Lee:

The Phoenix could be launched from a 100 miles away. Its flight trajectory would be about the same through most of the flight as with the standard model. The missile would accelerate and climb in altitude to reach mach 5. Upon reaching the target location, it would go into a steep dive to hit the target on the ground. The AIM-54 was also designed to target low flying cruise missiles in much the same way.

I don't think the AN/AWG-9 and AN/DSQ-26 was designed to attack ground targets. That aside, if the AIM-54C were to be fired directly at a ground target, lacking the benefits of a high-altitude cruise, its effective range and speed would probably be more like the AGM-88 HARM.

What is the terminal velocity of the AIM-54C at sea level with the standard flight profile? I would think it would be fast, but I doubt it would be Mach 5+ fast. Remember, Mach 1 at sea level is 761 mph; Mach 5 is 3807 mph, or 1.0575 miles/sec.

Lee:

IMO, such a missile is far too valuable a weapon to let slip into history. The design is over 30 years old and the technology is very well understood. Its range and speed are unmatched by any currently fielded missile and I believe that it's an excellent platform to expand upon. If Osama (or some other high priority target) were ever located at a certain location, such a weapon could be launched from a long way off and hit him very quickly.

Once OBL sees the launch of the AIM-54C 100 miles away, how far could he travel on foot or Toyota Land Cruiser in 105.75 seconds? And didn't W promise Musharraf that he would not attack his country?

Lee:

I never understood why it wasn't deployed on F-15s.

Answer: AN/AWG-9.