How the Warhead on the AIM-9 Sidewinder Works - Smarter Every Day 282

A huge thanks to everyone who supports on Patreon:
/ smartereveryday
Click here if you're interested in subscribing: bit.ly/Subscribe2SED
⇊ Click below for more links! ⇊
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
GET SMARTER SECTION
The Navy has a long history of Weapons Development at China Lake
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_A...
Sidewinder Wikipedia Page
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-9_S...
Continuous Rod Warhead
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continu...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tweet Ideas to me at:
/ smartereveryday
Smarter Every Day on Facebook
/ smartereveryday
Smarter Every Day on Patreon
/ smartereveryday
Smarter Every Day On Instagram
/ smartereveryday
Smarter Every Day SubReddit
/ smartereveryday
Ambiance, audio and musicy things by: Gordon McGladdery
www.ashellinthepit.com/
ashellinthepit.bandcamp.com/
If you feel like this video was worth your time and added value to your life, please SHARE THE VIDEO!
If you REALLY liked it, feel free to pitch a few dollars Smarter Every Day by becoming a Patron.
/ smartereveryday
Warm Regards,
Destin

[@smartereveryday]

Fun fact: From the moment I started working on this video the US Military has fired 4 or so AIM-9X's over the continental US. Thanks to everyone who supports on Patreon and lets me do things like buy surplus missile parts! HAHA! I have plans to build a neat demonstration with them. You can support on Patreon here if that's of interest to you: www.patreon.com/smartereveryday Also, I have an email list. If you'd like to get an email when I post a video, you can sign up here: www.smartereveryday.com/email-list Thank you for your support!

[@jagmeetsingh4401]

love from india punjab❤❤❤

[@stephentorrey8727]

Were those used to shoot down the encroaching balloons?

[@Charlie-fu6ep]

War of the worlds 2 can't wait to see it!

[@jellygrapes5172]

@@stephentorrey8727 Yes, specifically the newer AIM-9X model he showed!

[@shadowofsteel]

Looking forward to whatever demonstration you come up with!

[@dmacpher]

Got you fam “The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't. By subtracting where it is from where it isn't, or where it isn't from where it is (whichever is greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation. The guidance subsystem uses deviations to generate corrective commands to drive the missile from a position where it is to a position where it isn't, and arriving at a position where it wasn't, it now is. Consequently, the position where it is, is now the position that it wasn't, and it follows that the position that it was, is now the position that it isn't.”

[@coreyfleig2139]

Makes perfect sense! I had understanding about this, but now I don't. So my understanding is subtracted from what I don't understand, and now I understand what I don't understand!! Perfect sense!

[@DarkysLPs]

This needs to be pinned

[@GunnersMovies]

I came here for this!🤣

[@Ethanf2318]

So you’re telling me sometimes it knows where it is because that’s where it is?

[@dmacpher]

@@Ethanf2318 because it knows where it isn’t

[@emanwe01]

That mystery pivot on the rollerons is the secret sauce that makes them so effective. The rolleron is actually a little aileron-like fin, and that pivot point is its hinge. When the missile tries to roll, the little windmill-wheel precesses and causes the rolleron fin to pivot out against the direction of roll. All four rollerons pivot like that in the same way, and so all four act against the roll.

[@MrSJPowell]

That took a "that's clever" bit to "Oh dang that's brilliant"

[@chuckygobyebye]

So that's a passive system to keep the body stable?

[@mr_confuse]

@@chuckygobyebye it is, purely mechanic system, no fancy electronics :D

[@rif6876]

be great to see the amateur rocket enthusiasts adopt this.

[@ELCHAMBERINO]

Well explained. Smart 🍪

[@BasedF-15Pilot]

I'm an F-15C pilot. The seeker in the front of the AIM-9 is gimbaled. There is a magnet in the yellow protective cover and there is a pre-flight check to pull the cover off and ensure that the seeker head moves inside the translucent seeker. The seeker is cooled by a little Argon canister that the AMMO guys install and keep pressurized, the heat buildup of air friction would blind the seeker if it did not have active cooling.

[@groggysword33]

F-15C is my favorite aircraft. It’s always great to meet those that operated that beautiful bird.

[@Nyx_2142]

I've found the argon thing cool ever since I read about the FIM-92 Stinger. Never occurred to me that the seekers would need cooling.

[@PeterPounders]

Yup. Worked at Hill at the missile shop and this was our job whenever a trailer of these came through. Most of the heads were the concrete filled ones and not the seeker heads. But when we did get the seeker heads there was a TO on checking it off for use

[@JRWooly]

IYAAYAS!

[@thomasfamily42]

​@@JRWoolyif you ain't ammo....you're waiting on them..

[@ivertranes2516]

Destin, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE feel free to make short videos like this one ANY TIME you discover something that excites you! This format is really fun. God Bless.

[@MrShadowy1]

I was an AO in the Navy for 10 years. I was watching you point at everything and thinking like "is he going to hit on the rollerons? Hey that X has thrust vectoring is he gonna point that out. You came through man. Well done. Do a HARM (AGM-88) next.

[@BrianRhodes9763]

You hurt the ones you love, but you harm the ones you hate.

[@JesusFriedChrist]

And you Fox-3 everyone else

[@benjaminshropshire2900]

I've love to hear more about the AGM-122 Sidearm. It seems like an ideal munition for up close and personal SEAD/DEAD operation and I kinda wonder why it didn't see wider adoption.

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

Yes please?!!!!

[@xenocore01]

AF Armament Tech here - Dont forget the Gas bottle for cooling the seeker!

[@benson8686]

This feels like old school smarter every day and I love it. It's really cool just to hear you talk about something that you find interesting for a few minutes.

[@dustindhansen]

THIS. We don't need elaborate builds or stunts to tune in. I mean, it's not going to hurt, but the majority of us are here because we love finding out how things work!

