The US Navy has no formal requirement for a submarine-launched anti-air missile; however, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) and Raytheon have made limited progress with the development of a suitable missile-launching system.rnIn November 2005, a Raytheon-led team successfully tested the vertical-launch capability of an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from a US Army XM-85 Chapparal launcher. The test was conducted for NAVSEA at the army's McGregor Test Range in New Mexico, with the aim of assessing the missile's potential for deployment in submarines.rnThe missile intercepted and destroyed a slow-moving rotary-wing target drone in what was the first test phase of a multi-year risk-retirement programme intended to develop new capabilities at low cost.rn"Since the AIM-9X vertical test-launch in 2005, a capsule to enclose the missile and deliver it to the air from the VLS [vertical-launch system] has been demonstrated, including a successful transition to stable flight of an AIM-9X dummy missile shape," a NAVSEA spokesman told Jane's.rn"There is no programme of record. Approximately USD36 million has been allocated from 2005 to 2009," he added.
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