AIM-54A Phoenix - Revision history

U22067555: Added F-14A IRIAF (USA)

2024-10-28T00:33:10Z

Added F-14A IRIAF (USA)

U125227490: /* Effective damage */ "capably" to "capable"

2024-08-22T10:14:34Z

‎Effective damage: "capably" to "capable"

U126556775: Added aircraft

2023-06-15T16:15:10Z

Added aircraft

U44629479: Edits

2023-04-26T22:47:14Z

Edits

U125033497: updated missile specs and fixed spelling error's

2023-04-26T22:17:27Z

updated missile specs and fixed spelling error's

U44629479: Edits

2023-03-13T17:49:42Z

Edits

U50388748: Usage in Battles: Updated to include information on how to effectively use TWS, launch parameters, recommended count, climbing, and when to switch to other missiles.

2023-03-12T21:21:08Z

Usage in Battles: Updated to include information on how to effectively use TWS, launch parameters, recommended count, climbing, and when to switch to other missiles.

U97916902: /* Pros and cons */

2023-01-15T00:13:48Z

‎Pros and cons

U44629479: Edits

2022-11-22T22:40:07Z

Edits

U139754375: Changed 'fuze' to 'fuse'. Changed 'manoeuvring' to 'maneuvering'

2022-11-22T22:24:36Z

Changed 'fuze' to 'fuse'. Changed 'manoeuvring' to 'maneuvering'

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:33, 28 October 2024
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	* {{Specs-Link\|f_14a_early}}		* {{Specs-Link\|f_14a_early}}
		+	* {{Specs-Link\|f_14a_iriaf}}
	* {{Specs-Link\|f_14b}}		* {{Specs-Link\|f_14b}}

@@ Line 37: / Line 37: @@
 === Effective damage ===
 <!-- ''Describe the type of damage produced by this type of missile (high explosive, splash damage, etc)'' -->
-The AIM-54 is equipped with a 60 kg TNT warhead, capably of destroying targets with wide proximity fuse.
+The AIM-54 is equipped with a 60 kg TNT warhead, capable of destroying targets with wide proximity fuse.
 === Comparison with analogues ===

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:15, 15 June 2023
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	* {{Specs-Link\|f_14a_early}}		* {{Specs-Link\|f_14a_early}}
		+	* {{Specs-Link\|f_14b}}

	== General info ==		== General info ==

@@ Line 32: / Line 32: @@
 |-
 |}
-The Phoenix is a missile specialized for long-range engagements and therefore has a very long range. However, it has a slow acceleration and a 17G maneuvering limit, impeding its maneuverability.
+The Phoenix is a missile specialized for long-range engagements and therefore has a very long range. However, it has a slow acceleration and a 17G manoeuvring limit, impeding its manoeuvrability.
 === Effective damage ===
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 <!-- ''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
-The Phoenix has a very long range, much longer than the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]. Due to the slow acceleration and 17G maneuvering limit, the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]] and R-24s thoroughly outclass the Phoenix when the target is under 20 km range.
+The Phoenix has a very long range, much longer than the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]. Due to the slow acceleration and 17G manoeuvring limit, the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]] and R-24s thoroughly outclass the Phoenix when the target is under 20 km range.
-Compared to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash, the Phoenix has a much, much longer range, but the Sparrow retains the maneuverability advantage.
+Compared to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash, the Phoenix has a much, much longer range, but the Sparrow retains the manoeuvrability advantage.
 When compared to other radar-guided missiles in the game, the Phoenix stands alone as a dedicated long-range weapon, and excels at the job that no other missile can do. While only able to pull 17G, the missile remains a menace for targets even 60 km away from the launching aircraft.

@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ! colspan="2" | Missile characteristics
 |-
-| '''Mass''' || 447 kg
+| '''Mass''' || 443.61 kg
 |-
 | '''Guidance''' || ARH+IOG+DL
@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 | '''Maximum speed''' || 4.3 M
 |-
-| '''Maximum overload''' || 16 G
+| '''Maximum overload''' || 17 G
 |-
-| '''Missile guidance time''' || 100 secs
+| '''Missile guidance time''' || 160 secs
 |-
 | '''Explosive mass''' || 60.54 kg TNTeq
 |-
 |}
-The Phoenix is a missile specialized for long-range engagements and therefore has a very long range. However, it has a slow acceleration and a 16G manoeuvring limit, impeding its manoeuvrability.
+The Phoenix is a missile specialized for long-range engagements and therefore has a very long range. However, it has a slow acceleration and a 17G maneuvering limit, impeding its maneuverability.
 === Effective damage ===
@@ Line 41: / Line 41: @@
 <!-- ''Give a comparative description of missiles that have firepower equal to this weapon.'' -->
-The Phoenix has a very long range, much longer than the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]. Due to the slow acceleration and 16G manoeuvring limit, the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]] and R-24s thoroughly outclass the Phoenix when the target is under 20 km range.
+The Phoenix has a very long range, much longer than the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]. Due to the slow acceleration and 17G maneuvering limit, the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]] and R-24s thoroughly outclass the Phoenix when the target is under 20 km range.
-Compared to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash, the Phoenix has a much, much longer range, but the Sparrow retains the manoeuvrability advantage.
+Compared to the AIM-7E-2 and Skyflash, the Phoenix has a much, much longer range, but the Sparrow retains the maneuverability advantage.
-When compared to other radar-guided missiles in the game, the Phoenix stands alone as a dedicated long-range weapon, and excels at the job that no other missile can do. While only able to pull 16G, the missile remains a menace for targets even 60 km away from the launching aircraft.
+When compared to other radar-guided missiles in the game, the Phoenix stands alone as a dedicated long-range weapon, and excels at the job that no other missile can do. While only able to pull 17G, the missile remains a menace for targets even 60 km away from the launching aircraft.
 == Usage in battles ==
@@ Line 72: / Line 72: @@
 '''Cons:'''
-* Can only pull 16 Gs, making it easily dodgeable
+* Can only pull 17 Gs, making it easily dodgeable
 * Accelerates slowly, taking a lot of time to reach top speed
 * Heavy and large; equipping it impacts flight performance