[@dustinsaldana1719]

YES

[@dustinsaldana1719]

The random. Un- planned interactions he has and seeing the gears turn in his mind is 1 thing I miss about his old videos

[@jamestheis726]

I absolutely agree. This is what this channel was and we can have the 2-3 majors a year but I love this 8 minute content. It’s what we all fell in love with in the first place

[@benson8686]

@@jamestheis726 don't get me wrong, I love the newer videos. Watching Destin learn about Saturn Rockets and grain silos from others is fantastic. Destin has a wonderful and contagious curiosity and he's able to captivate me with little things like this. It's simple, but thoroughly enjoyable content.

[@waywardmind]

"I'm in front of a building that does things" might be the most amazing thing Destin has every said.

[@halfsourlizard9319]

Those buildings ... always doin' things ...

[@raideurng2508]

"I fly on planes that do things"

[@Larken42]

The most bureaucratically correct descriptor of a place that is somewhere

[@soffici1]

China Lake is where the USN test new weapons and stuff. Think scaled down Area 51 but for the USN and far less famous. The things they do in those buildings aren’t exactly public knowledge for at least 20 years after they’ve done them

[@rajeshkanungo6627]

I noticed that too!

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

Somthing I heard from a Navy guy when I was in the USAF Reserve. One of his ship's aircraft came back from a mission with a North Vietnamese air-to-air missike sticking through the tailfin. It was very carefully removed and taken down to the missile maintenance shop. Several people had noted that it looked a lot like an AIM-9, so the seeker head was carefully removed and put on the AIM-9 test rig. It checked out perfectly! Furthe examination of the missile showed it was "probably" a Russian copy of an early AIM-9!

[@richardvernon317]

Soviet AA-2 Atoll missile was a copy of the AIM-9B. the first people to use the Sidewinder in combat were the Republic of China (Taiwan) Air Force in air battles against Communist China in the late 1950's. In one battle, a PLAAF Mig was hit by a sidewinder which suffered a warhead failure and got stuck in the Mig's airframe. the Mig got back to base and the remains of the missile were given to the Soviets, who copied it.

[@stewartdiamond477]

​@@richardvernon317Man this story hurts to read every time I see it. Hopefully that doesn't happen again.

[@davidhogan3307]

The aim-9 LM rollerons can pivot when unlocked or the term is referred to as uncaged. There's a little latch that is on the back that holds the rollerons from pivoting to prevent damage to them during take off and landing. The latch will come undone by the force of the missile launching off the aircraft. I worked on these in the air force for 7 years. Great video!

[@error.418]

How does the pivot affect flight?

[@EspressoBreve]

@@error.418 the pivot allows the panel extend into the airflow and induce drag causing force to stabilize the missile to fly straight.

[@error.418]

@@EspressoBreve Ah, that makes sense, thank you!

[@Cee64E]

Came here to say this. But I would like to add that once uncaged and able to pivot, gyroscopic procession makes the Rollerons into an actively powered control surface. If the missile rolls right, the Rollerons will all pivot towards that direction and stop the roll. The National Museum of the United States Air Force has an exhibit in the modern flight gallery that explains how this works.

[@madmike9530]

Thank you for your service.

[@briankrontz]

As an ex-navy ordy, it was taught to me that the sidewinder carried some sort of chain as a payload. I never really understood what that meant until you explained it here. And it always bothered me. I don't know why I never looked it up until now. I think of this from time to time. At least once a year. Thank you! You taught the guy who's supposed to know a thing or two. :)

[@echo-channel77]

"The chain" - ah yes, that was the technical term at Millington.

[@Mekerakesh]

Slinky shooter

[@Sk1m_Beeble]

High speed play pen ejector

[@supra1jz3d]

What's interesting, they have those things marked as live. I really doubt they are live so it's just weird they are still marked as such

[@shivasirons6159]

Brian i was A.O. On U.S.S. Coral Sea cv43 late 70,s early 80,s. We didn't know much about them either, other than breaking them out and bringing them up to the roof.

[@hessex1899]

My uncle was one of those engineers in the 50's. He never really talked about his work but he always drove amazing cars. :)

[@coloradomountainman8659]

My father as well, though he didn't drive anything amazing. He worked initially for Lockheed/Martin and designed missile guidance systems from the early 50's through the 1970's. Imagine he would be quite amazed at the current technology that goes into today's missiles.

[@winglessviper]

As a former USAF 462, weapons loader, the rolleron is a fasinating peice of engineering. It's fun using an air hose to spin them. I loaded many 9s on 8th TFW, 35th TFS F-16s at Kunsan. I have a scar where I split my forehead on the forward canard- 3 stitches.

[@wb8ujb]

Used to build and load these on F4's in the Navy. I too found the entire missile a wonderful piece of technology. Same time loaded AIM-7 Sparrow on the same aircraft.

[@Montana_Outdoor_Adventures]

@@wb8ujb VMFAT-101 ordnance Marine here. Millington Sailor?

[@UtahDelaCruz]

Dude, you've got a battle scar from a sidewinder. I would brag about that.

[@heeder777]

Did the nurses in A town treat your injury?

[@Crow.Author]

Reminds me of the old school Smarter Every Day videos. Love it! 👍🏼 Also, Destin may be the only person to have both a Sidewinder Rolleron and a mildly abstract painting of a cow in the same room.

[@bearbishop8570]

Agreed, this is amazing

[@Nate-wf5hk]

good point

[@anteshell]

@@Nate-wf5hk There was no "point". Just a statement of probabilistic facts or an observation.

[@daylen577]

I love the capacity for scientific experiments and the fact that Destin gets invited to cool places now, but I sometimes really wish we had more videos like this. Just showing off something cool, explaining how and why it works.

[@DreadX10]

Can confirm that none of the (class)rooms I ever saw a sidewinder (mock-up or real) in, had a mildly abstract painting of a cow as well.

[@Roadiedave]

Can confirm, AIM-9X does have thrust vectoring. Other fun fact, the AIM-7 Sparrow missile was upgraded to the AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile, or AMRAAM. The Sidewinder upgrade was originally going to be the Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile, but someone giggled too much, and they changed it to 9X.

