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The Navy would require a long-range, long-endurance interceptor aircraft to defend carrier battle groups against this threat. This combination was considered capable of saturating fleet defenses and threatening carrier groups. Since 1951, the Navy faced the initial threat from the Tupolev Tu-4K 'Bull' carrying anti-ship missiles or nuclear bombs.Įventually, during the height of the Cold War, the threat would have 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 countermeasures (ECM) of various types. Navy, the weapon's only current operator is the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force. Following the retirement of the F-14 by the U.S. The AIM-54 has been used in 62 air-to-air strikes, all by Iran during the eight-year Iran–Iraq War. They were replaced by the shorter-range AIM-120 AMRAAM, employed on the F/A-18 Hornet and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet-in its AIM-120D version, the latest version of the AMRAAM just matches the Phoenix's maximum range. In US service both are now retired, the AIM-54 Phoenix in 2004 and the F-14 in 2006.
#Aim 54 war thunder code#
Due to its active radar tracking, the brevity code " Fox Three" was used when firing the AIM-54.īoth the missile and the aircraft were used by Iran and the United States Navy. The combination of Phoenix missile and the Tomcat's AN/AWG-9 guidance radar meant that it was the first aerial weapons system that could simultaneously engage multiple targets. The Phoenix was the United States' only long-range air-to-air missile. The AIM-54 Phoenix is an American radar-guided, long-range air-to-air missile (AAM), carried in clusters of up to six missiles on the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, its only operational launch platform. Be sure to reference text and sources by using, as well as adding them at the end of the article with. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the weapon and adding a block "/History" (example: (Weapon-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Not fire-and-forget, you need to follow the target to keep a radar lock until the moment the missile hitsĮxamine the history of the creation and combat usage of the weapon in more detail than in the introduction.Very long burn time, so the red diamond will be visible for a very long time, giving enemies ample time to notice it.Heavier than previous missiles, 4 AIM-7Fs will weigh almost 160 kg more than 4 AIM-7-E2s.Slightly lower acceleration than contemporaries.
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Manoeuvres straight off the rails, so no leading is required like the AIM-7E.Very manoeuvrable, second only to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash in their first few seconds of flight.Sustaining motor, so it keeps its speed and manoeuvrability at long ranges.Extremely long range (over 35 km in good conditions).However, the AIM-7F can generally be used in any situation where the E-2 can be used, save for extremely close range shots.
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Additionally, the missile is able to retain its speed for far longer, meaning it keeps its 25G manoeuvring capability, often until the target gets hit. Thanks to the sustainer motor, overall travel time is short and the missile is capable of a higher top speed in all but the most extreme situations. The AIM-7F is best suited to high-altitude, long-range engagements and can be launched from over 15 km. The AIM-7F is approximately 40 kg heavier than the E-2, however, so acceleration is slightly lower, along with turning capability. With a 25G pull that can be sustained for nearly the entire flight thanks to the sustainer motor, the manoeuvrability of the AIM-7F is unparalleled. The AIM-7F compares favourably against the AIM-7E and is on slightly better footing than the Skyflash and AIM-7E-2 once range exceeds 6 km. The AIM-7F is equipped with a 15 kg TNT warhead, capable of destroying aircraft it hits or detonates next to. It is capable of engaging targets at over 30 km away and can reliably hit manoeuvring targets at ranges of 15 km. The AIM-7F is a long-range air-to-air missile equipped with a sustainer motor.
#Aim 54 war thunder update#
It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions" Vehicles equipped with this weapon The AIM-7F Sparrow is an American semi-active radar-homing air-to-air missile.
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