AIM-54 Phoenix

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Image:AIM-54 Phoenix.jpgThe AIM-54 Phoenix is a long-range air-to-air missile, carried in clusters of up to six missiles on the F-14 Tomcat, the only aircraft capable of carrying it.

The Phoenix missile was the US Navy's only long-range air-to-air missile. It is an airborne weapons control system with multiple-target handling capabilities, used to kill multiple air targets with conventional warheads. Near simultaneous launch is possible against up to six targets in all weather and heavy jamming environments. The improved Phoenix, the AIM-54C, was developed to better counter projected threats from tactical aircraft and cruise missiles.

The AIM-54 Phoenix was retired from USN service on 30 September 2004. F-14 Tomcats will be retired on September 22, 2006. Both F-14 Tomcat and AIM-54 Phoenix missile continue in service of the Iranian Air Force.

1 Versions
2 Iranian combat experiences with AIM-54 Phoenix
3 American combat experience
4 Characteristics
5 See also
6 External links

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Versions

AIM-54A: The original version to become operational, in 1974.

AIM-54C: Improved version, better able to counter cruise missiles. Superseded the AIM-54A from 1986.

AIM-54 ECCM/Sealed: Improved to include electronic counter-countermeasure capabilities, does not require coolant conditioning during captive flight. Used from 1988 onwards.

Because the AIM-54 ECCM/Sealed receives no coolant, Tomcats carrying this version of the missile may not exceed a certain airspeed. In recent years, Iran is said to have developed its own version of the Phoenix.

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Iranian combat experiences with AIM-54 Phoenix

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Reports of use of the 285 missiles supplied to Iran [1] during the Iran-Iraq War, from 1980–88 vary. US technical personnel report that they sabatoged the aircraft and weapons before they left the country following the coup, making it impossible to fire the missile. However, some claim that the IRIAF was able to repair the sabotage and that the damage only affected a limited number of planes, not the entire fleet.

Two additional factors make it unlikely that the Phoenix was used operationally. First, as difficult as the missile and fire control systems were to operate, Iran had hired many American technicians. Upon leaving, they took most of the knowledge about how to operate and maintain these complex weapon systems with them. Also, without a steady supply of engineering support from Hughes Aircraft Missile Systems Group and corresponding spares and upgrades, even a technically competent operator would have extreme difficulty fielding operational weapons. Iran had, indeed, aggressively pursued spares for their planes in the years following the coup.

Most sources claim that the primary use of the F-14 was as an airborne early warning aircraft, guarded by other fighters. Some, however, allege that the IRIAF used the F-14s actively as a fighter-interceptor with the AIM-54 scoring 60-70 kills. Supporters of these claims point to the fact that, in the 1991 Gulf War, Iraqi fighter pilots consistently turned and fled as soon as American F-14 pilots turned on their fighters' very distinctive AN/AWG-9 radars, which suggests that Iraqi pilots had learned to avoid the F-14. The counter-argument is that virtually all Iraqi fighters turned and fled when confronted, regardless of the type of aircraft facing them.

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American combat experience

The Gulf of Sidra incident (1981), in which American F-14s shot down 2 Libyan Su-22s is sometimes thought to have involved AIM-54. However, the engagement was conducted at short ranges using the AIM-9 Sidewinder. The other US F-14 fighter to fighter engagement, the Gulf of Sidra incident (1989) used AIM-7 Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, not the Phoenix.

In training, the Phoenix hit a target drone at a range of 212 km (in January 1979, in Iran).

Actual ranges at which the Phoenix has successfully hit targets in tests:

longest shot to kill: ~ 140 km
average engagement ranges: 20 to 70 km
the shortest shot to kill: 7.5 km

Other than the possible Iranian firings, the only confirmed combat use of the Phoenix was the use of it by 2 F-14Ds engaging Iraqi MiG-25s. Both missiles missed.

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