The Rise of a New Phoenix
By Ryan Fishel
The F-14 is an iconic Navy aircraft, purposely built to carry and fire an equally iconic missile: the AIM-54 Phoenix. The F-14 and the AIM-54 were designed to defend against Soviet-era bombers, carrying long-range, anti-ship cruise missiles designed to sink the US carrier fleet. After the F-14 and AIM-54s’ retirement, the US Navy has not had a comparable aircraft-carried missile to shoot at targets beyond visual range.
Things appear to be changing. The Navy has shown off an F/A-18 carrying the SM-6 missile, which is usually launched from a ship, but has been branded the AIM-174B, which suggests an air-to-air role. The missile has serious range and, with appropriate cues from sensors, can strike targets well beyond visual range. The missile is an improvement on the AIM-120, the sole long-range air-to-air missile in US inventories.
The AIM-120 has been outclassed in speed and range for several years now by Chinese air-to-air weapons. The AIM-120 seeker, however, is excellent. Previously, the speed and range limitations of the AIM-120 were partially mitigated by the US Air Force and Navy’s ability to "get in close and unobserved" before shooting through stealth. That advantage is now dwindling, and it's a very fast-moving ball game for weapons development. Having (currently) only one operational, air-to-air missile manufacturer does not help.
Air-launched versions of surface-to-air missiles will almost always have more speed and range than their ground-launched counterparts given equal propellant. Why not just strap a massive missile onto the jet? Well, size matters. For stealth platforms it needs to fit within the weapons bay, which is why it appears, for now, it is slated for delivery via the F/A-18.
For platforms that carry ordnance externally, size still matters, but not as much. Larger missiles tend to be less lethal against aware, agile, and maneuvering targets at longer ranges. As it’s clear, there are no free lunches associated with missile design although missile engineering has evolved considerably over the past few decades. Still, larger, long-range missiles can hold the "fat" air-to-air players hostage (i.e. KJ-500, et cetera), which is very important to the survival of friendly fighters.
Interestingly, as The Merge newsletter recently pointed out, the AIM-120 plus the AIM-54 Phoenix—the old, long-range fleet defense missile of the F-14 era—adds up to the AIM-174. The Phoenix is back.
Ryan Fishel is a F-35 instructor pilot in the US Air Force. He is a former F-15E pilot. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross. The views expressed here are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or viewpoints of the U.S. Air Force or Department of Defense.