USA Equivalent Page

The Aim of this page is to give some idea of the equivalent US System for the Russian System

The contents of this page are from this site The Chock Full O' Missiles Page run by Chad Eastridge which is a good site well worth a visit.

AIM-54 "Phoenix"

The Phoenix was the U.S. Navy's long-range fleet air defense missile against aircraft of the former Soviet Union. The Phoenix remains the most sophisticated and longest-range air-to-air missile in service with any nation. It's sole aircraft is the Grumman F-14 Tomcat. The Phoenix was designed for one thing, attacking Soviet bombers from long range.

The Phoenix began life as a missile design for the aborted General Dynamics F-111B swing-wing naval fighter. The new AAM was required to match the AWG-9 pulse-Doppler radar and associated fire-control system, which was intended to detect targets under look-down conditions at a range of over 150 miles.

The missile made its first flight in 1965 and soon proved itself exceptional. The standard flight profile of the Phoenix starts with a post-launch climb to 81,000 feet, where the missile cruises under control of the onboard autopilot with guidance from the plane's AWG-9 radar reflections. This high-altitude cruise maximizes range by reducing drag in the thinner air of the high atmosphere. As the missile finally dives down to the attack, the energy potential of its high altitude is converted into kinetic energy for greater maneuverability in its terminal phase of flight. The missile's onboard radar switches to active mode for the final 20,000 yards of its flight.

The latest and greatest AIM-54 is the AIM-54C, introduced into service in 1985. This newest Phoenix weighs over 1,000 lbs., has a ceiling of over 100,000 feet, and ups its speed to Mach 5+, as opposed to the Mach 4.3 maximum of the AIM-54 A and B. The Phoenix missile first entered service with the U.S. in 1974.

Specifications (A variant):

• Manufacturer: Hughes Aircraft, Raytheon
• Weight:
  • Missile: 985 lbs.
  • Warhead: 135 lbs.
• Length: 13 ft.
• Diameter: 15 inches
• Wingspan: 3 ft.
• Guidance: Hughes DSQ-26 system with semi-active radar for midcourse phase, active radar for terminal phase
• Propulsion: Rocketdyne Mk 47 long-burn-time solid-fuel rocket
• Performance:
  • Speed: Mach 4.3+
  • Range: approx. 127 mi
• Warhead: 132 lb. Bendix IR and Downey Mk 334 radar proximity- and impact-fused expanding continuous rod blast/fragmentation

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