AIM-132 ASRAAM

    Notes:  The ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile) was one of the replacements for the AIM-9 in the US and NATO inventory.  The missile features a better response by using thrust squibs rather than aerodynamic control surfaces.  It began deployment in 1998 to US and NATO aircraft, but budgetary restrictions have severely limited the adoption of the ASRAAM.  The budget problems in the US, as well as the influences of major aerospace manufacturers, have led the US to adopt the AIM-9X instead of the AIM-132, though some remain in the US inventory.  (The F-22’s HSM missile bays are, in fact, designed to precisely fit the AIM-9X.)

     Twilight 2000 Notes: These missiles were deployed at a much faster rate in the Twilight 2000 World, and such deployment began in 1996.