The AIM-54 was carried on the F-14’s external pylon, in clusters of six, and could be launched against other aircraft. With a top speed of Mach five, or 5,600 feet per second, the AIM-54 closed ...

“The AIM-54 was truly a deadly system,” says Farhad, a former pilot. “During the testing in Iran, we tracked an AIM-54A at Mach 4.4 and 24,000 meters [15 miles] before it scored a direct hit ...