@@ Line 48: / Line 48: @@
 == Usage in battles ==
 '''Air RB:'''
-The AIM-54 is best used in long-range engagements at high altitudes. This comes from its low acceleration and very long burn time when compared to missiles like the AIM-7 or R-27 series. Generally speaking, the higher and faster the launch aircraft is going, the higher the probability of kill of the missile. In Air RB, it is recommended to take 0, 1, or 2 Phoenixes, depending on your playstyle. 3 or more is not recommended due to taking up spots for other, more useful missiles and weighing down the already-heavy F-14 Tomcat. <!-- ''Describe situations when you would utilise this missile in-game (vehicle, pillbox, base, etc)'' -->
+The AIM-54 is best used in long-range engagements at high altitudes. This comes from its low acceleration and very long burn time when compared to missiles like the AIM-7 or R-27 series. Generally speaking, the higher and faster the launch aircraft is going, the higher the probability of kill of the missile. In Air RB, it is recommended to take 0, 1, or 2 Phoenixes, depending on your playstyle. 3 or more is not recommended due to taking up spots for other, more useful missiles and weighing down the already-heavy F-14 Tomcat.
 [[File:F-14A Launching AIM54APhoenix.jpg|x200px|right|thumb|The [[F-14A Early|F-14A]] launching a {{PAGENAME}}. Note the visible trailing smoke.]]
-As the AIM-54 is an active-radar-homing missile, the launching aircraft is not required to Single Target Track (STT), more commonly known as a "hard lock," the target of the missile. Instead, it is recommended to select a target using manual radar target selection in the Track-While-Scan (TWS) mode of the Tomcat's radar. Once a target is selected in TWS, the missile may be cued and launched at distances sometimes exceeding 40km on top tier maps. TWS also allows for missiles to be launched at multiple enemies, by selecting a different target in TWS. TWS will provide updates to launched missiles as long as the target they were launched on is being picked up by the radar.
+As the AIM-54 is an active-radar-homing missile, the launching aircraft is not required to Single Target Track (STT), more commonly known as a "hard lock," the target of the missile. Instead, it is recommended to select a target using manual radar target selection in the Track-While-Scan (TWS) mode of the Tomcat's radar. Once a target is selected in TWS, the missile may be cued and launched at distances sometimes exceeding 40 km on top tier maps. TWS also allows for missiles to be launched at multiple enemies, by selecting a different target in TWS. TWS will provide updates to launched missiles as long as the target they were launched on is being picked up by the radar.
-It is recommended to climb to at least 5km altitude, with 8, 9, or even 10-11km not being out of the question depending on the map, and accelerate to at least Mach 0.9 before launching a Phoenix, which allows the missile to already have 1/4 of its maximum speed and fly in thinner air, therefore going farther and faster.
+It is recommended to climb to at least 5 km altitude, with 8, 9, or even 10-11 km not being out of the question depending on the map, and accelerate to at least Mach 0.9 before launching a Phoenix, which allows the missile to already have 1/4 of its maximum speed and fly in thinner air, therefore going farther and faster.
-While the maximum range of the AIM-54 is advertised as 100 miles, the practical range is far shorter, as the described range can only be achieved with both targets flying high-Mach towards each other at closing speeds exceeding Mach 4. In War Thunder, in a situation where two aircraft are flying head-on at normal combat speeds, the best launch distances are 20km-50km, with 60km or even 70km shots being barely possible in exceedingly rare circumstances. Below 20km, you are better off using the AIM-7F, as the benefits of the AIM-54 are practically eliminated once the range is that short.
+While the maximum range of the AIM-54 is advertised as 100 miles, the practical range is far shorter, as the described range can only be achieved with both targets flying high-Mach towards each other at closing speeds exceeding Mach 4. In War Thunder, in a situation where two aircraft are flying head-on at normal combat speeds, the best launch distances are 20-50 km, with 60 km or even 70 km shots being barely possible in exceedingly rare circumstances. Below 20 km, you are better off using the AIM-7F, as the benefits of the AIM-54 are practically eliminated once the range is that short.
 === Pros and cons ===

@@ Line 60: / Line 60: @@
 * Has an 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 km
+* Can reach ranges that no other weapon system in the game can reach; if high enough in altitude can hit targets beyond 50 km
 * Extremely fast at high altitudes after ramp-up acceleration
 * Can be launched in TWS, which gives the target no radar lock notification until the missile goes pitbull
-* Has a decently wide proximity radius which the missile can explode
+* Large proximity fuse and warhead means it can still deal significant damage if it is somewhat close to the enemy (e.g. upon a near miss)
 '''Cons:'''
-* Can only pull 16 Gs, easily dodgeable by changing directions
+* Can only pull 16 Gs, making it easily dodgeable
-* Only usable in long ranges, cannot track at close ranges
+* Accelerates slowly, taking a lot of time to reach top speed
-* Extremely heavy, it takes a lot of time to reach the speeds that it's effective at
+* Heavy and large; equipping it impacts flight performance
 * May lose track right after the launch if TWS lock is lost