[@MK-tt5xy]

Not quite. The US designed AMRAAM while the Brits & Germans agreed to design ASRAAM. ASRAAM exists (AIM-132) but for political reasons the US decided to withdraw and focus on AIM-9X and never adopted ASRAAM.

[@2462bf2]

Yh AMRAMM 120B etc, made by raytheon

[@nobody8717]

dang. I'd have loved to get an a2a confirmed hit with the ASRAAM.

[@wdwinder1]

@@MK-tt5xy US designed the ASRAAM seeker (first 18" of missile) and ASRAAM was first imaging IR seeker air to air. AIM9-X built on that

[@moonasha]

I heard you can get an ASRAAM at a certain shady establishment down the road

[@grpowell]

My dad was an engineer on the Sidewinder and other missiles at China Lake NAWS (formerly NWC). One of my earliest memories at age 4 was going to the Sensors and Platforms section of Michaelson Lab to see how the guidance system within that dome at the front of the missile works. It was incredible.

[@maxAUGron]

My grampa was also an engineer at China lake on the sidewinder, he's gone now and this video reminds me of him

[@codysmith7456]

Nah bro no he aint

[@grpowell]

@@maxAUGron Same here. It reminds me of playing with the instruments and "junk" parts he had at home, like the ridiculously strong guidance magnet that I couldn't ever get off the fridge without prying it off with both hands.

[@dieubermensch]

your dad is complicit in the death of thousands of people... is that incredible?

[@dieubermensch]

@@maxAUGron your grampa is complicit in the death of thousands of people. it's good he's gone.

[@harryschaefer8563]

Hi Destin, my former Marine son was an avionics specialist who worked on F18s. I once joined him on a "Tiger Cruise" aboard the USS AMERICA aicraft carrier one of the best experiences of my life! That "rolleron" reminds me of the little paddlewheel speedometers I used to remove from a through-hull fitting on the sailboats I used to crew on. I would pull them out after a race and immediately shove a bung back into the open hole that was gushing water into the bilge.

[@bigvideoenergy]

I wouldn't mind just having these small 8 minute videos on stuff that destin finds on his adventures. We too find it cool.

[@Aeronaut1975]

I read last week that the AIM-9X uses the entire visible light spectrum to track it's targets, and not just infa-red like the older versions. This means that the missile is EXTREMELY good at ignoring decoy flares etc. It's a beast.

[@rubiconnn]

Not only that but it is a high off boresight missile, meaning it the pilot can lock on targets that are almost 90 degrees in any direction with his head mounted display and the missile can quickly turn and even turn around to track targets that have moved behind the launching aircraft.

[@SupernovaSpence]

It primarily focuses in the infrared and ultraviolet spectrums. Decoys emit some ultraviolet light while the aircraft often only reflects ultraviolet light from the sun, which helps the missile to ignore decoys too. Not only that, but this new missile will also take an average spectrum analysis of the target while in the locked, pre-launch phase and continuously compare that average spectrum against background readings to also identify its target and only track that specific target. It helps to not only ignore decoys, but also prevents the missile from accidentally acquiring the wrong target. The AIM-9X doesn’t even need to see the target to be fired at it due to sensors in the pilots helmet or the plane if launched from an F-35.

[@redneck2994]

What he shows is an AIM- 9X-M

[@fim-43redeye31]

The 9X doesn't use visible light as far as the public knows, but it has exceptionally good algorithms - and its seeker design can see the entire aircraft as an image rather than just a point of light. Rumor has it 9Xes can target individual components of an enemy.

[@fi11222]

Is that why they can use it to pop a balloon?

[@Spiritofpower24]

My dad actually worked on the AIM-9 (I'm not certain which variant, but I think it was probably the AIM-9X). He even worked at a building that was later bought by the University of North Texas and turned into an engineering college, where I got my degree. As an interesting little quirk, the building had some kind of signal blocking built into it for national security reasons back when they were working on missiles and such that blocks signals from going in or out, so students have to use the school's wi-fi inside the building, since they can't get cell service. Just a weird coincidence, that my dad would work out of that facility developing missiles, and then years later I would go to that same building for college.

[@GraemePayne1967Marine]

About that signal blocking ... look up information about a Faraday Cage. That building (and all modern government/military buildings where electromagnetic security is a concern) is built with a faraday cage integrated into the exterior structure.

[@TrevorDennis100]

Many many years ago I was on my way home from a late shift at work riding my Honda VFR750 motorcycle. It was 1am, and I was the only vehicle on the dual carriageway I was on, so went for bust. I rode this road every day and knew it well, and considered the gentle curve I was approaching as inconsequential, but this time I was doing 140mph as I tried to lay the bike over to take the curve. I got the fright of my life because the bike didn't want to tip in, and I had to use a lot of strength to force it. I later realized this was the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel making it want to maintain its orientation. That memory was bought back by Dustin describing how those tiny stabilizers worked. 100,000rpm! That's amazing.

[@gmt-yt]

The most terrifying thing about the sidewinder is its ability, unparalleled in military history, to turn people into paper silhouettes without even being launched!

[@RENO_K]

It's terrifying, the missile knows where it is at all times

[@WetaMantis]

Oh God, this one knows...

[@dbtest117]

Python?

[@TheRealSkeletor]

@@dbtest117 No, Sidewinder. Completely different kind of snake.

[@bwofficial1776]

@@RENO_K Not just that, it knows where it isn't.

[@lowdrag82]

The AIM-9 L/M missile rolleron is uncaged by the forward momentum of the missile. There is a weighted metal tab at the back of the rolleron that unlocks the rolleron allowing it to pivot on the hinge you indicated. It’s a brilliant design. Early AIM-9P missiles used string that held the rollerons in position. The rocket motor burned the string off at launch, uncaging the rolleron assembly.

