US Hughes AIM-54 ''Phoenix'' LR Missile

By Crusader1307

The ''Phoenix'' was an Air to Air, Long Range Missile – developed by The Hughes Aircraft and Raytheon Corporation in 1974, The AIM-54 was the only Long Range Missile deployed by The US Air Force, and was deployed by The Grumman F-14 ''Tomcat'' Fighter Jet. It is also the only Long Range Missile to have (62) confirmed Enemy ''kills'' (scored by Iran during The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988). Specifically designed to attack Soviet Long-Range Bombers, The AIM-54 featured excellent Radar guidance systems (even at altitudes of between 80 to 100,000-feet). As such they were ideal for their task of attacking Soviet Bombers, even at evasion ''heights''). Variants are still in production. The AIM-54 weighs 1,040-pounds. Measuring 13-feet with a 15-inch diameter. The AIM-54 uses a solid rocket booster and can achieve 100,000-feet. The airspeed is rated at Mach 5 (3,000-mph).