Notes: This was the first radar-homing AAM to enter service with any country. It was originally developed for the F-89H Scorpion interceptor, and then adapted for use by the F-101, F-102, F-106, and F-4. Later, it was adapted for use with a variety of European fighters. The missile accelerates quickly, but is none too maneuverable; this limits its effectiveness somewhat. By the early 1970s, the Falcon had largely been replaced by missiles with later technology.

Twilight 2000 Notes: Increasing numbers of Falcons were pulled out of storage, particularly in Europe; they were also adapted to a much wider variety of aircraft than they were originally meant for.

Notes: This radar-homing missile is also employed from ships as a surface-to-air missile. It requires radar illumination from the launching aircraft for its entire flight to successfully hit a target. Early models can be quite vulnerable to countermeasures. This missile has been copied by China. The AIM-7P has increased resistance to countermeasures one level more difficult), and increased agility, as well as an increased-efficiency warhead. Sparrow I was the early model; Sparrow III was the name used by the improved later models. Sparrow II was an early active homing experiment that failed.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These missiles were called into increasing use in the Twilight War as supplies of AMRAAM missiles began to be used up.

Notes: This was the first AAM to be placed into service, and is perhaps the most plentiful AAM in existence. The designers of the Sidewinder, a small team operating on a shoestring budget at China Lake, created the first Sidewinder out of almost nothing; the project was drastically underfunded and the designers put a considerable amount of their personal funds into it. They then developed a working homing head and got the design to be taken seriously by the Navy. And the rest is history.

The Sidewinder is a low-cost, easy to build missile that has been progressively upgraded over the decades since the passive IR homing head was designed in 1949. Originally using vacuum tubes, the latest Sidewinders use miniaturized solid-state electronics. Original models could easily be fooled by the Sun, clouds, flares, or even rain, but new versions can home in from any angle, outmaneuver its targets, and carry a large warhead. It is only very recently that the Sidewinder is being faced with obsolescence.

Notes: The Phoenix is a sophisticated, costly, and large missile intended for long-range defense of US Navy vessels. Originally designed for the Navy’s version of the F-111, the Phoenix was adapted to the F-14 Tomcat when that fighter was designed for the Navy. In form, it resembles a huge version of the AIM-4 Falcon, but it is a far different beast. The Phoenix has a small radar set in its nose, allowing it to home in on a target by itself without guidance form the firing Tomcat once it has closed to within 72 kilometers. It has look-down, shoot-down capability, a huge warhead, and a very long range, due to its intended role of destroying Soviet maritime bombers. By 2003, it is not a missile much used, due to its cost and the fact that the Soviet maritime bomber threat has all but disappeared. The first version was the AIM-54A, the AIM-54C has a more lethal warhead, and the AIM-54 (ECCM/Sealed) has increased resistance to countermeasures (one level harder to decoy), EMP hardening, and self-test equipment that gives the missile increased reliability.

Twilight 2000 Notes: The Phoenix managed to bring down most of the Russian maritime bomber fleet within weeks of the start of hostilities, but stock dwindled very fast, and could never be replenished as quickly as desired. By 2000, 99% of the available stocks had been expended, and facilities for its production had been destroyed.

Merc 2000 Notes: This missile was all but dropped from production by 2000 in favor of the less capable but far less costly AMRAAM.

Notes: The AMRAAM (Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile) replaced the AIM-7 Sparrow in the inventories of the US and most of its allies in the late 1980s. It is an advanced, active-homing radar-guided missile with its own radar unit in the nose to allow it to be guided without help from the firing aircraft or ground unit. This also helps it to resist countermeasures. The missile can actually home in on a source of radar jamming. Decoying this missile with various radar countermeasures is two levels harder than normal.

Notes: The ASRAAM (Advanced Short-Range Air-to-Air Missile) was one of the replacements for the AIM-9 in the US and NATO inventory. The missile features a better response by using thrust squibs rather than aerodynamic control surfaces. It began deployment in 1998 to US and NATO aircraft, but budgetary restrictions have severely limited the adoption of the ASRAAM.

Twilight 2000 Notes: These missiles were deployed at a much faster rate in the Twilight 2000 World, and such deployment began in 1996.