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Has the Phoenix ever actually worked in real life combat? They failed a lot iirc.
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Supposedly we never had a phoenix success, but the iranians did against iraq
ETA:
Per wiki page for the phoenix
*On January 5, 1999, a pair of US F-14s fired two Phoenixes at Iraqi MiG-25s southeast of Baghdad. Both AIM-54s' rocket motors failed and neither missile hit its target.[7]
*On September 9, 1999, another US F-14 launched an AIM-54 at an Iraqi MiG-23 that was heading south into the no-fly zone from Al Taqaddum air base west of Baghdad. The missile missed, eventually going into the ground after the Iraqi fighter reversed course and fled north.[9]
Despite the much-vaunted capabilities, the Phoenix was rarely used in combat, with only two confirmed launches and no confirmed targets destroyed in US Navy service, though a large number of kills were claimed by Iranian F-14s during the Iran–Iraq War.
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Apparently the phoenix system was one of many things that forced the russians going bankrupt to keep up with us.