I was just curious, i was looking at some specs on missile, and of course each website gives different stats for the aim120 with + or - 10 miles.

So my question is this, from what i have read the Aim 54 was the longest range air to air missile the US had, so why cant they still use it? I know the F-14 was made for it with the AWG-9 system, but some sites say the Aim120 has a range of 40mi, whereas some russian missile have a longer range then that, and Russian and China are working on a 180mi+ air to air missile.

Is the US doing anything about this, or are we just building planes like the F22 that are All show, All go, but no bite.

Can someone shed some light on this for me

[edit on 6-9-2008 by gobber247]

Of course all of the missile performance numbers are classified so anything you see on the internet is going to be either a guess or misinformation. I think it's safe to say that the Air Force has not overlooked something this important though. There would be no point in spending millions on jets that are going to get knocked out of the sky before they can get a shot off. On the other hand, if you listen to some people, the Russians and Chinese are doing exactly that because their most modern fighters are nowhere near the capability of the F-22.

I guess all I'm saying is that if the Air Force isn't using the Phoenix then it's because they have something better, and the F-22 has plenty of bite.

The phoenix missile was huge. It's sheer size and mass means it can't be carried internally. A key feature of the F-22 is it's internal weapons stowage, which allow it to be stealthy. The AIM-120 is a perfectly capable and combat tested missile. Whether or not it's the best in the world, it's still a world class contender.

Also: The phoenix missile wasn't particularly maneuverable; it was designed for engaging low flying bombers carrying cruise missiles. It was, in essence, a cruise missile for shooting down large, non maneuvering aircraft.

Without the threat of regiment-sized formations of Russian bombers, the phoenix missile had no mission, and was retired for no real world loss of capability.

Like a previous poster mentioned the actual capabilities of the newest AA missle systems are classifed.

And it doesnt matter if your missle has enough fuel for a 180 miles, the real question is can your targeting system continue to track the target and can the missle find it by it self if not.
Given the other capabilities our newest aircraft I have full confidence in the capabilities of our systems.
The F22 is hardly "all show, no go" ,from our side the ability to aquire and track multiple targets at very longe ranges 150 miles, while remaining invisible to the enemy up to gun range.
The ablilty for one aircraft to guide and relay information from it to the missle and other aircraft increases the combat effectivenes of the aircraft.
No other aircraft can carry the weapon loading and maintain the high performance and stealth of the F22
I think that we are very close to DEW's replacing missles in in subsquent generations of fighters.