The AIM-9 Sidewinder (where "AIM" stands for "Air Intercept Missile") is a short-range air-to-air missile which entered service with the US Navy in 1956 and subsequently was adopted by the US Air Force in 1964. Since then the Sidewinder has proved to be an enduring international success, and its latest variants remain standard equipment in most Western-aligned air forces. The Soviet K-13 (AA-2 'Atoll'), a reverse-engineered copy of the AIM-9B, was also widely adopted by a number of nations.

Low-level development started in the late 1940s, emerging in the early 1950s as a guidance system for the modular Zuni rocket. This modularity allowed for the introduction of newer seekers and rocket motors, including the AIM-9C variant, which used semi-active radar homing and served as the basis of the AGM-122 Sidearm anti-radar missile. Originally a tail-chasing system, early models saw extensive use during the Vietnam War but had a low success rate. This led to all-aspect capabilities in the L version which proved to be an extremely effective weapon during combat in the Falklands War and the Operation Mole Cricket 19 ("Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot") in Lebanon. Its adaptability has kept it in service over newer designs like the AIM-95 Agile and SRAAM that were intended to replace it.

The Sidewinder is the most widely used air-to-air missile in the West, with more than 110,000 missiles produced for the U.S. and 27 other nations, of which perhaps one percent have been used in combat. It has been built under license by some other nations including Sweden, and can even equip helicopters, such as the Bell AH-1Z Viper. The AIM-9 is one of the oldest, lowest cost, and most successful air-to-air missiles, with an estimated 270 aircraft kills in its history of use. When firing a Sidewinder, NATO pilots use the brevity code FOX-2.

The United States Navy hosted a 50th-anniversary celebration for the Sidewinder in 2002. Boeing won a contract in March 2010 to support Sidewinder operations through to 2055, guaranteeing that the weapons system will remain in operation until at least that date. Air Force Spokeswoman Stephanie Powell noted that due to its relatively low cost, versatility, and reliability it is "very possible that the Sidewinder will remain in Air Force inventories through the late 21st century.

1989, the world looks ahead to a brighter future, but history could have easily taken a different course. 1985, Mikhael Gorbachev becomes the new General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. His attempts at revitalizing an ailing USSR bring him into direct conflict with hardline party members and the military. It doesn't take much to envision a Cold War turned decisively hot. 1987, a surprise coup removes Gorbachev and his allies, squashing any prospect of change in the USSR. An old guard troika representing the party, KGB, and military takes over. The Stalinist-inspired leadership wants to reclaim USSR's former glory. Its power is militarily enforced. Its dictate absolute. Budding unrest in Armenia and the Baltic countries is crushed without remorse. The West remains silent. Emboldened, the Troika looks to tighten control over its territories and neighboring states. Neutral Finland, in an audacious KGB orchestrated political takeover, is forced to embrace a pro-Soviet government. The Helsinki coup of 1987 is a watershed moment between West and East. Tensions skyrocket. An outraged US President Ronald Reagan refuses to stand by idle. He initiates a second phase of the so-called new Cold War. Covert ops and counterinsurgencies surge across the globe. A flurry of armament deals tighten bonds with new and old allies alike. Western sanctions and rising military expenditure press the Soviet Union into ever-worsening trade agreements, inflating crippling debts. With oil reserves running low, food shortages in the USSR turn commonplace. Discontent grows. Popular demonstrations in Poland and East Germany are violently dispersed. Warsaw Pact's hold on power slips with each passing day. 1989. NATO plans a larger than ever reforger exercise for September 1989. A paranoid troika believes conflict in Western Europe is imminent. They plan to strike first. Moscow sees conventional war as the only recourse. Under cover of the massive ZAPAD-89 exercise in East Germany, the Warsaw Pact prepares in secret. Full combat readiness is achieved. Political guile and maskirovka try to deceive an uneasy NATO. Late on June 19th, 1989, the sudden withdrawal of Warsaw Pact border guards puts NATO on high alert. The warning order is issued.