fbpx
Wikipedia

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

February 03, 2023

"F-4" redirects here. For other uses, see F4.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.[2] Proving highly adaptable, it entered service with the Navy in 1961[3] before it was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s it had become a major part of their air arms.[4] Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history, and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War.[4][5]

F-4 Phantom II
A U.S. Air Force F-4 flies with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron over White Sands Missile Range
Role Interceptor, fighter-bomber
National origin United States
Manufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
McDonnell Douglas
First flight 27 May 1958
Introduction 1961
Retired 1996 (U.S. combat use)
2013 (Germany)
2016 (U.S. target drone)[1]
2021 (Japan)
Status In limited service
Primary users United States Air Force (historical)
United States Navy (historical)
United States Marine Corps (historical)
Iranian Air Force
Produced 1958–1981
Number built 5,195
Variants McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG.1/FGR.2

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance,[6] including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record.[7]

The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs),[8] one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft.[9] The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996.[10][11] It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).[4][12][13] The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. As of 2021, 63 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in active service with the air forces of Iran, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

Development

Origins

In 1952, McDonnell's Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis, was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the company's preliminary design manager.[14] With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type: an attack fighter.[15]

 
The McDonnell F3H-G/H mockup, 1954

In 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects, including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine,[16] and variants powered by two Wright J65 engines, or two General Electric J79 engines.[17] The J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the "Super Demon". Uniquely, the aircraft was to be modular, as it could be fitted with one- or two-seat noses for different missions, with different nose cones to accommodate radar, photo cameras, four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon, or 56 FFAR unguided rockets in addition to the nine hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage. The Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mock-up of the F3H-G/H, but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter.[18]

The McDonnell design was therefore reworked into an all-weather fighter-bomber with 11 external hardpoints for weapons and on 18 October 1954, the company received a letter of intent for two YAH-1 prototypes. Then on 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and, within an hour, presented the company with an entirely new set of requirements. Because the Navy already had the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor. A second crewman was added to operate the powerful radar;[2] designers believed that air combat in the next war would overload solo pilots with information.[19]

XF4H-1 prototype

 
Key figures in the F-4 development: David Lewis, Robert Little, and Herman Barkey

The XF4H-1 was designed to carry four semi-recessed AAM-N-6 Sparrow III radar-guided missiles, and to be powered by two J79-GE-8 engines. As in the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, the engines sat low in the fuselage to maximize internal fuel capacity and ingested air through fixed geometry intakes. The thin-section wing had a leading edge sweep of 45° and was equipped with blown flaps for better low-speed handling.[20]

Wind tunnel testing had revealed lateral instability, requiring the addition of 5° dihedral to the wings.[21] To avoid redesigning the titanium central section of the aircraft, McDonnell engineers angled up only the outer portions of the wings by 12°, which averaged to the required 5° over the entire wingspan. The wings also received the distinctive "dogtooth" for improved control at high angles of attack. The all-moving tailplane was given 23° of anhedral to improve control at high angles of attack, while still keeping the tailplane clear of the engine exhaust.[20] In addition, air intakes were equipped with one fixed ramp and one variable geometry ramp with angle scheduled to give maximum pressure recovery between Mach 1.4 and Mach 2.2. Airflow matching between the inlet and engine was achieved by bypassing the engine as secondary air into the exhaust nozzle. All-weather intercept capability was achieved with the AN/APQ-50 radar. To meet requirements for carrier operations, the landing gear was designed to withstand landings with a maximum sink rate of 23 ft/s (7 m/s), while the nose strut could extend by 20 in (51 cm) to increase angle of attack on the catapult portion of a takeoff.[21]

 
An F4H-1F aboard Independence, April 1960

On 25 July 1955, the Navy ordered two XF4H-1 test aircraft and five YF4H-1 pre-production examples. The Phantom made its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 with Robert C. Little at the controls. A hydraulic problem precluded the retraction of the landing gear, but subsequent flights went more smoothly. Early testing resulted in redesign of the air intakes, including the distinctive addition of 12,500 holes to "bleed off" the slow-moving boundary layer air from the surface of each intake ramp. Series production aircraft also featured splitter plates to divert the boundary layer away from the engine intakes. The aircraft was soon in competition with the XF8U-3 Crusader III. Due to cockpit workload, the Navy wanted a two-seat aircraft and on 17 December 1958 the F4H was declared the winner. Delays with the J79-GE-8 engines meant that the first production aircraft were fitted with J79-GE-2 and −2A engines, each having 16,100 lbf (71.8 kN) of afterburning thrust. In 1959, the Phantom began carrier suitability trials with the first complete launch-recovery cycle performed on 15 February 1960 from Independence.[21]

There were proposals to name the F4H "Satan" and "Mithras".[21] In the end, the aircraft was given the less controversial name "Phantom II", the first "Phantom" being another McDonnell jet fighter, the FH-1 Phantom. The Phantom II was briefly given the designation F-110A and named "Spectre" by the USAF, but these were not officially used[22] and the Tri-Service aircraft designation system, F-4, was adopted in September 1962.

Production

 
VF-74 was the first operational U.S. Navy Phantom squadron in 1961

Early in production, the radar was upgraded to the Westinghouse AN/APQ-72, an AN/APG-50 with a larger radar antenna, necessitating the bulbous nose, and the canopy was reworked to improve visibility and make the rear cockpit less claustrophobic.[23] During its career the Phantom underwent many changes in the form of numerous variants developed.

The USN operated the F4H-1 (re-designated F-4A in 1962) with J79-GE-2 and -2A engines of 16,100 lbf (71.62 kN) thrust and later builds receiving -8 engines. A total of 45 F-4As were built; none saw combat, and most ended up as test or training aircraft.[24] The USN and USMC received the first definitive Phantom, the F-4B which was equipped with the Westinghouse APQ-72 radar (pulse only), a Texas Instruments AAA-4 Infrared search and track pod under the nose, an AN/AJB-3 bombing system and powered by J79-GE-8,-8A and -8B engines of 10,900 lbf (48.5 kN) dry and 16,950 lbf (75.4 kN) afterburner (reheat) with the first flight on 25 March 1961. 649 F-4Bs were built with deliveries beginning in 1961 and VF-121 Pacemakers receiving the first examples at NAS Miramar.[24]

The USAF received Phantoms as the result of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's push to create a unified fighter for all branches of the US military. After an F-4B won the "Operation Highspeed" fly-off against the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, the USAF borrowed two Naval F-4Bs, temporarily designating them F-110A in January 1962, and developed requirements for their own version. Unlike the US Navy's focus on air-to-air interception in the Fleet Air Defense (FAD) mission, the USAF emphasized both an air-to-air and an air-to-ground fighter-bomber role. With McNamara's unification of designations on 18 September 1962, the Phantom became the F-4 with the naval version designated F-4B and USAF F-4C. The first Air Force Phantom flew on 27 May 1963, exceeding Mach 2 on its maiden flight.[25]

The F-4J improved both air-to-air and ground-attack capability; deliveries begun in 1966 and ended in 1972 with 522 built.[26] It was equipped with J79-GE-10 engines with 17,844 lbf (79.374 kN) thrust, the Westinghouse AN/AWG-10 Fire Control System (making the F-4J the first fighter in the world with operational look-down/shoot-down capability),[27] a new integrated missile control system and the AN/AJB-7 bombing system for expanded ground attack capability.[28]

The F-4N (updated F-4Bs) with smokeless engines and F-4J aerodynamic improvements started in 1972 under a U.S. Navy-initiated refurbishment program called "Project Bee Line"[29] with 228 converted by 1978. The F-4S model resulted from the refurbishment of 265 F-4Js with J79-GE-17 smokeless engines of 17,900 lbf (79.379 kN), AWG-10B radar with digitized circuitry for improved performance and reliability, Honeywell AN/AVG-8 Visual Target Acquisition Set or VTAS (world's first operational Helmet Sighting System), classified avionics improvements, airframe reinforcement and leading edge slats for enhanced maneuvering.[30] The USMC also operated the RF-4B with reconnaissance cameras with 46 built;[31] the RF-4B flew alone and unarmed, with a requirement to fly straight and level at 5,000 feet while taking photographs. They relied on the shortcomings of the anti-aircraft defenses to survive as they were unable to make evasive maneuveres.[19]

Phantom II production ended in the United States in 1979 after 5,195 had been built (5,057 by McDonnell Douglas and 138 in Japan by Mitsubishi). Of these, 2,874 went to the USAF, 1,264 to the Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest to foreign customers.[4] The last U.S.-built F-4 went to South Korea, while the last F-4 built was an F-4EJ built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan and delivered on 20 May 1981.[32] As of 2008, 631 Phantoms were in service worldwide,[33] while the Phantoms were in use as a target drone (specifically QF-4Cs) operated by the U.S. military until 21 December 2016, when the Air Force officially ended use of the type.[34]

World records

 
Transcontinental "Operation LANA" in 1961

To show off their new fighter, the Navy led a series of record-breaking flights early in Phantom development:[4] All in all, the Phantom set 16 world records. Five of the speed records remained unbeaten until the F-15 Eagle appeared in 1975.[6]

