AIM-54A Phoenix
Contents
Description
The AIM-54A Phoenix is an American active radar homing missile. It was introduced in Update "Danger Zone". The AIM-54A Phoenix is the first active-radar homing missile to be introduced in War Thunder.
Vehicles equipped with this weapon
General info
| Missile characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Mass | 447 kg |
| Guidance | ARH+IOG+DL |
| Signal | CW |
| Lock range | 16 km |
| Launch range | 150 km |
| Maximum speed | 4.3 M |
| Maximum overload | 16 G |
| Missile guidance time | 100 secs |
| Explosive mass | 60.54 kg TNTeq |
Effective damage
The AIM-54 is equipped with a 60 kg TNT warhead, capably of destroying targets with wide proximity fuze.
Comparison with analogues
Compared to the 2nd longest range missile in the game, AIM-7F Sparrow, the Phoenix has much longer range, but sacrifices maneuverability heavily.
Usage in battles
While taking more than 2 of these missiles isn't recommended in regular RB maps, an F-14 pilot can climb to about 5000 meters after take off and launch at any target it sees, preferably high altitude targets. Backing up to their team right after. In EC maps, this missile can be launched in groups to different targets at very long ranges by F-14 pilots.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has Active Radar Homing (ARH) seeker, which gives it fire and forget capability
- Can reach ranges that no other weapon system in the game can reach, if high enough in altitude can hit targets beyond 50 kilometers
- Extremely fast at high altitudes after some acceleration
- Can be launched in TWS, which gives target no radar lock notification until the missile goes pitbull
- Has decently wide proximity radius which the missile can explode
Cons:
- Can only pull 16G's, anybody paying attention can easily dodge by changing directions
- Only usable in long ranges, won't even track in close ranges
- Extremely heavy, it takes a lot of time to reach the speeds that its effective at
- May lose track right after the launch if TWS lock is lost
History
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Media
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the article about the variant of the weapon;
- references to approximate analogues by other nations and research trees.
External links
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- topic on the official game forum;
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