AIM-54 Phoenix Missile Long Rang Air-To-Air Missile
| AIM-54 Phoenix | |
|---|---|
 Six AIM-54 Phoenix missiles seen mounted on the belly of a U.S. Navy F-14A in January 1989. |
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| Type | Long-range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1974–2004 |
| Used by | United States Navy (former) Iranian Air Force |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Hughes Aircraft Company Raytheon Corporation |
| Unit cost | US$$477,131 |
| Produced | 1966 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1,000–1,040 lb (450–470 kg) |
| Length | 13 ft (4.0 m) |
| Diameter | 15 in (380 mm) |
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| Warhead | 135 lb (61 kg), high explosive |
| Detonation mechanism |
Proximity fuze |
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| Engine | Solid propellant rocket motor |
| Wingspan | 3 ft (910 mm) |
| Operational range |
100 nmi (190 km) |
| Flight ceiling | 100,000 ft (30 km) |
| Flight altitude | 80,000 ft (24 km) |
| Speed | Mach 5[1] |
| Guidance system |
Semi-active and active radar homing |
| Launch platform |
Grumman F-14 Tomcat |
Background
Since 1951, the Navy faced the initial threat from the Tupolev Tu-4K 'Bull' carrying[2] anti-ship missiles. Eventually, during the height of the Cold War, the threat would have actually expanded into regimental-size raids of Tu-16 Badger and Tu-22M Backfire bombers equipped with low-flying, long-range, high-speed, nuclear-armed cruise missiles and considerable Electronic Counter Measures (ECM) of various types.The Navy would require a long-range, long-endurance interceptor aircraft to defend carrier battle groups against this threat. The projected F6D Missileer was intended to fulfill this mission and oppose the attack far from the fleet it was defending. The weapon needed for interceptor aircraft, the Bendix AAM-N-10 Eagle, would be an air-to-air missile of unprecedented range when compared to contemporary AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. It would work together with Westinghouse AN/APQ-81 radar.
Development
At the same time, the USAF canceled the projects for their land-based high-speed interceptor aircraft, the North American XF-108 Rapier and the Lockheed YF-12, and left the capable AIM-47 Falcon missile at a quite advanced stage of development, but with no effective launch platform.
The AIM-54 Phoenix, developed for the F-111B fleet air defense fighter, had an airframe with 4 cruciform fins that was a scaled-up version of the AIM-47. One characteristic of the Missileer ancestry was that the radar sent it mid-course corrections, which allowed the fire control system to "loft" the missile up over the target into thinner air where it had better range.
The F-111B was canceled in 1968. Its weapons system, the AIM-54 working with the AWG-9 radar, migrated to the new U.S. Navy fighter project, the VFX, which would later become the F-14 Tomcat.
In 1977, development of a significantly improved Phoenix version, the AIM-54C, was developed to better counter projected threats from tactical anti-naval aircraft and cruise missiles, and its final upgrade included a re-programmable memory capability to keep pace with emerging ECM.[3]
In contrast to the Navy, the USAF adopted neither the AIM-47 nor the AIM-54 operationally. Its F-15 Eagle fighter planes have no similar capability at extremely long ranges. The latest AIM-120D AMRAAM has a significantly lower range of about 75 miles (121 km), but the AMRAAM is much shorter, lighter, and more flexible in its use against a wide variety of targets, including fighter planes, bombers, helicopters, patrol planes, and reconnaissance planes. The AMRAAM is also usable by a wide variety of fighter planes, including the F-4, F-15, F-16, F-18, F-22, Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, F-35 Lightning II, Swedish-made fighters, and ground-based launchers of the U.S. Army.
Usage in comparison to other weapon systems
The AIM-54/AWG-9 combination was the first to have multiple track capability (up to 24 targets) and launch (up to 6 Phoenixes can be launched nearly simultaneously); the large 1,000 lb (500 kg) missile is equipped with a conventional warhead. The AWG-9 radar system carried by the F-111B and F-14 Tomcat was one of largest and most powerful ever fitted to a fighter.On the F-14, the 4 missiles can be carried under the fuselage tunnel attached to special aerodynamic pallets, plus 2 under glove stations. A full load of 6 Phoenix missiles and the unique launch rails weigh in at over 8,000 lb (3,600 kg), about twice the weight of Sparrows, so it was more common to carry a mixed load of 4 Phoenix, 2 Sparrow and 2 Sidewinder missiles.
Before the introduction of the Phoenix missile, most other US aircraft relied on the smaller, less-expensive AIM-7 Sparrow; classified as a Medium Range Missile (MRM). Guidance for the Sparrow required that the launching aircraft use its radar to continuously illuminate a single target for the missile's "passive" seeker to track, or guidance would be lost. This method meant the aircraft no longer had a search capability while supporting the launched Sparrow, effectively reducing situational awareness.
The Tomcat's AWG-9 radar was capable of tracking up to 24 targets in Track-While-Scan mode, with the AWG-9 selecting up to six priority targets for potential launch by the AIM-54. The pilot or Radar Intercept Officer (RIO) could then launch the AIM-54 Phoenix missiles when launch parameters were met. The large Tactical Information Display (TID) in the RIO's cockpit gave an unprecedented amount of information to the aircrew (the pilot had the ability to monitor the RIO's display) and, importantly, the AWG-9 could continually search and track multiple targets after Phoenix missiles were launched, thereby maintaining situational awareness of the battlespace.