[@wolja]

String - so simple and probably effective in most cases. Even waxed string to get sort of a fuse so the burn away happens latter

[@audio1484]

This clip gives me much more appreciation for low tech yet genius solutions that engineers of that era came up with.

[@photonic]

The guidance system was really clever. You should do a video on how that worked in the early versions of the AIM-9.

[@kevinbaird9763]

IIRC, the seeker head did not track well if the missle was rolling. To have the fins up front steer the missle and dampen the roll was more difficult.........might as well us those big fins at the back,

[@AKarcticmallard]

The gleeful giggle at having a missile fin. Wonderful. From one engineer to another: I love your channel, Destin. Keep them coming!

[@RICDirector]

That giggle is why I subscribed, honestly. What insane glee! Completely irresistible!

[@kensherwin4544]

Who but an engineer would literally giggle upon receiving their own rocket fin complete with a rolleron? I love it. I have a few steering parts from the '50s in my basement that result in the same giggle.😊

[@ThunderousMellow]

That thrust vectored nozzle on the X is so unbelievably cool

[@DaGhost141]

that thing can shoot almost 90° off boresight, it's crazy how aggressive that missile can steer.

[@TheSwegBucket]

@@DaGhost141 Unlike in a jet you don't need to worry about the Pilots G force tolerance 😅

[@bootlegpete7984]

Cost's $400,000 buckaroo's too!!!

[@ErraticAim]

this ones only 6k

[@tcg1_qc]

@@bootlegpete7984 well, if it manages to destroy a multi million dollar enemy fighter jet and possibly kill or injure an enemy pilot, it pays for itself

[@gflaig9131]

The ir guidance system on there is also genius: because of the technological restriction of the time, it had to be fully analog. What they did for the sideweinder was to place a rotating disc divided into sixteen sections, with one in two section beeing opaque, and one in two being transparent. Behing the disc was the ir sensor. When the ir signature of the airplane moved across the disc, the sensor would output different frequencies, as the the black and tranparent sections were blocking/letting through a diferent amount of light at different frequencies depending of the position of the ir signature. The outut frequencies could then be analyzed and the missile would try and correct until the output frequency matched the one that would mean the target is centered. Pureley genius!!

[@Schoenbaum_Paul]

Our family, 9, was in China Lake and then Ridgecrest. I heard so many stories about the first Sidewinder. Then I watched the Story of The Sidewinder on UTube and low and behold there was my father holding , his favorite topic, the gyroscope. We are up to the Aim9, amazing!! Love this channel!!

[@rnathanbarnes]

The rolleron flywheel helps with unwanted rotation (roll). The pivots allow the rolleron to act as ailerons to help stabilize the pitch and yaw movement…that’s what I remember being taught in the Air Force when I was in as a weapons troop. Rollerons we’re my favorite feature that I learned about any ordinance for my job. I’m glad you get to appreciate them too!

[@pedroarrechea5741]

I think you also wanted to control the roll of the missile because the guidance "computer" was not sufficiently complex to account for the missile rotating around its axis. It can only guide correctly if the missile is not twisting about its axis

[@EricaCalman]

Correct!

[@digit975]

I know you’re super busy with life so you should do more of these quicker style videos! Of course the high production value of your regular video is greatly appreciated, but these quick explanation videos without major fancy graphics are super interesting and engaging!

[@CapablePimento]

+1

[@victorsaisse1340]

+2

[@lakee1542]

+3

[@B---------------------------D]

Personally, I enjoy the long form stuff.

[@shetanix2667]

+5

[@jimharris5616]

On the AIM-9M there is a latch on the back of the rolleron that unlocks from the g-forces of launch. Then the gyro part is free to swing from side to side to stabilize the missile. The AIM-9M and X uses the same warhead, rocket motor and active optical target detector (AOTD). The guidance is totally different between them.

[@pb68slab18]

Last Sidewinder I loaded in my days as a Navy AO was the AIM-9L! IYAOYAS!!!

[@nufosmatic]

1:21 - VERY KUEL! I spent a couple of months at China Lake having fun with MQ-9 Reapers. Took an afternoon off and saw the museum. The Sidewinder was the kuelest thing on the planet!

[@Dorraj]

I love to think that Destin just walked up to this place and started poking at rockets and stuff and the people working there were just like "what is this crazy man doing with a camera?" Edit: since people don't seem to realize somehow... My comment was a joke.

[@Spott07]

It's even more fun to realize the truth: Destin has recent employment experience as a Missile Flight Test Engineer for military weapons, and has government clearance for certain amounts of classified military information.

[@Valcien]

All that stuff is decommissioned and just for show.

[@reverblueflame]

Would love to know the process Destin has to go through to pick subjects to talk about, especially on defense topics. I'm guessing he doesn't just pick whatever and hope it's ok. Does he have a DoD editor who says yes or no?

[@elliottg5987]

I wouldn't worry about it, since the entirety of AIM-9 information, classified or not, is already public knowledge on the War Thunder forums.

[@carsonhunt4642]

This is literally a tourist spot lol, they’re used to cameras 😂

[@aSinisterKiid]

Rollerons are incredible. I saw a video of a guy who had a wing piece with one and he demonstrated it's abilities by blowing air over it from his shop air line. He tried taking the rolleron apart but at a certain point you can't take it apart any further without destroying its housing. It seems like it's a replaceable part rather than a maintainable one. But now that you've gotten one yourself I cannot wait to see some slow motion footage and a more in depth breakdown of the physics involved!

[@mattsoutherden]

The weird thing is, I watched that video on Monday. It popped up in my recommendations earlier this week - 4 days before Destin released this video. Strange coincidence.🤔

[@BPMoments]

@@mattsoutherdensame

[@jabruli]

I also saw that video earlier this week :D

[@youvebeenspooked]

strange that a part on a missile would be replaceable rather than maintainable....

[@mattsoutherden]

Seems like this serendipity was probably caused by the balloon incidents triggering lots of Sidewinder content to surface.