  • Operation Top Flight: On 6 December 1959, the second XF4H-1 performed a zoom climb to a world record 98,557 ft (30,040 m).[7][35] Commander Lawrence E. Flint Jr., USN accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2.5 (2,660 km/h; 1,650 mph) at 47,000 ft (14,330 m) and climbed to 90,000 ft (27,430 m) at a 45° angle. He then shut down the engines and glided to the peak altitude. As the aircraft fell through 70,000 ft (21,300 m), Flint restarted the engines and resumed normal flight.[36]
  • On 5 September 1960, an F4H-1 averaged 1,216.78 mph (1,958.16 km/h) over a 500 km (311 mi) closed-circuit course.[7]
  • On 25 September 1960, an F4H-1F averaged 1,390.24 mph (2,237.37 km/h) over a 100 km (62.1 mi) closed-circuit course.[7] FAIRecord File Number 8898.
  • Operation LANA: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Naval aviation (L is the Roman numeral for 50 and ANA stood for Anniversary of Naval Aviation) on 24 May 1961, Phantoms flew across the continental United States in under three hours and included several tanker refuelings. The fastest of the aircraft averaged 869.74 mph (1,400.28 km/h) and completed the trip in 2 hours 47 minutes, earning the pilot (and future NASA Astronaut), Lieutenant[37] Richard Gordon, USN and RIO, Lieutenant Bobbie Young, USN, the 1961 Bendix trophy.[7][38][39][40]
  • Operation Sageburner: On 28 August 1961, a F4H-1F Phantom II averaged 1,452.777 kilometers per hour (902.714 miles per hour) over a 3 mi (4.82 km) course flying below 125 feet (38.1 m) at all times.[7] Commander J.L. Felsman, USN was killed during the first attempt at this record on 18 May 1961 when his aircraft disintegrated in the air after pitch damper failure.[41]
  • Operation Skyburner: On 22 November 1961, a modified Phantom with water injection, piloted by Lt. Col. Robert B. Robinson, set an absolute world record average speed over a 20-mile (32.2 km) long 2-way straight course of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h).[7][42][43][44]
  • On 5 December 1961, another Phantom set a sustained altitude record of 66,443.8 feet (20,252 m).[7]
  • Project High Jump: A series of time-to-altitude records was set in early 1962: 34.523 seconds to 3,000 m (9,840 ft), 48.787 seconds to 6,000 m (19,700 ft), 61.629 seconds to 9,000 m (29,500 ft), 77.156 seconds to 12,000 m (39,400 ft), 114.548 seconds to 15,000 m (49,200 ft), 178.5 s to 20,000 m (65,600 ft), 230.44 s to 25,000 m (82,000 ft), and 371.43 s to 30,000 m (98,400 ft).[45] All High Jump records were set by F4H-1 production number 108 (Bureau Number 148423).[46][47][48][49] Two of the records were set by future distinguished NASA astronaut LCdr John Young.[50][51]

Design

Overview

 
Cockpit of F-4 Phantom II

The F-4 Phantom is a tandem-seat fighter-bomber designed as a carrier-based interceptor to fill the U.S. Navy's fleet defense fighter role. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-Doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.[52]

Despite imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 lb (27,000 kg),[53] the F-4 has a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb rate of over 41,000 ft/min (210 m/s).[54] The F-4's nine external hardpoints have a capability of up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and unguided, guided, and thermonuclear weapons.[55] Like other interceptors of its day, the F-4 was designed without an internal cannon.[56]

The baseline performance of a Mach 2-class fighter with long-range and a bomber-sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light/middle-weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat.[57]

Flight characteristics

"Speed is life" was F-4 pilots' slogan, as the Phantom's greatest advantage in air combat was acceleration[19] and thrust, which permitted a skilled pilot to engage and disengage from the fight at will. MiGs usually could outturn the F-4 because of the high drag on the Phantom's airframe,[58] as a massive fighter aircraft designed to fire radar-guided missiles from beyond visual range, the F-4 lacked the agility of its Soviet opponents and was subject to adverse yaw during hard maneuvering. Although the F-4 was subject to irrecoverable spins during aileron rolls, pilots reported the aircraft to be very responsive and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope. In 1972, the F-4E model was upgraded with leading edge slats on the wing, greatly improving high angle of attack maneuverability at the expense of top speed.[59]

F-4 Phantom II flight demonstration video

The J79 had a reduced time lag between the pilot advancing the throttle, from idle to maximum thrust, and the engine producing maximum thrust compared to earlier engines. While landing on USS Midway (CV-41) John Chesire's tailhook missed the arresting gear as he (mistakenly) reduced thrust to idle. He then slammed the throttle to full afterburner, the engine's response time being enough to return to full thrust quickly, and he was able get the Phantom airborne again successfully (bolter).[19] The J79 produced noticeable amounts of black smoke (at mid-throttle/cruise settings), a severe disadvantage in that it made it easier for the enemy to spot the aircraft.[60] Two decades after the aircraft entered service[19] this was solved on the F-4S, which was fitted with the −10A engine variant with a smokeless combustor.[61]

The lack of an internal gun "was the biggest mistake on the F-4", Chesire said; "Bullets are cheap and tend to go where you aim them. I needed a gun, and I really wished I had one." Marine Corps General John R. Dailey recalled that "everyone in RF-4s wished they had a gun on the aircraft."[19] For a brief period, doctrine held that turning combat would be impossible at supersonic speeds and little effort was made to teach pilots air combat maneuvering. In reality, engagements quickly became subsonic, as pilots would slow down in an effort to get behind their adversaries. Furthermore, the relatively new heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles at the time were frequently reported as unreliable and pilots had to fire multiple missiles just to hit one enemy fighter. To compound the problem, rules of engagement in Vietnam precluded long-range missile attacks in most instances, as visual identification was normally required. Many pilots found themselves on the tail of an enemy aircraft, but too close to fire short-range Falcons or Sidewinders. Although by 1965 USAF F-4Cs began carrying SUU-16 external gunpods containing a 20 mm (.79 in) M61A1 Vulcan Gatling cannon, USAF cockpits were not equipped with lead-computing gunsights until the introduction of the SUU-23, virtually assuring a miss in a maneuvering fight. Some Marine Corps aircraft carried two pods for strafing. In addition to the loss of performance due to drag, combat showed the externally mounted cannon to be inaccurate unless frequently boresighted, yet far more cost-effective than missiles. The lack of a cannon was finally addressed by adding an internally mounted 20 mm (.79 in) M61A1 Vulcan on the F-4E.[59]

Costs

F-4C RF-4C F-4D F-4E
Unit R&D cost – 61,200 (1965) by 1973
526,242 (current) by 1973		 – 22,700 (1965) by 1973
195,191 (current) by 1973
Airframe 1,388,725 (1965)
11,941,275 (current)		 1,679,000 (1965)
14,437,272 (current)		 1,018,682 (1965)
8,759,374 (current)		 1,662,000 (1965)
14,291,094 (current)
Engines 317,647 (1965)
2,731,362 (current)		 276,000 (1965)
2,373,250 (current)		 260,563 (1965)
2,240,512 (current)		 393,000 (1965)
3,379,302 (current)
Electronics 52,287 (1965)
449,602 (current)		 293,000 (1965)
2,519,429 (current)		 262,101 (1965)
2,253,736 (current)		 299,000 (1965)
2,571,021 (current)
Armament 139,706 (1965)
1,201,295 (current)		 73,000 (1965)
627,707 (current)		 133,430 (1965)
1,147,329 (current)		 111,000 (1965)
954,459 (current)
Ordnance – – 6,817 (1965)
58,618 (current)		 8,000 (1965)
68,790 (current)
Flyaway cost 1.9 million (1965)
16.3 million (current)		 2.3 million (1965)
19.8 million (current)		 1.7 million (1965)
14.6 million (current)		 2.4 million (1965)
20.6 million (current)
Modification costs 116,289 (1965) by 1973
999,938 (current) by 1973		 55,217 (1965) by 1973
474,796 (2008) by 1973		 233,458 (1965) by 1973
2,007,443 (current) by 1973		 7,995 (1965) by 1973
68,747 (current) by 1973
Cost per flying hour 924 (1965)
7,945 (2008)		 867 (1965)
7,455 (current)		 896 (1965)
7,704 (current)		 867 (1965)
7,455 (current)
Maintenance cost per flying hour 545 (1965)
4,686 (current)

Note: Original amounts were in 1965 U.S. dollars.[62] The figures in these tables have been adjusted for inflation to the current year.

Operational history

See also: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II U.S. operators

United States Air Force

USAF F-4 Summary for Vietnam War action
Aircraft Weapons/Tactics MiG-17 MiG-19 MiG-21 Total
F-4C AIM-7 Sparrow 4 0 10 14
AIM-9 Sidewinder 12 0 10 22
20 mm gunpod 3 0 1 4
Maneuvering tactics 2 0 0 2
F-4D AIM-4 Falcon 4 0 1 5
AIM-7 Sparrow 4 2 20 26
AIM-9 Sidewinder 0 2 3 5
20 mm gunpod 4.5 0 2 6.5
Maneuvering tactics 0 0 2 2
F-4E AIM-7 Sparrow 0 2 8 10
AIM-9 Sidewinder 0 0 4 4
AIM-9+20 mm gun 0 0 1 1
20 mm gun 0 1 4 5
Maneuvering tactics 0 1 0 1
Total 33.5 8 66 107.5

In USAF service, the F-4 was initially designated the F-110A[63] prior to the introduction of the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system. The USAF quickly embraced the design and became the largest Phantom user. The first USAF Phantoms in Vietnam were F-4Cs from the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron arrived in December 1964.[64]

Unlike the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, which flew the Phantom with a Naval Aviator (pilot) in the front seat and a Naval Flight Officer as a radar intercept officer (RIO) in the back seat, the USAF initially flew its Phantoms with a rated Air Force Pilot in front and back seats. Pilots usually did not like flying in the back seat;[19] while the GIB, or "guy in back", could fly and ostensibly land the aircraft, he had fewer flight instruments and a very restricted forward view. The Air Force later assigned a rated Air Force Navigator qualified as a weapon/targeting systems officer (later designated as weapon systems officer or WSO) in the rear seat instead of another pilot.[65][19]

On 10 July 1965, F-4Cs of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 15th TFW, on temporary assignment in Ubon, Thailand,[66] scored the USAF's first victories against North Vietnamese MiG-17s using AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.[67] On 26 April 1966, an F-4C from the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron scored the first aerial victory by a U.S. aircrew over a North Vietnamese MiG-21 "Fishbed".[68] On 24 July 1965, another Phantom from the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first American aircraft to be downed by an enemy SAM, and on 5 October 1966 an 8th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4C became the first U.S. jet lost to an air-to-air missile, fired by a MiG-21.

