From what distance did a Phoenix missile down a target at…

From what distance did a Phoenix missile down a target at 15 m altitude?

Short answer

From 110 nmi (200 km): that was the longest successful single Phoenix launch, in April 1973, when an F-14 fired against a BQM-34E at 110 NM. The target was not at 15 m; in the six-against-six trial the targets flew between 20,000 and 24,000 ft.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

From what distance did a Phoenix missile down a target at 15 m altitude?

F-14A Tomcat over Iraq during Southern Watch

The 110 NM shot

The longest successful single Phoenix launch was made against a target at 110 nmi (200 km), in April 1973. In that shot the F-14 fired the missile against a BQM-34E at 110 NM. The AIM-54 climbed to 103,500 ft and then descended to lethal range in under three minutes, covering 72.5 NM of horizontal distance.

Six against six, between 20,000 and 24,000 ft

In the multiple-launch trial, three Lockheed QT-33s, target versions of the T-33 trainer, were launched together with two BQM-34A and one BQM-34E. They flew at altitudes between 20,000 and 24,000 ft and at speeds of Mach 0.6 to Mach 1.1. They were spread across a 15 NM front. They were detected at distances of between 85 and 115 NM. The first Phoenix launched at 31 NM from the target and five more followed within 38 seconds, with just 3.5 seconds at the shortest interval between launches. Four of the targets were hit, for an overall success rate of 80 percent.

The missile

The AIM-54 was 3.9 m (12 ft 9½ in) long, 380 mm (15 in) in diameter and had a 0.9 m wingspan. The AIM-54A/B versions weighed 443 kg (976 lb) and carried a 60.33 kg (133 lb) warhead. The Phoenix amassed 62 air-to-air kills, all of them achieved by Iran during the eight years of the Iran–Iraq war.