[@Jason608]

If I'm not mistaken, the rolleron's gyroscopic motion isn't trying to stabilize the whole missile by itself, but rather just that little pivoting section, which acts like (and well IS) a control surface. The control surface is what confers the stability to the fuselage.

[@jefflemberg645]

Good explanation of how an annular rod warhead works. It takes forever to figure it out by just reading and looking at diagrams.

[@angelviloria4966]

Awesome. For over a decade I was a soldier (Redstone Arsenal) then civilian technical advisor/instructor (Ford Aerospace) to foreign militaries who purchased sidewinder (air-to-air) and Chaparral (ground-to-air) missile systems. And the rolleron was always my favorite part for its elegant simplicity. That said, the guidance system is pretty elegant as well. I was fortunate to have worked with the engineer who originally designed it. Those OG engineers solved some incredibly complex problems with very basic tech including intercept (not chase) in 3 dimensional space, how to pivot a guidance fin (very high torque), and of course the rolleron.

[@iwontliveinfear]

When did you work at Redstone? I know a few people that have worked there. Also IIRC that's where Destin worked before he quit to get his PhD.

[@angelviloria4966]

@@iwontliveinfear 80s

[@nobeltnium]

do you have any reference to those guidance intercept system? I love to have a look at those if possible

[@Centermass762]

@@nobeltnium not today, ISIS. 😁

[@imfloridano5448]

I was trained at Redstone Arsenal back in 1990 on the now phased out Hawk missile system (radar)and then in 1992 on phased array radars. I was in charge of UAE's that were difficult manage due to their military structure. The US Military is better trained cause it 24/7 even in combat environments. Other countries are now really taking it seriously due to putins invasion of the Ukraine.

[@ProfessorJayTee]

Dustin, your 'random discussions' are more sensible and informative to the public than many KZbinrs PLANNED and RESEARCHED talks. Thank you for your efforts. You are appreciated.

[@freeaudiojungle4407]

why cant you compliment the guy without shitting on the rest of the platform? subtractive thinking, not helping anyone except boosting your own ego for discerning the sensible and informative.

[@anonanon3066]

dustin

[@BlackMeowgic]

​@@anonanon3066 Dustin' makes me feel good *ghost busters theme*

[@unlokia]

Is he Destin-ed to be “Dustin”? 😁

[@Hagemann666]

Awesome video, Destin! I enjoy your channel immensely and it LITERALLY makes me smarter every time I watch it. As a military aviation aficionado I found this short video incredibly engaging. I never knew about rollerons! What a clever solution to a very difficult problem that must have really vexed those engineers back in the 1960s before we had accurate gyros and accelerometers that can fit on integrated chips. I also never knew about the expanding rod warhead. The way you described it made sense to me but the animation you provided really brought it home. Just keep doing what you do!

[@fab4andthejkflipflops6]

Having worked with AIM-9 systems before, I think one of the most fascinating things about this missile is the way in which the system gets "Armed", its a purely mechanical system and is amazingly brilliant.

[@LumpyAC]

The rollerons are cool and all, but the seeker is the headliner. Absolutely genius use of mechanics, optics and electronics, not to mention the simple working concept and design.

[@MrCantStopTheRobot]

I was really hoping he would at least touch on how that sensor works, but I guess there are other channels and vids for that.

[@corystansbury]

Also cooled with a little Stirling cooler, which is super neat (used to use cryogenic gasses).

[@fi11222]

Yep. "Complexity of a washing machine" was the design goal of the China Lake folks. They completely wiped out the competition from Hughes Aircraft (the AIM-4) during Nam

[@licencetoswill]

I wondered how heat seeking works on a balloon target, when they're probably calbrated for engine exhausts, not balloons ?

[@z987k]

@@licencetoswill Balloons can have engines.

[@josie4065]

This is the kind of video that warms my heart. Destin taking us along on one of his adventures.

[@ChrisWilson999]

The rollerons instantly reminded me of a movie from 1984 called "Best Defense". As far as I know this is the only movie about a defense technology engineer where a device like the rolleron was designed.It's a good example of how rushing something like a sidewinder missile design might lead to overly inventive solutions.

[@Nightwolf323]

Sidewinders are awesome missiles! Because of the way the seeker worked in the earlier missiles, it only knows the angle that it's looking, and nothing about range. The optimal way to guide a missile to a target is leading it like you mentioned, but if you don't know the range, you need the seeker to stay at the same orientation in roll (so the guidance can use the angular rates of the seeker). Instead of having a whole inertial navigation system or any complex electronics in there the rollerons let the missile fly lead instead of pure pursuits using only a couple passive parts and the missile's own airspeed! I think the inertia of the flywheels wouldn't be enough compared to the mass of the missile to keep it stable, so instead they're on those hinged pieces that essentially want to stay in the same orientation, so if the missile starts to roll, they kind of stay in the same position and act as mini control surfaces on those aft fins. If I'm not mistaken, this is what gave the sidewinder its name, if you watch old videos of them it kind of wobbles side to side as the rollerons stabilize the missile. The modern AIM-9X is insanely advanced, with a digital seeker head and all kinds of electronics, that combined with the thrust vectoring you spotted and helmet mounted sights used by the pilots, let the missile engage things "high off-boresight," up to 90 degrees away from the direction the missile/plane that is firing it is pointed. There are a few test videos on KZbin of them being fired against QF-4 target drones at insane angles while completely ignoring all the countermeasures the drones deployed.

[@nymalous3428]

It just occurred to me that maybe the AIM-9X has vectored thrust so that it can be launched in a vacuum. That gives me a little bit of the heebie geebies.

[@danielkemp4860]

As I understand, the USSR SA-7 Grail family of MANPADS used a similar tracking system, except, the fins spin the missile at a predictable rate, correction signal is sent to only 2 canard fins. The fins providing correction force 90 degrees off plane, causing precession of the whole missile!