Early aircraft suffered from leaks in wing fuel tanks that required re-sealing after each flight and 85 aircraft were found to have cracks in outer wing ribs and stringers.[62] There were also problems with aileron control cylinders, electrical connectors, and engine compartment fires. Reconnaissance RF-4Cs made their debut in Vietnam on 30 October 1965, flying the hazardous post-strike reconnaissance missions. The USAF Thunderbirds used the F-4E from the 1969 season until 1974.[12]

 
435th TFS F-4Ds over Vietnam

Although the F-4C was essentially identical to the Navy/Marine Corps F-4B in-flight performance and carried the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, USAF-tailored F-4Ds initially arrived in June 1967 equipped with AIM-4 Falcons. However, the Falcon, like its predecessors, was designed to shoot down heavy bombers flying straight and level. Its reliability proved no better than others and its complex firing sequence and limited seeker-head cooling time made it virtually useless in combat against agile fighters. The F-4Ds reverted to using Sidewinders under the "Rivet Haste" program in early 1968, and by 1972 the AIM-7E-2 "Dogfight Sparrow" had become the preferred missile for USAF pilots. Like other Vietnam War Phantoms, the F-4Ds were urgently fitted with radar warning receivers to detect the Soviet-built S-75 Dvina SAMs.[69]

From the initial deployment of the F-4C to Southeast Asia, USAF Phantoms performed both air superiority and ground attack roles, supporting not only ground troops in South Vietnam, but also conducting bombing sorties in Laos and North Vietnam. As the F-105 force underwent severe attrition between 1965 and 1968, the bombing role of the F-4 proportionately increased until after November 1970 (when the last F-105D was withdrawn from combat) it became the primary USAF tactical ordnance delivery system. In October 1972 the first squadron of EF-4C Wild Weasel aircraft deployed to Thailand on temporary duty.[70] The "E" prefix was later dropped and the aircraft was simply known as the F-4C Wild Weasel.

 
USAF F-4 Phantom II destroyed on 18 February 1968, during the enemy attack against Tan Son Nhut, during the Tet Offensive

Sixteen squadrons of Phantoms were permanently deployed between 1965 and 1973, and 17 others deployed on temporary combat assignments.[71] Peak numbers of combat F-4s occurred in 1972, when 353 were based in Thailand.[72] A total of 445 Air Force Phantom fighter-bombers were lost, 370 in combat and 193 of those over North Vietnam (33 to MiGs, 30 to SAMs, and 307 to AAA).[72]

The RF-4C was operated by four squadrons,[73] and of the 83 losses, 72 were in combat including 38 over North Vietnam (seven to SAMs and 65 to AAA).[72] By war's end, the U.S. Air Force had lost a total of 528 F-4 and RF-4C Phantoms. When combined with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps losses of 233 Phantoms, 761 F-4/RF-4 Phantoms were lost in the Vietnam War.[74]

On 28 August 1972, Captain Steve Ritchie became the first USAF ace of the war.[8] On 9 September 1972, WSO Capt Charles B. DeBellevue became the highest-scoring American ace of the war with six victories.[8] and WSO Capt Jeffrey Feinstein became the last USAF ace of the war on 13 October 1972.[75] Upon return to the United States, DeBellevue and Feinstein were assigned to undergraduate pilot training (Feinstein was given a vision waiver) and requalified as USAF pilots in the F-4. USAF F-4C/D/E crews claimed 107+1⁄2 MiG kills in Southeast Asia (50 by Sparrow, 31 by Sidewinder, five by Falcon, 15.5 by gun, and six by other means).[72]

On 31 January 1972, the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron/183d Tactical Fighter Group of the Illinois Air National Guard became the first Air National Guard unit to transition to Phantoms from Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks which were found to have corrosion problems.[citation needed] Phantoms would eventually equip numerous tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance units in the USAF active, National Guard, and reserve.

On 2 June 1972, a Phantom flying at supersonic speed shot down a MiG-19 over Thud Ridge in Vietnam with its cannon. At a recorded speed of Mach 1.2, Major Phil Handley's shoot down was the first and only recorded gun kill while flying at supersonic speeds.[76][77]

 
F-4Gs over Bahrain during Operation Desert Shield

On 15 August 1990, 24 F-4G Wild Weasel Vs and six RF-4Cs were deployed to Shaikh Isa AB, Bahrain, for Operation Desert Storm. The F-4G was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory equipped for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role, and was needed to protect coalition aircraft from Iraq's extensive air defense system. The RF-4C was the only aircraft equipped with the ultra-long-range KS-127 LOROP (long-range oblique photography) camera, and was used for a variety of reconnaissance missions. In spite of flying almost daily missions, only one RF-4C was lost in a fatal accident before the start of hostilities. One F-4G was lost when enemy fire damaged the fuel tanks and the aircraft ran out of fuel near a friendly airbase. The last USAF Phantoms, F-4G Wild Weasel Vs from 561st Fighter Squadron, were retired on 26 March 1996. The last operational flight of the F-4G Wild Weasel was from the 190th Fighter Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, in April 1996.[78] The last operational USAF/ANG F-4 to land was flown by Maj Mike Webb and Maj Gary Leeder of the Idaho ANG.

Like the Navy, the Air Force has operated QF-4 target drones, serving with the 82d Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.[79] It was expected that the F-4 would remain in the target role with the 82d ATRS until at least 2015, when they would be replaced by early versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon converted to a QF-16 configuration.[80] Several QF-4s also retain capability as manned aircraft and are maintained in historical color schemes, being displayed as part of Air Combat Command's Heritage Flight at air shows, base open houses, and other events while serving as non-expendable target aircraft during the week.[81] On 19 November 2013, BAE Systems delivered the last QF-4 aerial target to the Air Force. The example had been in storage for over 20 years before being converted. Over 16 years, BAE had converted 314 F-4 and RF-4 Phantom IIs into QF-4s and QRF-4s, with each aircraft taking six months to adapt. As of December 2013, QF-4 and QRF-4 aircraft had flown over 16,000 manned and 600 unmanned training sorties, with 250 unmanned aircraft being shot down in firing exercises. The remaining QF-4s and QRF-4s held their training role until the first of 126 QF-16s were delivered by Boeing.[82] The final flight of an Air Force QF-4 from Tyndall AFB took place on 27 May 2015 to Holloman AFB.[83] After Tyndall AFB ceased operations, the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group at Holloman became the fleet of 22 QF-4s' last remaining operator. The base continued using them to fly manned test and unmanned live fire test support and Foreign Military Sales testing, with the final unmanned flight taking place in August 2016.[84] The type was officially retired from US military service with a four–ship flight at Holloman during an event on 21 December 2016.[85] The remaining QF-4s were to be demilitarized after 1 January 2017.[86]

United States Navy

 
A U.S. Navy F-4B from VF-111 dropping bombs over Vietnam, 25 November 1971

On 30 December 1960, the VF-121 "Pacemakers" at NAS Miramar became the first Phantom operator with its F4H-1Fs (F-4As). The VF-74 "Be-devilers" at NAS Oceana became the first deployable Phantom squadron when it received its F4H-1s (F-4Bs) on 8 July 1961.[87] The squadron completed carrier qualifications in October 1961 and Phantom's first full carrier deployment between August 1962 and March 1963 aboard Forrestal.[88] The second deployable U.S. Atlantic Fleet squadron to receive F-4Bs was the VF-102 "Diamondbacks", who promptly took their new aircraft on the shakedown cruise of Enterprise.[89] The first deployable U.S. Pacific Fleet squadron to receive the F-4B was the VF-114 "Aardvarks", which participated in the September 1962 cruise aboard USS Kitty Hawk.[87]

By the time of the Tonkin Gulf incident, 13 of 31 deployable navy squadrons were armed with the type. F-4Bs from Constellation made the first Phantom combat sortie of the Vietnam War on 5 August 1964, flying bomber escort in Operation Pierce Arrow.[90] Navy fighter pilots were unused to flying with a non-pilot RIO, but learned from air combat in Vietnam the benefits of the GiB "guy in back" or "voice in the luggage compartment" helping with the workload.[19] The first Phantom air-to-air victory of the war took place on 9 April 1965 when an F-4B from VF-96 "Fighting Falcons" piloted by Lieutenant (junior grade) Terence M. Murphy and his RIO, Ensign Ronald Fegan, shot down a Chinese MiG-17 "Fresco". The Phantom was then shot down, probably by an AIM-7 Sparrow from one of its wingmen.[21] There continues to be controversy over whether the Phantom was shot down by MiG guns or, as enemy reports later indicated, an AIM-7 Sparrow III from one of Murphy's and Fegan's wingmen.[91] On 17 June 1965, an F-4B from VF-21 "Freelancers" piloted by Commander Louis Page and Lieutenant John C. Smith shot down the first North Vietnamese MiG of the war.[92][93]

On 10 May 1972, Lieutenant Randy "Duke" Cunningham and Lieutenant (junior grade) William P. Driscoll flying an F-4J, call sign "Showtime 100", shot down three MiG-17s to become the first American flying aces of the war. Their fifth victory was believed at the time to be over a mysterious North Vietnamese ace, Colonel Nguyen Toon, now considered mythical. On the return flight, the Phantom was damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile. To avoid being captured, Cunningham and Driscoll flew their burning aircraft using only the rudder and afterburner (the damage to the aircraft rendered conventional control nearly impossible), until they could eject over water.[9]

 
The Blue Angels flew the F-4J, 1969–1974

During the war, U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom squadrons participated in 84 combat tours with F-4Bs, F-4Js, and F-4Ns. The Navy claimed 40 air-to-air victories at a cost of 73 Phantoms lost in combat (seven to enemy aircraft, 13 to SAMs, and 53 to AAA). An additional 54 Phantoms were lost in mishaps.[94]

In 1984, all Navy F-4Ns were retired from Fleet service in deployable USN squadrons and by 1987 the last F-4Ss were retired from deployable USN squadrons. On 25 March 1986, an F-4S belonging to the VF-151 "Vigilantes," became the last active duty U.S. Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier, in this case, Midway. On 18 October 1986, an F-4S from the VF-202 "Superheats", a Naval Reserve fighter squadron, made the last-ever Phantom carrier landing while operating aboard America. In 1987, the last of the Naval Reserve-operated F-4S aircraft were replaced by F-14As. The last Phantoms in service with the Navy were QF-4N and QF-4S target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Center at NAS Point Mugu, California.[21] These airframes were subsequently retired in 2004.[95]

United States Marine Corps

 
A U.S. Marine F-4B with VMFA-314, flies over South Vietnam in September 1968

The Marine Corps received its first F-4Bs in June 1962, with the "Black Knights" of VMFA-314 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California becoming the first operational squadron. Marine Phantoms from VMFA-531 "Grey Ghosts" were assigned to Da Nang airbase on South Vietnam's northeast coast on 10 May 1965 and were initially assigned to provide air defense for the USMC. They soon began close air support missions (CAS) and VMFA-314 'Black Knights', VMFA-232 'Red Devils, VMFA-323 'Death Rattlers', and VMFA-542 'Bengals' soon arrived at the primitive airfield.[96] Marine F-4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs (two while on exchange duty with the USAF) at the cost of 75 aircraft lost in combat, mostly to ground fire, and four in accidents.

