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The '''AIM-54 Phoenix''' missile is a long range, high speed, air-to-air missile.  It was designed by [[Hughes Aircraft Company|Hughes]] as a missile to be carried by the General Dynamics [[F-111]],but the F-111 program was cancelled in 1969.  Instead, it was adapted by the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] to be carried on their new fleet defense fighter, the [[Grumman]] [[F-14 Tomcat]].  The Phoenix was originally designed to kill, at long range, [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] bombers, before they could fire short range cruise missiles at the aircraft carrier or its escorts.  With that in mind, the Hughes designers gave it a range of 128 miles.  The Tomcat's radar, which could reach 133 miles ahead of the fighter and 174 wide, can track up to 20 targets at one time and pick out four or six of them as targets for the Phoenix missiles.  The Tomcat fired the missile, and from then on the missile's own radar took over, accelerating it at Mach 3.5 toward it's target.  The main drawback to the Phoenix was that it was incredibly expensive--each missile costing about $500,000.<ref>[http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/navyfacts/blphoenix.htm US Navy Fact File--AIM-54 Phoenix]</ref>

The '''AIM-54 Phoenix''' missile is a long range, high speed, air-to-air missile.  It was designed by [[Hughes Aircraft Company|Hughes]] as a missile to be carried by the General Dynamics [[F-111]], it was adapted by the [[United States Navy|US Navy]] to be carried on their new fleet defense fighter, the [[Grumman]] [[F-14 Tomcat]].  The Phoenix was originally designed to kill, at long range, [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] bombers, before they could fire short range cruise missiles at the aircraft carrier or its escorts.  With that in mind, the Hughes designers gave it a range of 128 miles.  The Tomcat's radar, which could reach 133 miles ahead of the fighter and 174 wide, can track up to 20 targets at one time and pick out four or six of them as targets for the Phoenix missiles.  The Tomcat fired the missile, and from then on the missile's own radar took over, accelerating it at Mach 3.5 toward it's target.  The main drawback to the Phoenix was that it was incredibly expensive--each missile costing about $500,000.<ref>[http://usmilitary.about.com/library/milinfo/navyfacts/blphoenix.htm US Navy Fact File--AIM-54 Phoenix]</ref>

It was very difficult to avoid a Phoenix, because the guidance system was programmed to take the missile up high, out of range of the target's radar, and then send it down at nearly Mach 4.  The F-14 typically carried four Phoenixes and two [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missiles.  

It was very difficult to avoid a Phoenix, because the guidance system was programmed to take the missile up high, out of range of the target's radar, and then send it down at nearly Mach 4.  The F-14 typically carried four Phoenixes and two [[AIM-9 Sidewinder]] missiles.  

Besides the US Navy, [[Iran]] is the only other operator of the Phoenix.  In 1976, the [[Grumman|Grumman Corporation]] sold Iran 80 Tomcats and 633 Phoenix missiles.  The missile performed with great renown in the Iranian Air Force.  The first combat use of the Phoenix was on September 13, 1980, when an F-14 pilot used one to shoot down to down an [[Iraq]]i [[MiG-23]] interceptor.  It shot down many aircraft in the [[Iran-Iraq War]], including eleven [[MiG-25]]s and five [[Tupolev Tu-22|Tu-22]] bombers.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_210.shtml Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1976-81]</ref><ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_211.shtml Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1982-Today]</ref>  In one engagement on January 9, 1981, a Phoenix was fired at a flight of MiG-23BNs on a bombing mission.  The missile hit the lead plane, and the explosion downed two other MiGs and damaged the fourth, resulting in three kills for one missile.  On January 29, 1981, an Iraqi [[Sukhoi Su-22|Su-20]] fighter-bomber was shot down by a Phoenix even though the warhead failed to explode.  The missile guided right to the plane’s fuselage, and the kinetic energy of the impact was enough to cut the aircraft in two and send it crashing to the sea.<ref>''Iranian F-14 Units in Combat'', by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop, Osprey Publishing, 2004</ref>  The exceptionally long range of the AIM-54 gave the Iranian Tomcats a huge combat advantage, in spite of their relatively small numbers.  Approximately half of the victories credited to F-14s in the war fell to Phoenixes.  The Iranian Air Force still operates the AIM-54.   

Besides the US Navy, [[Iran]] is the only other operator of the Phoenix.  In 1976, the [[Grumman|Grumman Corporation]] sold Iran 80 Tomcats and 633 Phoenix missiles.  The missile performed with great renown in the Iranian Air Force.  The first combat use of the Phoenix was on September 13, 1980, when an F-14 pilot used one to shoot down to down an [[Iraq]]i [[MiG-23]] interceptor.  It shot down many aircraft in the [[Iran-Iraq War]], including eleven [[MiG-25]]s and five [[Tupolev Tu-22|Tu-22]] bombers.<ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_210.shtml Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1976-81]</ref><ref>[http://www.acig.org/artman/publish/article_211.shtml Iranian Air-to-Air Victories, 1982-Today]</ref>  In one engagement on January 9, 1981, a Phoenix was fired at a flight of MiG-23BNs on a bombing mission.  The missile hit the lead plane, and the explosion downed two other MiGs and damaged the fourth, resulting in three kills for one missile.  On January 29, 1981, an Iraqi [[Sukhoi Su-22|Su-20]] fighter-bomber was shot down by a Phoenix even though the warhead failed to explode.  The missile guided right to the plane’s fuselage, and the kinetic energy of the impact was enough to cut the aircraft in two and send it crashing to the sea.<ref>''Iranian F-14 Units in Combat'', by Tom Cooper and Farzad Bishop, Osprey Publishing, 2004</ref>  The exceptionally long range of the AIM-54 gave the Iranian Tomcats a huge combat advantage, in spite of their relatively small numbers.  Approximately half of the victories credited to F-14s in the war fell to Phoenixes.  The Iranian Air Force still operates the AIM-54.   

[[Image:F-14_Phoenix.jpg|thumb|375 px|right|An F-14 shows off six Phoenix missiles.]]

[[Image:F-14_Phoenix.jpg|thumb|375 px|right|An F-14 shows off six Phoenix missiles.]]