Link-4 datalink capability allowed US Navy Tomcats to share information with the E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft, and during Desert Shield in 1990, the Link-4A was introduced and allowed the Tomcats to have a fighter-to-fighter datalink capability, further enhancing overall situational awareness. The F-14D entered service with the JTIDS that brought the even better Link-16 datalink "picture" to the cockpit.
Active guidance
Legacy
Despite the much-vaunted capabilities, the Phoenix was rarely used in combat, with only two confirmed launches and no confirmed targets destroyed in US Navy service, though a large number of kills were claimed by Iranian F-14s during the Iran–Iraq War.[citation needed] The USAF F-15 Eagle had responsibility for overland Combat Air Patrol (CAP) duties in Desert Storm in 1991, primarily because of the onboard F-15 IFF capabilities. The Tomcat did not have the requisite IFF capability mandated by the JFACC to satisfy the Rules of Engagement (ROE) to utilize the Phoenix capability at Beyond Visual Range (BVR). From an engineering and service standpoint, the Phoenix could be said to be a notable success. As the only surviving member of the Falcon missile family, it was not adopted by any other nation (besides Iran), any other US armed service, or used on any other aircraft. It was heavy, large, expensive and not practical in close combat compared to the Sparrow or AMRAAM.
Variants
- AIM-54A
- The original model that became operational with the U.S. Navy in about 1974, and it was also exported to Iran in modest numbers before the Iran hostage crisis beginning in 1979.
- AIM-54B
- A version with simplified construction and no coolant conditioning. Not produced.
- AIM-54C
- The lone improved model that was ever produced. It used digital electronics in the place of the analog electronics of the AIM-54A. This model had better abilities to shoot down low and high-altitude antiship missiles. This model took over from the AIM-54A beginning in 1986.
- AIM-54 ECCM/Sealed round
- Had more capabilities in electronic counter-countermeasures. It did not require coolant conditioning during flights on board F-14s and not fired (the usual situation). Deployed beginning in 1988.
- Because the AIM-54 ECCM/Sealed received no coolant, F-14 Tomcats carrying this version of the missile could not exceed a specified airspeed.
Iranian combat experiences with the AIM-54 Phoenix
Reports vary on the use of the 285 missiles supplied to Iran,[6] during the Iran–Iraq War, 1980–88. Unverified rumors that US technical personnel sabotaged the aircraft and weapons before they left the country following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, imply that the Iranians might have found it impossible to fire the missiles. However, the IRIAF was able to repair the sabotage and the damage only affected a limited number of planes, not the entire fleet.
Some claim that it is 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.
Others claim that the primary use of the F-14 was as an airborne early warning aircraft, guarded by other fighters. However, Cooper claims that the IRIAF used the F-14 actively as a fighter-interceptor, and at times as an escort fighter with the AIM-54 scoring 60–70 kills. F-14s were often used to protect IRIAF tankers supporting strike packages into Iraq, and scanned over the border with their radars, often engaging detected Iraqi flights. Also, some F-14s were modified into specialized airborne early warning aircraft.
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.
According to Cooper, the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force was able to keep its F-14 fighters and AIM-54 missiles in regular use during the entire Iran–Iraq War, though periodic lack of spares grounded at times large parts of the fleet. At worst, during late 1987, the stock of AIM-54 missiles was at its lowest, with less than 50 operational missiles available. The missiles needed fresh thermal batteries that could only be purchased from the US. Iran managed finally, to find a clandestine buyer that supplied it with batteries — though those did cost up to $10,000 USD each. Iran did receive spares and parts for both the F-14s and AIM-54s from various sources during the Iran–Iraq War, and has received more spares after the conflict. Iran started a heavy industrial program to build spares for the planes and missiles, and although there are claims that it no longer relies on outside sources to keep its F-14s and AIM-54s operational, there is evidence that Iran continues to procure parts clandestinely.[7]
Iran claims to be working on building an equivalent missile.[8]
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-54s. However, the engagement was conducted at short ranges using the AIM-9 Sidewinder.[9] The other US F-14 fighter to fighter engagement, the Gulf of Sidra incident (1989), used AIM-7 Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, but not the Phoenix.[10]
- In training, the Phoenix hit a target drone at a range of 132 miles (212 km) (in January 1979, in Iran).[citation needed]
- On January 5, 1999, a pair of US F-14s fired two Phoenixes at Iraqi MiG-25s southeast of Baghdad. Both AIM-54s' rocket motors failed and neither missile hit its target.[11][12]
- On September 9, 1999 another US F-14 launched an AIM-54 at an Iraqi MiG-23 that was heading south into the No-Fly Zone from Al Taqaddum air base west of Baghdad. The missile missed, eventually going into the ground after the Iraqi fighter reversed course and fled north.[13]
Characteristics
A technical drawing of AIM-54C
- Primary function: Long-range air-launched air intercept missile
- Contractor: Hughes Aircraft Company and Raytheon Corporation
- Unit cost: About $477,000, but this varied greatly, especially as the years went by
- Power Plant: Solid propellant rocket motor built by Hercules Incorporated
- Length: 13 ft (4.0 m)
- Weight: 1,000–1,040 pounds (450–470 kg)
- Diameter: 15 in (380 mm)
- Wing span: 3 ft (910 mm)
- Range: over 100 nautical miles (120 mi; 190 km)*
- Speed: 3,000+ mph (4,680+ km/h)
- Guidance system: Semi-active and active radar homing
- Warheads: Proximity fuze, high explosive
- Warhead weight: 135 pounds (61 kg)
- Users: US (U.S. Navy), Iran (IRIAF)
- Date deployed: 1974
- Date retired (U.S.): September 30, 2004
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