The VMCJ-1 Golden Hawks (later VMAQ-1 and VMAQ-4 which had the old RM tailcode) flew the first photo recon mission with an RF-4B variant on 3 November 1966 from Da Nang AB, South Vietnam and remained there until 1970 with no RF-4B losses and only one aircraft damaged by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire.[97] VMCJ-2 and VMCJ-3 (now VMAQ-3) provided aircraft for VMCJ-1 in Da Nang and VMFP-3 was formed in 1975 at MCAS El Toro, CA consolidating all USMC RF-4Bs in one unit that became known as "The Eyes of the Corps." VMFP-3 disestablished in August 1990 after the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System was introduced for the F/A-18D Hornet.[24]

The F-4 continued to equip fighter-attack squadrons in both active and reserve Marine Corps units throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and into the early 1990s. In the early 1980s, these squadrons began to transition to the F/A-18 Hornet, starting with the same squadron that introduced the F-4 to the Marine Corps, VMFA-314 at MCAS El Toro, California. On 18 January 1992, the last Marine Corps Phantom, an F-4S in the Marine Corps Reserve, was retired by the "Cowboys" of VMFA-112 at NAS Dallas, Texas, after which the squadron was re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets.[98]

Aerial combat in the Vietnam War

The USAF and the US Navy had high expectations of the F-4 Phantom, assuming that the massive firepower, the best available on-board radar, the highest speed and acceleration properties, coupled with new tactics, would provide Phantoms with an advantage over the MiGs. However, in confrontations with the lighter MiG-21, F-4s did not always succeed and began to suffer losses.[99] Over the course of the air war in Vietnam, between 3 April 1965 and 8 January 1973, each side would ultimately claim favorable kill ratios.[100]

During the war, U.S. Navy F-4 Phantoms claimed 40 air-to-air victories at a loss of seven Phantoms to enemy aircraft.[94] USMC F-4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs at the cost of one aircraft in air-combat. USAF F-4 Phantom crews scored 107+1⁄2 MiG kills (including 33+1⁄2 MiG-17s, eight MiG-19s and 66 MiG-21s) at a cost of 33 Phantoms in air-combat.[72] F-4 pilots were credited with a total of 150+1⁄2 MiG kills at a cost of 42 Phantoms in air-combat.

According to the VPAF, 103 F-4 Phantoms were shot down by MiG-21s at a cost of 54 MiG-21s downed by F-4s.[101] During the war, the VPAF lost 131 MiGs in air combat (63 MiG-17s, eight MiG-19s and 60 MiG-21s) of which one half were by F-4s.[102]

From 1966 to November 1968, in 46 air battles conducted over North Vietnam between F-4s and MiG-21s, VPAF claimed 27 F-4s were shot down by MiG-21s at a cost of 20 MiG-21s[103] In 1970, one F-4 Phantom was shot down by a MiG-21.[104] The struggle culminated on 10 May 1972, with VPAF aircraft completing 64 sorties, resulting in 15 air battles. The VPAF claimed seven F-4s were shot down, while U.S. confirmed five F-4s were lost.[104] The Phantoms, in turn, managed to destroy two MiG-21s, three MiG-17s, and one MiG-19.[103] On 11 May, two MiG-21s, which played the role of "bait", brought the four F-4s to two MiG-21s circling at low altitude. The MiGs quickly engaged and shot down two F-4s. On 18 May, Vietnamese aircraft made 26 sorties in eight air engagements, which cost 4 F-4 Phantoms; Vietnamese fighters on that day did not suffer losses.[103]

Non-U.S. users

Main article: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II non-U.S. operators

The Phantom has served with the air forces of many countries, including Australia, Egypt, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, Spain, South Korea and Turkey.

Australia

Main article: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II in Australian service

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) leased 24 USAF F-4Es from 1970 to 1973 while waiting for their order for the General Dynamics F-111C to be delivered. They were so well-liked that the RAAF considered retaining the aircraft after the F-111Cs were delivered.[105] They were operated from RAAF Amberley by No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron.[106]

Egypt

In 1979, the Egyptian Air Force purchased 35 former USAF F-4Es along with a number of Sparrow, Sidewinder, and Maverick missiles from the U.S. for $594 million as part of the "Peace Pharaoh" program.[107] An additional seven surplus USAF aircraft were purchased in 1988.[108] Three attrition replacements had been received by the end of the 1990s.[105]

Egyptian F-4Es were retired in 2020, with their former base at Cairo West Air Base being reconfigured for the operation of F-16C/D Fighting Falcons.[109]

Germany

 
F-4Fs of the German Air Force, 21 January 1998

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) initially ordered the reconnaissance RF-4E in 1969, receiving a total of 88 aircraft from January 1971.[110] In 1973, under the "Peace Rhine" program, the Luftwaffe purchased 175 units of the F-4F. The “F” variant was a more agile version of the “E”, due to its lower weight and slatted wings. However this was achieved at the expense of reduced fuel capacity, and the elimination of AIM-7 Sparrow capability. These purchases made Germany the largest export customer for the Phantom.[111]

In 1975, Germany also received 10 F-4Es for training in the U.S. In the late 1990s, these were withdrawn from service after being replaced by F-4Fs.[112] In 1982, the initially unarmed RF-4Es were given a secondary ground attack capability; these aircraft were retired in 1994.[113] The F-4F was upgraded in the mid-1980s.[114] Germany also initiated the Improved Combat Efficiency (ICE) program in 1983. The 110 ICE-upgraded F-4Fs entered service in 1992,[114] and were expected to remain in service until 2012.[115] All the remaining Luftwaffe Phantoms were based at Wittmund with Jagdgeschwader 71 (fighter wing 71) in Northern Germany[116] and WTD61 at Manching. A total of 24 German F-4F Phantom IIs were operated by the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing of the USAF at Holloman AFB to train Luftwaffe crews until December 2004. Phantoms were deployed to NATO states under the Baltic Air Policing starting in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. The German Air Force retired its last F-4Fs on 29 June 2013. German F-4Fs flew 279,000 hours from entering service on 31 August 1973 until retirement.[117][118]

Greece

In 1971, the Hellenic Air Force ordered brand new F-4E Phantoms, with deliveries starting in 1974. In the early 1990s, the Hellenic AF acquired surplus RF-4Es and F-4Es from the Luftwaffe and U.S. ANG.[119][120]

Following the success of the German ICE program, on 11 August 1997, a contract was signed between DASA of Germany and Hellenic Aerospace Industry for the upgrade of 39 aircraft to the very similar "Peace Icarus 2000" standard.[21] The Hellenic AF operated 34 upgraded F-4E-PI2000 (338 and 339 Squadrons) and 12 RF-4E aircraft (348 Squadron) as of September 2013.

On 5 May 2017, the Hellenic Air Force officially retired the RF-4E Phantom II during a public ceremony.[121]

Iran

 
Iranian F-4E Phantom refueling through a boom during Iran-Iraq war, 1982

In the 1960s and 1970s when the U.S. and Iran were on friendly terms, the U.S. delivered 225 F-4D, F-4E, and RF-4E Phantoms to Iran, making it the second largest export customer.[122] The Imperial Iranian Air Force saw at least one engagement, resulting in a loss, after an RF-4C was rammed[123] by a Soviet MiG-21 during Project Dark Gene, an ELINT operation during the Cold War.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Phantoms saw heavy action in the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s and were kept operational by overhaul and servicing from Iran's aerospace industry.[124] Notable operations of Iranian F-4s during the war included Operation Scorch Sword, an attack by two F-4s against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor site near Baghdad on 30 September 1980,[125] and the attack on H3, a 4 April 1981 strike by eight Iranian F-4s against the H-3 complex of air bases in the far west of Iraq, which resulted in many Iraqi aircraft being destroyed or damaged for no Iranian losses.[126]

On 5 June 1984, two Saudi Arabian fighter pilots shot down two Iranian F-4 fighters. The Royal Saudi Air Force pilots were flying American-built F-15s and fired air-to-air missiles to bring down the Iranian planes. The Saudi fighter pilots had Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker planes and Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance planes assist in the encounter. The aerial fight occurred in Saudi airspace over the Persian Gulf near the Saudi island Al Arabiyah, about 60 miles northeast of Jubail.[127]

Iranian F-4s were in use as of late 2014;[128] the aircraft reportedly conducted air strikes on ISIS targets in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala.[129]

Israel

 
Israeli Air Force F-4Es taking off during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973

The Israeli Air Force acquired between 212 and 222[130] newly built and ex-USAF aircraft, and modified several as one-off special reconnaissance variants. The first F-4Es, nicknamed "Kurnass" (Sledgehammer), and RF-4Es, nicknamed "Orev" (Raven), were delivered in 1969 under the "Peace Echo I" program. Additional Phantoms arrived during the 1970s under "Peace Echo II" through "Peace Echo V" and "Nickel Grass" programs. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat during Arab–Israeli conflicts, first seeing action during the War of Attrition.[131] In the 1980s, Israel began the "Kurnass 2000" modernization program which significantly updated avionics.[21] The last Israeli F-4s were retired in 2004.[132]

