FOX THREE — the AIM-54 Phoenix, a missile the size of a person

2026-11-05WEAPONS SPECS

FOX THREE — the AIM-54 Phoenix, a missile the size of a person

Four missile bodies drawn side by side on a dark navy background, unlit in the top row and the same four with an orange exhaust cone lit in the bottom row; the third missile is the largest, with big mid-body strakes and tail fins.

The AIM-54 Phoenix is the biggest round in the Hornet Bay arsenal, and only the F-14 Tomcat carries it. Four metres of missile, ninety seconds of flight, and a lock that reaches 90 km out.

Look at the hero shot: four missile bodies, cold on top and burning underneath. The big one third from the left is the Phoenix. It is 4.0 m long and 0.38 m across, which makes the Sparrow next to it (3.7 m, 0.20 m) look like a pencil. Every round in the sim is built from reference-photo fins and carries its own exhaust cone, so the Phoenix lights up for its full burn and then coasts.

By the numbers

Top speed: 1,300 m/s, the fastest missile on the Tomcat’s ring (Sparrow: 1,050)
Flight life: 90 seconds (Sparrow: 50, Sidewinder: 22)
Warhead damage: 160, against 130 for the Sparrow and 110 for the Sidewinder
Motor burn: 4.5 seconds, then it coasts on energy
Lock envelope: from 1,200 m out to 90 km, inside a 0.9 rad cone off the nose
Load-out: two Phoenix, four Sparrows, two Sidewinders and the gun

In the sim

Nobody else gets one. The Tomcat is the only jet whose weapon ring starts on aim54; the other fighters start on the AMRAAM. Press ENTER to cycle to it, and the callout says Phoenix. SPACE sends it with “FOX 3 — PHOENIX AWAY!” on the net.

The Tomcat’s radar also reaches further than anyone’s: press R and the scope steps through 100, 40, 10 and 2 miles, while every other jet tops out at 40. A hundred-mile picture with a 90 km lock means you can see targets a long way before you are allowed to shoot them. Use that gap to set up the shot instead of rushing it.

The Phoenix is a missile for the first minute of an intercept. Once the target is inside visual range, the Sidewinder turns tighter (3.2 against the Phoenix’s 1.7), so keep it for the merge. If you want the Tomcat in the first place, earn it.

Try this: in the Tomcat, step the radar out to 100, pick a bogey, and fire as soon as the lock lands. Then watch the clock: ninety seconds is a long time, so keep the nose pointed at the fight until the splash. And remember that a mission only counts once you are back at your point of origin.

— HB