This is a solid-fuel, air-to-air, long-range Phoenix tactical missile, designated AIM 54A. U.S. Navy and Marines Corps aircraft, such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, could fire six missiles simultaneously at different targets and in all weather conditions. Capable of traveling at five times the speed of sound, the Phoenix had a radar homing capability and an operational range of 100 miles.
The Navy and Marines Corps retired the Phoenix, a derivative of the earlier Falcon family of air-to-air missiles, in 2004, after thirty years of service.
Transferred to NASM from the U.S. Navy Air Systems Command in 1982.
This object is on display in Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.