Too many people look at just the range of the Phoenix missile. Range ain't everying. The Phoenix was conceived for killing bombers, not enemy fighters. For that purpose the AMRAAM is a far better tool.
130 posted on
02/16/2006 12:27:32 PM PST by
Little Ray
(I'm a reactionary, hirsute, gun-owning, knuckle dragging, Christian Neanderthal and proud of it!)
The Phoenix was also capable against fighters. In the environment they would be up against, heavy jamming, long range missile exchange, etc...they would have very little time to evade when the AIM-54 came down on them.
But, the danger of attack aircraft coming at the battle group with long range ASMs still exists. When they do, short of jetisoning their heavy missiles, those attack aircraft will not be real nimble, and a weapon with the range of the Phoneix and its speed is still, IMHO, of critical importance for the reasons I stated above.
The F-14/Phoenix system also proves to be the only currently effective counter-measure to the supersonic cruise missiles that the Russians have been supplying their 'partners' with. Notably among them the Red Chinese...
The F18/AMRAAM combo apparently can't do this effectively.