AIM-54

wrote in message
oups.com...
So, it seems not really as a perfect weapon as advertised - good for
large and relatively slow targets like Bears and Badgers, or dumb and
not very manoeuvrable like cruise missiles (even if they are coming in
numbers), but not the best against fighters?


Not really, then - as can be read in the mentioned book (see p.82) - on that
conference the Mullahs and the IRGC-commanders, despite obvious evidence for
over 130 kills being available (at that time, and without any
cross-examination with US and Iraqi sources), ignored these, and credited
the IRIAF with only 16 AIM-54 kills.

Meanwhile, we know about some 56 combat firings of AIM-54s by IRIAF F-14As
(at the time the book was written, we knew about some 40). Of these, four
are definitely known to have missed.

Majority of targets hit were - as can be seen from the list on pages 85 thru
88 - Iraqi fighters, including 5 MiG-21s, 12 MiG-23s, 5 Su-20/22s, and 7
Mirage F.1EQs, and two (Soviet-owned and -flown) MiG-27s.

The AIM-54s were used also to shot down 9 MiG-25s (including two
Soviet-owned and -flown MiG-25BMs), 4 Tu-22s (including two Soviet-flown
Tu-22Ks), single H-6D, one C.601 and up to three AM.39 Exocets. These can be
sorted under "non-manoeuvreable" targets. All the other kills were scored
against "manoeuvreable" tactical fighters (even if, of course, none of these
is as manoeuvreable as specific modern fighters).

Only two of mentioned kills were scored against manoeuvering targets, i.e.
targets that recognized the appearance of the F-14 in time, and were flying
evasive manoeuvres (in the sence of turning, not in the sence of turning to
run away) in attempt to spoil the firing solution or to evade the AIM-54.

All the other targets either never recognized the threat facing them - or
did so, but too late.

Conclusion: the "manoeuverability" of the target - or ability of the target
to fly hard turns, and pull gs - had no influence on the effectiveness of
AIM-54. As long as target did not know that it was under a threat by
F-14/AWG-9/AIM-54-combo, or already targeted by AIM-54, the probability of
the kill by this weapon was extremely high, and this regardless what kind of
target was under attack. The reason was that AIM-54 enabled the F-14 to
engage from ranges from which the opposition did not expect to be engaged,
as well as that the AWG-9 was either not even recognized by enemy RWR/RHAWs,
or powerful enough to saturate these. With other words: most of the
AIM-54-attacks came as a complete surprise for opposition.

Now, before somebody starts talking about "incompetent Iraqis", let me first
remaind that at least four of the crews downed by AIM-54s were Soviet
"instructors", while several of Iraqis that were killed by AIM-54s were
IrAF's best and most experienced fliers, considered as (at least) "USAF
fleet average" even in intel assessments released to the USAF and the USN
before the war in 1991. Based on what is known so far about the AIM-54's
deployment in Iran, the survivability of targets engaged by AIM-54s did not
depend as much on capability of crews of targeted aircraft, but on their
equipment. This survivability depended solely on answer to question if they
were equipped with RWRs, RHAWs or any other kind of systems that ensured
timely detection of AWG-9 in specific working modes, and - even more
important - detection of an AIM-54-attack.

Finally, something about engagement ranges: kills mentioned above were
scored from ranges between 4.5 (see photo p.26) and 140km (it is possible
that two or three kills were scored from longer ranges); majority from
ranges between 35 and 100km. The longer the range was, the less reaction on
the part of target was observed. In fact, only four or five "reactions" of
an aircraft targeted from a range longer than 30km were ever observed. In
each of these cases the target was a MiG-25.

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Tom Cooper
Freelance aviation journalist
Author & Co-Author:

- Iranian F-14 Tomcat Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=S7875

- Arab MiG-19 and MiG-21 Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=S6550

- Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat
http://www.ospreypublishing.com/titl...hp/title=S6585

- African MiGs
http://www.acig.org/afmig/

- Iran-Iraq War in the Air, 1980-1988
http://www.acig.org/pg1/content.php
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