From the information published by Iran, it is believed that the Fakour-90 is an air-to-air missile based on the AIM-54 Phoenix.
The Fakour-90 missile is equal to or even more powerful than the US Air Force’s AIM-54 Phoenix in some features, Iranian defense officials claimed. Although most sources reported that the Fakour-90 is a copy of the AIM-54, some analysts suggested that the Fakour-90 was actually an air-launched version of the MIM-23 Hawk missile with control surfaces from the AIM-54.
The United States has sold up to 79 F-14 fighters and 714 advanced AIM-54 missiles to Iran. The Iranian Air Force is the only force in the world to use this missile after the US retired the F-14 in 2006. Currently, Iran still has 40 F-14s in service, along with several hundred AIM-54s.
The number of AIM-54s has declined significantly after decades of use, and Iran was forced to develop its own weapons to maintain its deterrent power. There is reason to believe that the Fakour 90 is a variant developed from the American AIM-54 missile.
According to some little information revealed, Fakour-90 is a very large air-to-air missile with a diameter of up to 380mm, 4m long, weighing 450-470kg. Currently, only Iran owns the original AIM-54 and the Fakour-90 version with the same size.
The Fakour-90 missile is designed with a distinct wing style from modern missiles. The missile body is arranged to 4 quadrilateral wings extending half the body to the tail, the tail is arranged with 4 rectangular rudders.
Fakour-90 is equipped with solid-fuel rocket propulsion for a maximum range of 190km, maximum interception altitude of 24-30km. Its Mach 5 speed is enough to match all types of fighters in the world.
The AWG-9 fire control radar on the F-14 Tomcat allows the launch of six Fakour-90 missiles at the same time. According to some technical documents, 11km away from the target, the active radar on the missile will activate and guide the missile to attack the target.
