Launching and recovering a Tomcat with six Phoenix missiles

Could a Tomcat launch from a carrier with six Phoenix missiles?

Probably, according to the tentative answer, but launch and recovery limits differ.

Six Phoenix missiles are considered a probable takeoff load in the hypothetical, although the initial answer is tentative. A later qualification separates launch weight from recovery weight. It proposes refuelling after takeoff and says the aircraft could not return to the carrier with all six missiles still aboard. The maximum launch load therefore does not automatically become a load that can be brought back unused.