[@11Tits]

@@nymalous3428 The AIM-9X was given thrust vector so it was able to pull its super sus close range off bore shots

[@Darthybuddy]

@@nymalous3428nah. It’s pretty much just to increase the turn rate of the missile. Same reason many countries put thrust vectoring on jets.

[@julianholstein3840]

I would agree with the comments before, but the trust vectoring of course helps to maintain high control authority in higher parts of the atmosphere where the fins become less effective.

[@NochSoEinKaddiFan]

From what you said, the rollerons might not stabilise the rocket, but they only stabilise the little fin they are embedded in. But when the little fin is stabilised and the rocket rolls, it creates a surface to deflect air and that in turn stabilises the rocket. Looking at the outtro: excited engineers are always a little scary to the people around them... I am one myself, I would know xD

[@chrisl2656]

Yes, because the rotating elements are in counter-rotating pairs, they have no net direct mechanical/gyroscopic effect on the missile as a whole. Individually, in response to the missile orientation changing they will deflect the pivoting element, resulting in an aerodynamic correction.

[@ccorcos]

@@chrisl2656 I'm out of practice with the right hand rule, but I feel like this is a similar effect that causes a bicycle to correct itself. Though that could just be due to the caster angle...

[@jones1193]

That last sentence is so very very true. It's crazy how intense I can get when I get excited and go down the rabbit hole. And yes if I remember my lectures in Uni on guidance correctly you are right.

[@Nghilifa]

The rolling effect is why the missile is called the Sidewinder, since it looks similar to the "rolling" motion of a sidewinding rattlesnake whilst flying through the air.

[@JJFX-]

@@chrisl2656 I'm glad you said this because I was thinking, "Wait a minute, wouldn't they be spinning opposite to the opposing fin??". The net effect is a bit over my head but this makes a lot more sense!

[@williamfredericks4397]

Regarding the Rollerons, the angular momentum of the 4 gyros is not enough to be able to stability the roll axis of the missile as a whole, but it is enough angular momentum to hold the little rolleron control surfaces "fixed". As the missile starts to roll, the gyros don't want to roll with the missile and with the ~45 deg angle on the hinge axis causes an angular deflection in the rollerons, which generates an aerodynamic stabilizing roll torque on the missile.

[@jeremymundy8608]

Another awesome video! Thanks for all the US Navy stuff!! Retired USN aviation mechanic and I love watching your work!!!🇺🇸

[@hunterdan2002]

Wonder what kind of watch list you get on when you buy missile parts 🤣. Either way, it's fun to watch Destin nerd out on stuff like this, and I completely appreciate when he does. I have the same kind of love for learning new things like this all the time.

[@hugoknight1]

I was thinking the same thing. I also wonder if I'm now on a watch list for watching it! 😬

[@hunterdan2002]

@@hugoknight1 doesn't help I immediately went on ebay and found said parts, and apparently you can buy nearly complete replicas for about 5k. Even one guy selling them as running boards for trucks...

[@alex0589]

all of them.

[@RossReedstrom]

Sure, he gets on the list, then they say "Hey look, it's Dustin ... Loved good nuke sub videos. " And they delete him.

[@nanaki-seto]

You would be surprised what you can legally purchase and the why of it Basically if it is not classified and not dangerous you can buy it I sold it because i was offered allot but i had a 500 pounder an-m64a1 (casing only) I paid 200 bucks for it a buddy offered me 700 i sold it lol easy money For the missal you wont be able to get the engine the war head or any internals but fins casing dummy war head etc no problem

[@HowMany_Monkeys]

I like these short-format videos where Destin is just geeking out at some cool tech lol I like the long-format ones too, but peppering these short ones in between is really entertaining 👏

[@gvdwatt]

That was absolutely fascinating. As a kid, I had the first issue of a jet magazine series and I studied the different configurations of the F14 and how the Sparrow, Maverick, Sidewinder, TARPS pod etc. worked. I had no idea about the rear stabilization. You just made my day!

[@marserolin]

I used to load both these missiles on F-16s during my time as a weapons systems specialist in the USAF. Seeing this video definitely brought me back!

[@shivasirons6159]

Me too, A.O. Carrier.

[@TheDevilWearsWill]

I've been working with the 3 missiles shown for the past 2 years and Thursday was my last day. It was cool to hear you talk about it. It's cool you got parts too! 😎

[@bobbailey4954]

Back in the day when I was in the Navy I believe the use of an expanding coil like spring was deployed in the sidewinder. Also worked well splashed a lot of aircraft with it.

[@-A.n.d.r.e.w-]

That was awesome!! Thanks so much man! The design problems I try to solve in my day job are really challenging so I really love dead simple, genius mechanical solutions to incredibly complex problems! Really inspires me to keep pushing to find better answers.

[@joakimix1]

Destin, your energy is so captivating. I just wanted to say that I love your longer in depth videos, but I also love a short old-school type video like this one. Basically I'd watch anything you put out. You're the most genuine personality on youtube.

[@FlyHighAndFar]

... a deep dive video into how these "rollerons" really work would be awsome 😍

[@bigdarbs19]

I used to test rocket motors with Royal Ordnance in the UK. I had a rolleron in its housing sat on my desk, and I can recall chatting on the phone spinning the rolleron like a toy. I also cut my fingers on it, the edgs of the disc are very finely machined angles!

[@itmooh]

the whole original sidewinder missile is a pure combination of a bunch of genius tricks. so simple, so amazing.

[@DanielMakaiBlanchard]

I love this shorter format! Longer is great too, but diving into cool, unique mechanics in smaller lunch-break-sized videos with your insight is wonderful. Keep it up! 👍

[@Roddohh]

As someone watching on their lu nch break, I agree!

[@marcberm]

I've been fascinated with the gyroscopic effect ever since I got a gyroscope at the Smithsonian gift shop as a kid.

