Link Between VB-6 Felix and Sidewinder?

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Atomic Coyote

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Was there any direct link between the IR seeker used in the WW2 vintage VB-6 Felix, and the AIM-9 Sidewinder? I assume that the research on the earlier bomb was helpful and used at least indirectly, but I'm curious if you could draw a more direct line. Information on the VB-6 seems fairly sparse on the internet (and it doesn't look like it's gotten much discussion on this forum).
 
There is an excellent description of Felix seeker in "Guided missiles and techniques", NDRC, 1946. Its public domain, so it could be read or download free from Internet Archives.
 
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Dilandu said:
There is an excellent description of Felix seeker in "Guided missiles & techniques", NDRC, 1946. Its public domain, so it could be read or download free from Internet Archives.
Click to expand...
You may find the document only if you google for its proper title i.e. “Guided missiles AND techniques”.
 
As far as I know there is no relationship. The VB series were weapons being developed by the USAAF / USAF and those programs ran independently, sometimes in parallel, with US Navy programs. The primary researcher that developed the Sidewinder, William McLean was officially assigned work at China Lake in developing an IR proximity fuze using extant lead-sulphate IR technology. McLean's recognition that if an IR fuze could detect a target, then that same IR detector could be used to guide a weapon to the target. Almost everything in the original Sidewinder design process was from off the shelf components and materials that could be found at China Lake. The use of rollerons for stability was another first in the missile's design.

I really don't see any connection between the VB-6 and the development of Sidewinder.
 

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