (.13 meters).
Fin Span: 2 feet 1 inch (0.63 meters).
Speed: Supersonic.
Warhead: Blast fragmentation (conventional) weighing 20.8 pounds (9.36 kg).
Launch Weight: 190 pounds (85.5 kg).
Range: 10+ miles (8.7 nautical , 16 km).
Guidance System: Solid-state infrared homing system.
Unit Cost: $41,300.
Date Deployed: 1956.