[@devilisback1]

I went to the RAF Museum in London just yesterday and when I saw this missle the rollerons immediately caught my eye,I took tons of pictures of that specific area and i was determined to google and learn what this design was about. I accidentaly stumbled uppon this video and I got an answer for all my questions. Amazing

[@nicholasmaude6906]

The AIM-9X does have TVC while the rocket motor is burning, the warhead on the AIM-9X does have a proximity-fuse (The seeker-head appears to be a dummy on the missile on display) and the AIM-9X uses active roll-control.

[@Badweather12]

These casual walk up videos are some of my favorite. Please keep doing them.

[@Subanator]

Such a random but extremely interesting topic! You don’t learn too much about these types of subject matters usually due to them being classified.

[@FaizCaliph]

Not as random when you know what his career was

[@skepticalbadger]

All this information has been freely available for a long time.

[@cfranko1860]

@@skepticalbadger yeah lmao heatseeking missiles aren’t really classified at all

[@ZKern7]

Nah its just rocket science

[@slightlyirradiatedmuffin3257]

@@FaizCaliph Also not random when you consider this missile was just used against the UFOs and Balloons

[@aktormey]

My grandfather, after completing service aboard the SS375 Macabi during WWII, went to work for Ford Philco and eventually participated in the design of this weapons system. He was a life member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and was a member of the Associations of Old Crows (Electronic Warfare Organization), Armed Forces Communications Association, Air Force Association, Association of the United States Army, the American Space Foundation and the US Naval Institute. Thank you Destin for this video. How proud we are of his patriotism in the defense of our country through engineering.

[@raghotrod86]

I love watching your content. I got excited with you when you showed the parts at the end of the video. You really do make it feel like you’re taking me on an adventure every time I watch your videos!

[@SubstationAlpha]

Amazing video! My last duty station in the Navy was at NAWS China Lake and I was attached to VX-31 "Dust Devils". You brought back some fond memories of the old dust bowl. 😆

[@Rattiar]

I have seen a couple videos about how Sidewinders work (shout-out Curious Droid!) but hadn't heard the details of either the rollerons or the expanding circle of "bad-day" steel in the warhead! I can't wait to hear more. Thanks!

[@dougwilliams7641]

Destin, The Sidewinder mounted in the static display aircraft had its rollerons caged. Early development Sidewinder models had un caged rollerons and pilots could feel them fighting control inputs. Caged rollerons are released by launching G forces which flip back the small grey tab at the back of the wing. Earlier rollerons wer caged by tying opposing rollerons together with a nylon line under tension. top to bottom and left to right. On that model the front control surfaces are called Canards and the rear, with rollerons, are called wings. Sparrow Missiles have front wings and rear fins. The aircraft mounted Sidewinder could be detonated 2 ways. First by a contact fuse if impacting another aircraft and second by the Influence Fuse (Chinese Balloon Fuse), the silver cylinder behind the anodized control section which detonated the warhead in the event of a near miss. I’m a former USAF 31651L Missile Maintenance Technician. Love the Channel. Change of topic and Suggestion, find a working Linotype machine to be fascinated, also a Hammond Tone Wheel Generator which mechanically created musical notes covering nearly the entire human audible range. I have a spare Tonewheel generator you are welcome to, heavy and fragile so if you cruise I-95 through NC I’m at mile marker 73. Cheers.

[@dantreadwell7421]

You geeking out over the tailfin is probably the best part of this

[@dwrabauke]

I love how you have kept your enthusiasm and appreciation for genius engineering and the ability to see it everywhere and share it with your viewers.

[@Vidar_Odinson]

I would love more in-depth videos on how missiles work like this one! It's rare for me to see them up close like that, really neat stuff. And I have also loved the idea of the rollerons once I figured out what they were. Assembling models as a kid and seeing pictures in books they looked so weird since no other missile had those rollerons (except the AA-2 Atoll which was just a reverse engineered AIM-9).

[@blue72nova]

This video brings me back to my time in engineering school and the discussion of angular velocity. Then teaching us kids the oh-so-fun right-hand rule. Watching people work through problems while checking their right hand as they mimic rotation to confirm the direction of the angular vector will always make me chuckle.

[@EGL24Xx]

When I was in a rocket club, we considered adding hinged fins with rollers. The reason is that when the rocket rolls, the fins will move to oppose the rotation. That's what the sidewinder missile is doing too. It's just a passive way to stop roll.

[@kevinsorensen367]

I love your deep dive series, but I've got a special love for these little videos! Thanks Destin!

[@MarcosProjects]

I'm always blown away by how you seem to know so much about so many different things. Made a bit more sense that you might have just learned about rollerons from the informational plaques around (unless you already knew about them?!) but I'm still blown away by the fact that you noticed the tiny divots and knew what they were and why they were there. Great video, thanks Destin!

[@FishFind3000]

He did work for the government doing weapons testing

[@RobertLowery]

I believe Destin used to work on engineering weapons systems for military aircraft.

[@ryanrobinson5903]

He worked on Military R and D basically. He has a cool video on it

[@johnlucas6683]

He has a vid on his channel where he revealed his background as something related to military weapons testing. Something like that. He's really cool.

[@jn-ny8bh]

It's called being an engineer

[@fredericborloo1910]

Destin, the roll motion is stopped by the gyroscopes precessing under roll and thereby deflecting the aerodynamic surfaces to which they are attached. It is not so much the rigidity in space of the gyroscopes doing the work as the deflection of the surfaces.

[@JessWLStuart]

Awesome video! I'm looking forward to the slow motion of the spinning rollerons responding to a slipstream when the mocked up missile tries to spin!

[@NeverlostatBSgaming]

My grandpa worked on the electrical power systems for the sidewinder, he’s no longer with us but any time I see that missile I remember how he taught me to enjoy science, so thank you Destin for bringing that joy to many others

[@cyh4031]

So sorry for your loss! God bless you and yours!!!

[@scaneagle62]

There is a interesting story about the guy who came up with that idea. He was a newbe in a design team and they were stuck with the problem of instability for months. The new guy was home playing with his son with some toy and he had a light bulb moment and came up with those rolerons. Really cool story.

