Missile, Air-to-Air, Phoenix; also Designated AIM 54

This is a solid-fuel, air-to-air, long-range Phoenix tactical missile, designated AIM 54A. U.S. Navy and Marines Corps aircraft, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, could fire six missiles simultaneously at different targets and in all weather conditions. Capable of traveling at five times the speed of sound, the Phoenix had a radar homing capability and an operational range of 100 miles.The Navy and Marines Corps retired the Phoenix, a derivative of the earlier Falcon family of air-to-air missiles, in 2004, after thirty years of service.Transferred to NASM from the U.S. Navy Air Systems Command in 1982.