Japan

From 1968, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) purchased a total of 140 F-4EJ Phantoms without aerial refueling, AGM-12 Bullpup missile system, nuclear control system or ground attack capabilities.[133][134] Mitsubishi built 138 under license in Japan and 14 unarmed reconnaissance RF-4Es were imported. One of the aircraft (17-8440) was the last of the 5,195 F-4 Phantoms to be produced. It was manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on 21 May 1981. "The Final Phantom" served with 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron and later transferred to the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron.[135]

 
JASDF F-4EJ Kais (57-8354 and 87-8407) of 8 Hikōtai in gray air superiority paint scheme, 2002

Of these, 96 F-4EJs were modified to the F-4EJ Kai (改, modified) standard.[136] 15 F-4EJ and F-4EJ Kai were converted to reconnaissance aircraft designated RF-4EJ. Japan had a fleet of 90 F-4s in service in 2007. After studying several replacement fighters[137][138] the F-35A Lightning II was chosen in 2011.[139] The 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first JASDF F-35 Squadron at Misawa Air Base when it converted from the F-4EJ Kai on 29 March 2019.[140] The JASDF's sole aerial reconnaissance unit, the 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, retired their RF-4Es and RF-4EJs on 9 March 2020, and the unit itself dissolved on 26 March.[141]

The 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron then became the sole user of the F-4EJ in the Air Defense Command, with their retirement originally scheduled in 2021 along with the unit's transition to the F-35A.[142] However, on 20 November 2020, the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron announced the earlier retirement of their remaining F-4EJs, concluding the Phantom's long-running career in the JASDF Air Defense Command.[143] Although retirement was announced, the 301st TFS continued operations up until 10 December 2020, with the squadron's Phantoms being decommissioned on 14 December.[144] Two F-4EJs and a F-4EJ Kai continued to be operated by the Air Development and Test Wing in Gifu Prefecture until their retirement on 17 March 2021, marking an end of Phantom operations in Japan.[145]

South Korea

The Republic of Korea Air Force purchased its first batch of secondhand USAF F-4D Phantoms in 1968 under the "Peace Spectator" program. The F-4Ds continued to be delivered until 1988. The "Peace Pheasant II" program also provided new-built and former USAF F-4Es.[146]

Spain

The Spanish Air Force acquired its first batch of ex-USAF F-4C Phantoms in 1971 under the "Peace Alfa" program. Designated C.12, the aircraft were retired in 1989. At the same time, the air arm received a number of ex-USAF RF-4Cs, designated CR.12. In 1995–1996, these aircraft received extensive avionics upgrades. Spain retired its RF-4s in 2002.[147][148]

Turkey

 
A Turkish Air Force F-4E Phantom II aircraft armed with Popeye missiles takes off from Third Air Force Base Konya, Turkey, during Exercise Anatolian Eagle.

The Turkish Air Force (TAF) received 40 F-4Es in 1974, with a further 32 F-4Es and 8 RF-4Es in 1977–78 under the "Peace Diamond III" program, followed by 40 ex-USAF aircraft in "Peace Diamond IV" in 1987, and a further 40 ex-U.S. Air National Guard Aircraft in 1991.[149] A further 32 RF-4Es were transferred to Turkey after being retired by the Luftwaffe between 1992 and 1994.[149] In 1995, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) implemented an upgrade similar to Kurnass 2000 on 54 Turkish F-4Es which were dubbed the F-4E 2020 Terminator.[21] Turkish F-4s, and more modern F-16s have been used to strike Kurdish PKK bases in ongoing military operations in Northern Iraq.[150] On 22 June 2012, a Turkish RF-4E was shot down by Syrian air defenses while flying a reconnaissance flight near the Turkish-Syrian border.[151][152] Turkey has stated the reconnaissance aircraft was in international airspace when it was shot down, while Syrian authorities stated it was inside Syrian airspace.[153] Turkish F-4s remained in use as of 2020,[128][154] and it plans to fly them at least until 2030.[155]

On 24 February 2015, two RF-4Es crashed in the Malatya region in the southeast of Turkey, under yet unknown circumstances, killing both crew of two each.[156][157][158] On 5 March 2015, an F-4E-2020 crashed in central Anatolia killing both crew.[159][160] After the recent accidents, the TAF withdrew RF-4Es from active service. Turkey was reported to have used F-4 jets to attack PKK separatists and the ISIS capital on 19 September 2015.[161] The Turkish Air Force has reportedly used the F-4E 2020s against the more recent Third Phase of the PKK conflict on heavy bombardment missions into Iraq on 15 November 2015, 12 January 2016, and 12 March 2016.[162][163]

United Kingdom

Main article: McDonnell Douglas Phantom in UK service
 
An F-4J of the U.S. Navy (foreground), alongside an F-4K of the Fleet Air Arm (background) wait to be catapulted from USS Independence, March 1975; one of the major differences can be seen by the higher degree of the British aircraft's extendable nose wheel. Both variants were eventually used by the RAF

The United Kingdom bought versions based on the U.S. Navy's F-4J for use with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The UK was the only country outside the United States to operate the Phantom at sea, with them operating from HMS Ark Royal. The main differences were the use of the British Rolls-Royce Spey engines and of British-made avionics. The RN and RAF versions were given the designation F-4K and F-4M respectively, and entered service with the British military aircraft designations Phantom FG.1 (fighter/ground attack) and Phantom FGR.2 (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance).[164][165]

Initially, the FGR.2 was used in the ground attack and reconnaissance role, primarily with RAF Germany, while 43 Squadron was formed in the air defense role using the FG.1s that had been intended for the Fleet Air Arm for use aboard HMS Eagle. The superiority of the Phantom over the English Electric Lightning in terms of both range and weapons system capability, combined with the successful introduction of the SEPECAT Jaguar, meant that, during the mid-1970s, most of the ground attack Phantoms in Germany were redeployed to the UK to replace air defense Lightning squadrons.[166] A second RAF squadron, 111 Squadron, was formed on the FG.1 in 1979 after the disbandment of 892 NAS.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, three Phantom FGR2s of No. 29 Squadron were on active Quick Reaction Alert duty on Ascension Island to protect the base from air attack.[167] After the Falklands War, 15 upgraded ex-USN F-4Js, known as the F-4J(UK) entered RAF service to compensate for one interceptor squadron redeployed to the Falklands.[114]

Around 15 RAF squadrons received various marks of Phantom, many of them based in Germany. The first to be equipped was No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Coningsby in August 1968. One noteworthy operator was No. 43 Squadron where Phantom FG1s remained the squadron equipment for 20 years, arriving in September 1969 and departing in July 1989. During this period the squadron was based at Leuchars.[168]

The interceptor Phantoms were replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3 from the late 1980s onwards, and the last combat British Phantoms were retired in October 1992 when No. 74(F) Squadron was disbanded.[21][168] Phantom FG.1 XT597 was the last British Phantom to be retired on 28 January 1994, it was used as a test jet by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment for its whole service life.[169][170]

Civilian use

Sandia National Laboratories expended an F-4 mounted on a "rocket sled" in a crash test to record the results of an aircraft impacting a reinforced concrete structure, such as a nuclear power plant.[171]

 
The Collings Foundation F-4D Phantom II, with Vietnam-era "Ritchie/DeBellevue" markings, taxis at Selfridge ANGB, May 2005

One aircraft, an F-4D (civilian registration NX749CF), is operated by the Massachusetts-based non-profit organization Collings Foundation as a "living history" exhibit.[21][172] Funds to maintain and operate the aircraft, which is based in Houston, Texas, are raised through donations/sponsorships from public and commercial parties.[173][174]

After finding the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter inadequate, NASA used the F-4 to photograph and film Titan II missiles after launch from Cape Canaveral during the 1960s. Retired U.S. Air Force colonel Jack Petry described how he put his F-4 into a Mach 1.2 dive synchronized to the launch countdown, then "walked the (rocket's) contrail". Petry's Phantom stayed with the Titan for 90 seconds, reaching 68,000 feet, then broke away as the missile continued into space.[19]

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center acquired an F-4A on 3 December 1965. It made 55 flights in support of short programs, chase on X-15 missions and lifting body flights. The F-4 also supported a biomedical monitoring program involving 1,000 flights by NASA Flight Research Center aerospace research pilots and students of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School flying high-performance aircraft. The pilots were instrumented to record accurate and reliable data of electrocardiogram, respiration rate, and normal acceleration. In 1967, the Phantom supported a brief military-inspired program to determine whether an airplane's sonic boom could be directed and whether it could be used as a weapon of sorts, or at least an annoyance. NASA also flew an F-4C in a spanwise blowing study from 1983 to 1985, after which it was returned.[175]

Variants

Main article: List of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II variants
 
QF-4E AF Serial No. 74-1626 at McGuire AFB in May 2007 with an A-10 in the background
F-4A, B, J, N and S
Variants for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. F-4B was upgraded to F-4N, and F-4J was upgraded to F-4S.
F-110 (original USAF designation for F-4C), F-4C, D and E
Variants for the U.S. Air Force. F-4E introduced an internal M61 Vulcan cannon. The F-4D and E were the most numerously produced, widely exported, and also extensively used under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) U.S. air defense system.
F-4G Wild Weasel V
A dedicated SEAD variant for the U.S. Air Force with updated radar and avionics, converted from F-4E. The designation F-4G was applied earlier to an entirely different U.S. Navy Phantom.
F-4K and M
Variants for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, respectively, re-engined with Rolls-Royce Spey turbofan engines.
F-4EJ and RF-4EJ
Simplified F-4E exported to and license-built in Japan. Some modified for reconnaissance role, carrying photographic and/or electronic reconnaissance pods and designated RF-4EJ.
F-4F
Simplified F-4E exported to Germany.
QRF-4C, QF-4B, E, G, N and S
Retired aircraft converted into remote-controlled target drones used for weapons and defensive systems research by USAF and USN / USMC.
RF-4B, C, and E
Tactical reconnaissance variants.