[@f38stingray]

5:18 - the AIM-9 was one of the first missiles to lead targets with proportional guidance, and it's a cool point. It's also why stabilization is important. The seeker is a simple IR detector (no pixels or built-in direction sensing) and figures target direction with a spinning mirror that makes it continuously scan in a circle in front of the missile. The hottest part of the circle is where the target is, so the missile leads by comparing how much hotter one part of that spinning circle is than the rest. Thing is, if the whole missile (and not just the seeker) spins, then you don’t know if the hot part of the circle is actually still pointing at your target, hence the rollerons to stop roll. This is why the AIM-9X has no rollerons - its seeker is more like a camera, so it can find direction just by seeing which spot is brightest, so roll doesn't matter. Everything's connected!

[@andyyefimovich8744]

I have one of these landed just outside my house... I wish I could add a picture.. amazing stuff. Thanks for your work! Really enjoy learning more.

[@NothingToProve]

More simple short videos like this please! Love'em!

[@alexio5498]

No, long form videos are way better to understand complex subjects, go back to your public TV if you want just bites of informations and incomplete facts

[@dlwilliams76]

A bunch of years ago, the local air national guard group had a display at the state fair. They had a Sidewinder missile. I saw the little "spinny thingy" at the rear of the fins. I spun it, studied it a while, found the hinged section and it dawned on me. NO WAY! THAT'S THE COOLEST THING! Easy to implement too. No electronics. Thanks! I love your giddy enthusiasm for this stuff.

[@I2AT]

Pretty cool. Always wondered what the spinning wheels were in the fins.

[@davesewell309]

Loved this video! My uncle Bud Sewell was one of the inventors of the Sidewinder right there at China Lake!

[@jcstudios7099]

Destin, awesome video, I love to see how excited you get about life and the things we humans create. To answer your question about rollerons, they provide stability primarily with aerodynamics. The gyroscopic stabilization acts on the flight surface more so than the missile as a whole. The cool thing is, it's completely passive. While in flight, as you said, the flywheels spin up and the movable tabs are locked in place to prevent tab movement while the aircraft is maneuvering. When the missile is released, those tabs unlock and become free to move. Because they are held in space by the spinning flywheels, as the missile rolls, those tabs will remain on the axis of the flywheels. Like a trim tab on an aileron, it will aerodynamically counteract any roll induced during the weapon's flight. I hope this helps you understand rollerons better. PS. I can't wait to see you experiment on those newly acquired fins. Hint: Air compressor and hearing protection. 😁

[@argothgames8545]

This is why I subscribe to your channel. It is so clear and obvious that you just love learning and sharing that learning with others. Anyone else would have gone through google or one of your many contacts to find out exactly what the pivots on the rollerons do before even attempting to make this video, but the vibe this gives off is that you just saw something as you were walking past it and wondered how it works so you made a video. Thank you for all that you do.

[@christrees664]

Thanks Dustin. Love fighter aircraft and their weapons systems. And learnt something new with the rollerons and the explosive steel. Always a good day when you learn something new.

[@davemcddd]

We need a LOT more of these simple 8 minute videos!

[@Mike__B]

Oh dang, I think I just had one of those inspirations moments you have when figuring something out with those rollerons. So each of the 4 will have an angular momentum vector but the vector will be in the same tangential direction (clockwise as viewed from the back) around the missile (via the right hand rule) so the vector pointing directions are very important. Now it's doubtful conservation of angular momentum of those relatively small pieces alone will be enough to prevent a rocket moving at a high rate of speed from rotating, however as the rocket rotates that little piece on a hinge tries do try to conserve angular momentum so the flaps do move, and they move in the same tangential direction to the rocket's radius this is basically creating flaps which absolutely do create a counter drag to the rotation preventing it from spinning widely out of control. Now if this is common knowledge, I'm sorry, but yeah I just got a very inspirational "OH SHOOT I FIGURED IT OUT!" moment which kind of gave me a little tingly feeling. Thanks for making these videos.

[@alexandermccomb6444]

As a Marine that was in Aviation Ordnance, it is cool to know that there are certain items we have that are on display for anyone to learn about.

[@tmschutter]

AF Aircraft Armament here, I always found it really interesting seeing the differences in how our Marine and Navy cousins handle and load muns.

[@jessepatrick4225]

Keep up the childlike wonder you have about things and engineering! It is awesome to see great content that you are passionate about. Not sure if this was a planned video or something you just documented because you found it interesting, but it was good!

[@ejharrop1416]

Thank you. I was part of a small business restricted prime contract for the forward fin a very long time ago. Enjoyed going to the lake and especially the annual Waswinder party. The story behind the development of the Sidewinder in the late 40s is fascinating. Take care

[@NathanLewisVideos]

I love this style of video. Also super glad the animation was there even though I could see it in my head. It was too cool not to make sure everyone understood it. More videos like this!

[@Zel_eo]

7:26 "No Mr. FBI Agent, I did not give money to this man for missile parts" - Everyone on Patreon

[@greyminded]

The last clip is my favorite, I really like your enthusiasm about the rollers, I too think its interesting, looking forward for what you are going to build with it.

[@ricardoastronaut]

Hahahhaha "you just bought me some missile parts" hahahha. Freaking awesome man. I'm a former GM1 VLS tech and we've gone through a bit of the anatomy of the missiles we launch; but I'm gonna say that this one is pretty cool.

[@peter-radiantpipes2800]

My uncles worked for Raytheon most of their careers from 70’s-2000’s and did a lot of missile guidance. My cousin has done fire suppression in tanks and nuclear detonation detection underwater. Also worked at Sonos / L7 but I don’t know much. I almost took a project manager position at Sonos in my late 20’s. Wished I had. Man I wished I’d gone Mechanical Engineering or another similar. Uncle also worked on FLIR. Funny early stories about testing it outside and catching people farting. 😂