Operators

 
Hellenic Air Force RF-4E Phantom II in a special color scheme, lands at RIAT 2008, UK
 
Spanish Air Force RF-4C Phantom II, 15 June 1993
 
Egyptian Air Force F-4E Phantom IIs of the 222nd Tactical Fighter Brigade in formation with a U.S. Air Force 347th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4E Phantom II during exercise Proud Phantom
 
A RAAF F-4E Phantom II at RAAF Base Pearce in 1971

Operators

  Greece
  Iran
  South Korea
  Turkey

Former operators

  Australia
  Egypt
  Germany
  Greece
  Iran
  Israel
  Japan
  South Korea
  Spain
  Turkey
  United Kingdom
  United States

Culture

Nicknames

 
An F-4F on display described as the "World's largest distributor of MiG parts", because of the high number of this type of enemy aircraft shot down

The Phantom gathered a number of nicknames during its career. Some of these names included "Snoopy", "Rhino", "Double Ugly",[198] "Old Smokey",[65] the "Flying Anvil", "Flying Footlocker", "Flying Brick", "Lead Sled", the "Big Iron Sled", and the "St. Louis Slugger".[199] In recognition of its record of downing large numbers of Soviet-built MiGs,[200] it was called the "World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts".[198] As a reflection of excellent performance in spite of its bulk, the F-4 was dubbed "the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics."[201] German Luftwaffe crews called their F-4s the Eisenschwein ("Iron Pig"), Fliegender Ziegelstein ("Flying Brick") and Luftverteidigungsdiesel ("Air Defense Diesel").[202] In the RAF it was most commonly referred to as “The Toom” (not tomb).[203]

Reputation

Imitating the spelling of the aircraft's name, McDonnell issued a series of patches. Pilots became "Phantom Phlyers", backseaters became "Phantom Pherrets", fans of the F-4 "Phantom Phanatics", and call it the "Phabulous Phantom". Ground crewmen who worked on the aircraft are known as "Phantom Phixers".[4]

Several active websites are devoted to sharing information on the F-4, and the aircraft is grudgingly admired as brutally effective by those who have flown it. Colonel (Ret.) Chuck DeBellevue reminisced, "The F-4 Phantom was the last plane that looked like it was made to kill somebody. It was a beast. It could go through a flock of birds and kick out barbeque from the back."[204] It had "A reputation of being a clumsy bruiser reliant on brute engine power and obsolete weapons technology."[205]

The Spook

 
The Spook

The aircraft's emblem is a whimsical cartoon ghost called "The Spook", which was created by McDonnell Douglas technical artist, Anthony "Tony" Wong, for shoulder patches. The name "Spook" was coined by the crews of either the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing or the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing at MacDill AFB. The figure is ubiquitous, appearing on many items associated with the F-4. The Spook has followed the Phantom around the world adopting local fashions; for example, the British adaptation of the U.S. "Phantom Man"[198] is a Spook that sometimes wears a bowler hat and smokes a pipe.[206]

Aircraft on display

Main article: McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs on display

As a result of its extensive number of operators and large number of aircraft produced, there are many F-4 Phantom II of numerous variants on display worldwide.

Notable accidents

See also: List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft

Specifications (F-4E)

 
3-side view of the F-4E/F
 
Structural view of partially disassembled German F-4 Phantoms.
 
VF-96 F-4J "Showtime 100" armed with Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles, 9 February 1972
 
A ROKAF F-4D Phantom II armed with AIM-9 missiles at Daegu Air Base in January 1979

Data from The Great Book of Fighters[114] Quest for Performance,[20] Encyclopedia of USAF Aircraft,[62] and McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies[209]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
  • Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.7 m)
  • Width: 27 ft 7 in (8.4[210] m) wing folded
  • Height: 16 ft 5 in (5 m)
  • Wing area: 530 sq ft (49.2 m2)
  • Aspect ratio: 2.77
  • Airfoil: NACA 0006.4–64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip
  • Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
  • Gross weight: 41,500 lb (18,824 kg)
  • Max takeoff weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
  • Maximum landing weight: 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)
  • Fuel capacity: 1,994 US gal (1,660 imp gal; 7,550 l) internal, 3,335 US gal (2,777 imp gal; 12,620 l) with 2x 370 US gal (310 imp gal; 1,400 l) external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal (500 or 510 imp gal; 2,300 or 2,300 l) tank for the center-line station.
  • Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A after-burning turbojet engines, 11,905 lbf (52.96 kN) thrust each dry, 17,845 lbf (79.38 kN) with afterburner

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 1,280 kn (1,470 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
  • Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
  • Cruise speed: 510 kn (580 mph, 940 km/h)
  • Combat range: 370 nmi (420 mi, 680 km)
  • Ferry range: 1,457 nmi (1,677 mi, 2,699 km)
  • Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
  • Rate of climb: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)
  • Lift-to-drag: 8.58
  • Wing loading: 78 lb/sq ft (380 kg/m2)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.86 at loaded weight, 0.58 at MTOW
  • Takeoff roll: 4,490 ft (1,370 m) at 53,814 lb (24,410 kg)
  • Landing roll: 3,680 ft (1,120 m) at 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ The aircraft was originally designated the AH, and later re-designated F4H, by the United States Navy, while the U.S. Air Force's original designation was "F-110A Spectre". The F-4 designation came about in 1962 when the designation systems for all branches of the U.S. military were unified by the order of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Within McDonnell Aircraft, the F-4 was referred to as Model 98.[2]

Citations

  1. ^ Devine, Jacqueline. "USAF bids farewell to F-4 Phantom". Military 1. from the original on 7 February 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 301.
  3. ^ "Boeing: Historical Snapshot: F-4 Phantom II Fighter". boeing.com. from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f . Boeing. Retrieved : 27 November 2012.
  5. ^ , Phabulous 40th, Boeing, archived from the original on 13 December 2009, retrieved 19 November 2007.
  6. ^ a b , Phabulous 40th, Boeing, archived from the original on 29 June 2011, retrieved 27 November 2012.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h , Phabulous 40th, Boeing, archived from the original on 6 July 2009, retrieved 14 December 2007.
  8. ^ a b c Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 200–201.
  9. ^ a b Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 188–189.
  10. ^ Donald Spring 1991, p. 26.
  11. ^ Donald Summer 1991, p. 22.
  12. ^ a b Lake 1992, p. 190.
  13. ^ Lake 1992, p. 203.
  14. ^ Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 13.
  15. ^ Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 11.
  16. ^ Dorr 2008, p. 61.
  17. ^ "Phabulous 40th: Phantom Development." 7 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine 1978 Commemorative Book. Boeing. Retrieved: 14 February 2008.
  18. ^ Lake 1992, p. 15.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Joiner, Stephen (March 2015). "What Couldn't the F-4 Phantom Do?". Air & Space. from the original on 6 June 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2020.
  20. ^ a b c Loftin, Laurence K. Quest for Performance: The Evolution of Modern Aircraft SP-468. 13 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Washington, DC: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, History Office, Scientific and Technical Information Branch, 1985. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  21. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Donald and Lake 2002, pp. 6, 8.
  22. ^ Angelucci 1987, p. 316.
  23. ^ Lake 1992, p. 21.
  24. ^ a b c Eden 2004, p. 278.
  25. ^ Knaack 1978, p. 266.
  26. ^ Gunston 1979, p.246.
  27. ^ "AWG-10 Radar, Antenna Control, Type C-8778/APG-59". from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  28. ^ "McDonnell F-4J Phantom II". from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2014.
  29. ^ . Archived from the original on 3 May 2012.
  30. ^ Gunston 1981, p. 233.
  31. ^ Dorr 1987, p. 39.
  32. ^ Photos: McDonnell Douglas (Mitsubishi) F-4EJ Kai Phantom II Aircraft Pictures 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Airliners.net. Retrieved on 28 July 2013.
  33. ^ "Directory: World Air Forces". 11 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Flight International, 11–17 November 2008, pp. 52–76.
  34. ^ "Final flight farewells Phantom". from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  35. ^ "This day in aviation: 6 December 1959" 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bryan R. Swopes. Retrieved: 25 April 2014.
  36. ^ Lake 1992, pp. 16, 17.
  37. ^ “Naval Aviation News”, July 1961, p. 6
  38. ^ Stein, Alan J. "Seattle native Dick Gordon orbits the moon on 18 November 1969." 30 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine HistoryLink.org, 13 June 1999. Retrieved: 13 February 2008.
  39. ^ Grossnick, Roy A. "Part 9 – The Sixth Decade 1960–1969." 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine history.navy.mil. Retrieved: 21 July 2010.
  40. ^ "United States Naval Aviation 1910–1995." 12 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Naval Historical Center, 1997. Retrieved: 21 July 2010.
  41. ^ National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved: 22 August 2011.
  42. ^ McComb, Enterprise Journal, USM.
  43. ^ "22 November 1961". This Day in Aviation. 22 November 2016. from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  44. ^ "22 November 1961". 22 November 2021. from the original on 15 March 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2017.
  45. ^ Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 15.
  46. ^ "Naval Aviation News", April 1962, p. 12
  47. ^ "Naval Aviation News", June 1962, p. 12
  48. ^ "USN Photo 1143454". from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  49. ^ "US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos--Third Series (145062 to 150138)". www.joebaugher.com. from the original on 17 June 2010. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  50. ^ “Naval Aviation News”, April 1962, p. 12
  51. ^ ”Naval Aviation News”, June 1962, p. 12
  52. ^ "Phabulous 40th: Current Uses of Titanium: F-4." 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing, 1971. "F-4B/C 1,006 lb. 7.7% of Structure, F-J/E 1,261 lb. 8.5% of Structure". Retrieved: 14 February 2008.
  53. ^ Donald and Lake 1996, p. 268.
  54. ^ Dorr and Donald 1990, p. 198.
  55. ^ McDonnell Douglas F-4D "Phantom II". 23 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the USAF. Retrieved: 20 January 2008.
  56. ^ Angelucci 1987, p. 310.
  57. ^ Donald, David. Warplanes of the Fleet. London: AIRtime Publishing Inc., 2004. ISBN 1-880588-81-1.
  58. ^ Goebel, Greg. "Phantom Over Southeast Asia." 23 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Vectorsite.net. Retrieved: 18 January 2008.
  59. ^ a b Higham and Williams 1978.
  60. ^ "McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom" 27 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine MAPS Air Museum at Akron-Canton Airport. Retrieved: 28 March 2010.
  61. ^ Richardson and Spick 1984, p. 25.
  62. ^ a b c Knaack 1978
  63. ^ "Fact sheet discussing the F-110." 20 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Retrieved: 26 May 2008.
  64. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, p. 37.
  65. ^ a b Wetterhahn, Ralph (January 2009). "Where Have All the Phantoms Gone?". Air & Space. from the original on 17 June 2013. Retrieved 9 September 2013.
  66. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, p. 38.
  67. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 48–49.
  68. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, p. 232.
  69. ^ Knaack 1974, p. 274.
  70. ^ Swanborough and Bowers 1976, p. 188.
  71. ^ Baugher, Joe. "Phantom Service with USAF." 4 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Joe Baugher's Home Page. Retrieved: 27 February 2010.
  72. ^ a b c d e Correll, John T. Air Force Magazine, September 2004. (with attribution to USAF Operations Report, 30 November 1973). Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  73. ^ Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 222.
  74. ^ Hobson 2001, pp. 268–270.
  75. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, pp. 198–199.
  76. ^ Kirk, R., & Lihani, R. (Producers). (8 February 29). Dogfights "Supersonic" [Transcript, Television series episode]. In Dogfights. Houston, Texas: The History Channel.
  77. ^ Handley, Phil. FU Hero 17 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine. fighterpilotuniversity.com. Retrieved
  78. ^ "Phabulous 40th: Last to Serve." 13 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  79. ^ Bosco, Albert (23 October 2002). "Team Target' keeps Air Force on mark" (Press release). Tyndall Air Force Base: U.S. Air Force. from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
  80. ^ Carrara 2006, p. 48.
  81. ^ Melampy 2011, pp. 38–39.
  82. ^ PICTURE: US Air Force gets final QF-4 aerial target 14 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine – Flightglobal.com, 5 December 2013
  83. ^ Echols, SrA Alex (28 May 2015). . 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs. Archived from the original on 1 July 2015. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  84. ^ Phenol unmanned Phantom Mission 31 August 2016 20 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine combataircraft.net Retrieved 20 November 2016
  85. ^ [1] 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine' Retrieved 23 December 2016
  86. ^ USAF QF-4s set for 2017 out of service date 24 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine – Flightglobal.com, 9 November 2015
  87. ^ a b Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 260.
  88. ^ Lake 1992, p. 199.
  89. ^ Lake 1992, p. 200.
  90. ^ Dorr 1995, p. 196.
  91. ^ Burgess 1985, p. 388.
  92. ^ Dorr and Bishop 1996, p. 44.
  93. ^ "Navy MiG Killers" 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, phantomphlyers.org
  94. ^ a b Grossnick 1997.
  95. ^ Hunter, Jamie and Collens, Richard. "In Relentless Pursuit of Excellence:VX-30 Bloodhounds" 26 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine (PDF). Naval Aviation News, September–October 2004, pp. 26–29. Retrieved: 10 November 2015.
  96. ^ Eden 2004, p. 276.
  97. ^ Eden 2004, p. 277.
  98. ^ Crowther, M.J. and Rusty Baker. "The History of VMFA-112." 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112, U.S. Marine Corps. Retrieved: 13 February 2008.
  99. ^ . Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  100. ^ Anderton 1987, pp. 70–71.
  101. ^ "Nga nói gì về cuộc đấu MiG-21 và F-4 ở Việt Nam(2)". Kienthuc.net.vn. 27 December 2013. from the original on 21 October 2014. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  102. ^ Migs over North Vietnam: The Vietnam People's Air Force in Combat, 1965–75, Stackpole Military History
  103. ^ a b c . Archived from the original on 29 November 2014.
  104. ^ a b "Vietnamese Air-to-Air Victories, Part 2". from the original on 4 March 2013. Retrieved 14 November 2014.
  105. ^ a b Lake 1992, p. 209.
  106. ^ "RAAF Aircraft Series 3 A69 Phantom". 21 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine RAAF Museum Point Cook. Retrieved: 14 November 2008.
  107. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 59.
  108. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 60.
  109. ^ a b "Phantom wing finally re-equipped with F-16s". Arabian Aerospace. 23 July 2020. from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  110. ^ Lake 1992, p. 210.
  111. ^ Lake 1992 p. 210.
  112. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 81.
  113. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 80.
  114. ^ a b c d Green and Swanborough 2001.
  115. ^ List 2006, p. 51.
  116. ^ Jan de Ridder, Dirk. "German Phantoms still going strong." AirForces Monthly magazine, June 2008 issue, p. 40.
  117. ^ "German air force to bid 'Pharewell' to last F-4Fs" 30 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Flightglobal.com, 26 June 2013.
  118. ^ "Auf Wiedersehn, Phantom!" 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine Aviation Week blog, 1 July 2013.
  119. ^ Dimitropoulos, K. F-4 Phantom (in Greek). Athens: Constantinidis Publications, 1997. ISBN 960-8426-01-4.
  120. ^ Manakanatas, D. and D. Stergiou. Phantom F-4 (in Greek). Athens, Epikoinonies S.A., 2002.
  121. ^ a b Bozinovski, Igor (8 May 2017). "Hellenic Air Force retires recce squadron, RF-4Es". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 9 May 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2017.
  122. ^ Lake 1992 p. 213
  123. ^ "Gennadii N. Eliseev Medal record and citation". from the original on 16 September 2011. Retrieved 10 February 2011.
  124. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 64.
  125. ^ Cooper and Bishop Air Enthusiast March/April 2004, pp. 5–6.
  126. ^ Cooper and Bishop Air Enthusiast March/April 2004, pp. 7–8.
  127. ^ Times, Richard Halloran and Special To the New York (6 June 1984). "2 Iranian Fighters Reported Downed by Saudi Air Force". The New York Times. from the original on 29 January 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  128. ^ a b "US official confirms Iran is bombing Islamic State". Times of Israel. from the original on 29 December 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  129. ^ "Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq – Pentagon". BBC News. from the original on 23 September 2018. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  130. ^ Lake 1992 p. 215
  131. ^ Nordeen 1991, p. 99.
  132. ^ "Directory: World Air Forces: Israel." 7 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight International, 16–22 November 2004. Retrieved: 14 February 2008.
  133. ^ Fricker 2000, p. 85.
  134. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. "McDonnell F-4EJ Phantom II." 16 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine F-4 history. Retrieved: 31 December 2009.
  135. ^ 17-8440 McDonnell Douglas F-4EJ Kai 28 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 28 September 2017
  136. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. "McDonnell F-4EJ Kai Phantom II." 27 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine F-4 history. Retrieved: 31 December 2009.
  137. ^ Grevatt, Jon. Jane's Defence Industry, 21 March 2007. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  138. ^ "Japan likely to choose F-35 for F-X requirement – reports." 8 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight International, 14 December 2011. Retrieved: 18 December 2011.
  139. ^ Kallender-Umezu, Paul Japan's Fighter Procurement Crunch 6 June 2015 22 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Defense News Retrieved 15 February 2017
  140. ^ Reim, Garrett (29 March 2019). "Japan's air force stood up its first operational F-35A fighter squadron, the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, on 29 March". Flight Global. from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  141. ^ @jasdf_hyakuri (25 March 2020). 航空総隊司令官は、#百里基地 において、#航空総隊 直轄部隊である #偵察航空隊 の廃止に伴う #隊旗返還式 を執行しました。偵空隊の総員が整列し見守る中、偵空隊司令から総隊司令官に隊旗が返還。偵空隊は3/26をもって廃止され、1961年の創設から59年の長きに亘る栄光の歴史に幕を閉じました。 (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
  142. ^ "Japanese RF-4E Phantoms Have Just Carried Out Their Last Flight" 10 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine. theaviationist.com, 9 March 2020. Quote: "However, the 301 Squadron, also based at Hyakuri, and equipped with the grey F-4EJ “Kai” jets with the squadron emblem, a frog, on the tail, will continue to operate the Phantom for some months..."
  143. ^ @jasdf_hyakuri (20 November 2020). 本日 #百里基地 は、#第３０１飛行隊 壮行行事を実施しました。48年間に及ぶ #F4 運用の終止符として、基地協力団体代表の方々、歴代飛行隊長、総隊司令官、統幕副長をはじめ多くの方々のご臨席を賜り３０１飛行隊の偉業をたたえるとともに新たな門出を祝いました。 (Tweet) (in Japanese) – via Twitter.
  144. ^ "The Phinal ending of 301 Hikotai Phantom operations". Scramble.nl. 11 December 2020. from the original on 11 December 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  145. ^ a b Cenciotti, David (17 March 2021). "Japan's Last Three F-4EJ Phantoms Have Just Flown For The Last Time". The Aviationist. from the original on 18 March 2021. Retrieved 17 March 2021.
  146. ^ Lake 1992, p. 218.
  147. ^ "McDonnell Douglas F-4C -Phantom II". (in Spanish) 27 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Ejército del Aire, Ministerio de Defensa, España. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  148. ^ Wierenga, Eddy. "Spanish Air Arms Other Air Forces, Ejército del Aire, FAMET, Armada." 30 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Scramble (magazine). Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  149. ^ a b Fricker 2000, p. 88.
  150. ^ "Turkey kills almost 100 terrorists in offensives led by top commanders." 23 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Today's Zaman, 23 October 2011.
  151. ^ "Syrian military says it downed Turkish fighter jet." 3 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC, 23 June 2012.
  152. ^ "Turkey to push NATO on jet downing by Syria." 27 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine CBC, 25 June 2012.
  153. ^ "Turkish jet downed by Syria in international airspace." 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
  154. ^ Iddon, Paul. "Where Can Turkey Buy Stopgap Fighter Jets For Its Aging Air Force?". Forbes. from the original on 16 May 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  155. ^ Tegle, Eric (28 November 2021). "Turkey's Request To Buy F-16s Reminds Us That F-4 Phantoms Aren't Ghosts Yet". Forbes. from the original on 21 June 2022. Retrieved 21 June 2022.
  156. ^ Harro Ranter. "ASN Aircraft accident 24-FEB-2015 McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II". aviation-safety.net. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  157. ^ "Two Turkish fighter jets crash, killing four". hurriyetdailynews.com. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  158. ^ "Four dead as two Turkish military jets crash: official". The Daily Star Newspaper – Lebanon. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  159. ^ "Turkish F-4 Phantom crashes, two dead". janes.com. from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  160. ^ "Turkish military aircraft crashes, two pilots dead". DailySabah. 5 March 2015. from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 7 April 2015.
  161. ^ "Turkey hits ISIS capital, targets amid war with PKK". Daily Sabah. 13 September 2015. from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  162. ^ "Turkish military destroys PKK targets in Northern Iraq". Daily Sabah. 13 January 2016. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  163. ^ "Turkish military hit 44 PKK targets in northern Iraq". from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2016.
  164. ^ Donald 1999, p. 11.
  165. ^ Donald 1999, p. 5.
  166. ^ a b c "History". McDonnell-Douglas/BAC F-4K/M Phantom II. Thunder and Lightnings. from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 2 April 2013.
  167. ^ Burden et al. 1986, pp. 417–419.
  168. ^ a b Jefford 2001.
  169. ^ "Not a Lot of People Know That..." Royal Air Force Museum. from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  170. ^ "XT897". British Phantom Aviation Group. from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  171. ^ Footage of 1988 rocket-sled test 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine, "Slow motion video." 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Sandia National Laboratories via sandia.gov. Retrieved: 2 March 2011.
  172. ^ "McDonnell Douglas Phantom II." 29 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  173. ^ "Collings Foundation Background." 25 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation. Retrieved 11 January 2008.
  174. ^ "Sponsors." 1 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation. Retrieved: 11 January 2008.
  175. ^ a b "NASA Dryden F-4 Graphics Collection." 1 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine NASA. Retrieved: 1 August 2009.
  176. ^ a b c d Taghvaee, Babak (April 2021). "Samurai Sunset". Air Forces Monthly. Key Publishing Ltd. pp. 48–49.
  177. ^ "Orbats: Iran – Air Force". Scramble.nl. from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  178. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom with Royal Australian Air Force". Joe Baugher. from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  179. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom with Luftwaffe". Joe Baugher. from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  180. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (30 March 2004). "Phantom with Iran". Joe Baugher. from the original on 14 June 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  181. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom with Israel". Joe Baugher. from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  182. ^ Hayles, John (3 March 2007). "Israel Air Force". Aeroflight. from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  183. ^ Petrinic, Emil (March 2015). "F-4X: The Fastest Phantom". HistoryNet. from the original on 19 May 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  184. ^ "Japan retires its last McDonnell Douglas RF-4E/EJ "Photo Phantoms" recon aircraft". Asia Pacific Defense Journal. 18 March 2020. from the original on 25 September 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  185. ^ Donald, David (2 July 2010). "McDonnell F-4D Phantom Bows Out of Service". AIN Online. from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  186. ^ "세계 최후의 RF-4C 정찰기, 한국서 은퇴 비행". NewDaily (in Korean). 28 February 2014. from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  187. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (8 May 2004). "Phantom with Spain". Joe Baugher. from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  188. ^ Ozbek, Tolga (11 March 2015). "Twin crash prompts Turkey to order RF-4E retirement". Flight Global. from the original on 10 April 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  189. ^ "Survivors". British Phantom Aviation Group. from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 13 July 2021.
  190. ^ "F-4A Image Gallery". NASA. 27 August 2013. from the original on 22 January 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  191. ^ a b Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom Service with USAF". Joe Baugher. from the original on 4 November 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  192. ^ a b Baugher, Joseph F. (30 April 2000). "Phantom with Air National Guard". Joe Baugher. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  193. ^ "Aircraft History". 152nd Airlift Wing. 2 June 2008. from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  194. ^ "82 Aerial Targets Squadron (ACC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. 26 December 2007. from the original on 20 October 2020. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  195. ^ a b Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom with US Marine Corps". Joe Baugher. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  196. ^ "McDonnell F-4N Phantom II BuNo 152291". Naval Air Museum Barbers Point. from the original on 19 April 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  197. ^ Baugher, Joseph F. (28 September 2015). "Phantom with US Navy". Joe Baugher. from the original on 23 October 2021. Retrieved 18 March 2021.
  198. ^ a b c "Phabulous 40th: Gee Whiz!" 15 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing. Retrieved: 20 January 2008.
  199. ^ "Basic Aircraft Wisdom and Aircraft Nicknames." 2 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Bluejacket.com. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
  200. ^ Thornborough and Davies, 1994. p. 202.
  201. ^ "More QF-4s – And A New Trick for Old Dogs?" 24 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Defense Industry Daily, 22 January 2008. Retrieved: 26 January 2008. Quote: "These large 2-seat multi-role fighters were a triumph of thrust over aerodynamics, and formed the mainstay of the USAF and U.S. Navy fleets for many years."
  202. ^ "Zwei Alarmrotten mit dem 'Luftverteidigungsdiesel'" (in German) 31 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Hamburger Abendblatt, 25 November 2004. Retrieved: 26 January 2008.
  203. ^ Aviation Classics, Issue 25, 3 October 2016, ISBN 978-1-909128-32-3
  204. ^ Leone, Dario (23 February 2017). "Saying Goodbye to Old Smokey: "The Phinal Phantom Phlight"". The Aviation Geek Club. from the original on 20 September 2021. Retrieved 14 September 2021.
  205. ^ Roblin, Sebastien (25 June 2016). "The F-4 Is a Great Fighter With a Bad Reputation". Warisboring.com. from the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  206. ^ "Phabulous 40th: UK Spook." 6 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing. Retrieved: 13 February 2008.
  207. ^ "The Son Of Singer Dean Martin Killed While Flying His Military Phantom Jet." 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine avstop.com. Retrieved: 9 April 2011.
  208. ^ Kokkinidis, Tasos (30 January 2023). "One Dead, One Missing After Fighter Jet Crashes in Greece". Greek Reporter. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  209. ^ Lake 1992, pp. 92–111.
  210. ^ McDonnell Douglas F-4E Flight Manual (PDF) (1979 ed.). pp. 1–1. (PDF) from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 January 2023.
  211. ^ From 1978 replacing the AIM-7 Sparrow

Bibliography

  • Angelucci, Enzo. The American Fighter. Sparkford, Somerset, UK: Haynes Publishing Group, 1987. ISBN 0-85429-635-2.
  • Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin. The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms and Why. London: I.G. Tauris, 1987. ISBN 1-85043-069-1.
  • Bishop, Farzad and Tom Cooper. Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat (Osprey Combat Aircraft #37). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2003. ISBN 978-1-84176-658-4.
  • Bowers, Peter M. and Enzo Angellucci. The American Fighter. New York: Orion Books, 1987. ISBN 0-517-56588-9.
  • Burden, Rodney, Michael I. Draper, Douglas A. Rough, Colin R. Smith and David L. Wilton. Falklands: The Air War. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1986. ISBN 0-85368-842-7.
  • Burgess, Richard E. The Naval Aviation Guide, 4th ed. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1985. ISBN 0-87021-409-8.
  • Calvert, Denis. Le Tigri della RAF (RAF's Tigers)(in Italian). Aerei magazine N.5, Parma, Italy: Delta editrice, 1991.
  • Carrara, Dino. Phantom Targets: The USAFs Last F-4 Squadron. Air International, Volume 71, no. 5, November 2006. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing, pp. 42–48.ISSN 0306-5634.
  • Cooper, Tom and Farzad Bishop. Target Saddam's Reactor: Israeli and Iranian Operations Against Iraqi Planes to Develop Nuclear Weapons. Air Enthusiast, No. 110, March/April 2004. pp. 2–12.ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Davies, Peter E. USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-68 (Osprey Combat Aircraft #45). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2004. ISBN 978-1-84176-656-0.
  • Davies, Peter E. USAF F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73 (Osprey Combat Aircraft #55). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2005. ISBN 978-1-84176-657-7.
  • Deurenberg, Rudd. Shedding Light on Iranian Phantoms. Air Enthusiast, No. 111, May/June 2004, p. 72. ISSN 0143-5450
  • Donald, David. RAF Phantoms. Wings of Fame. London: Aerospace. Volume 15, 1999. pp. 4–21. ISBN 1-86184-033-0.
  • Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. Desert Storm: The First Phase. World Air Power Journal. London: Aerospace, Volume 5, Spring 1991.ISSN 0959-7050.
  • Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. Desert Storm: Gulf Victory. World Air Power Journal. London: Aerospace, Volume 6, Summer 1991.ISSN 0959-7050.
  • Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: AIRtime Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-880588-24-2.
  • Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies. London: AIRtime Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1-880588-31-5.
  • Dorr, Robert F. Navy Phantoms in Vietnam. Wings of Fame, Volume 1, 1995. London: Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-874023-68-9.
  • Dorr, Robert F. "McDonnell F3H Demon". Aeroplane. Volume 36, No. 3, March 2008, pp. 58–61. London: IBC.
  • Dorr, Robert F. and Chris Bishop, eds. Vietnam Air War Debrief. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1996. ISBN 1-874023-78-6.
  • Dorr, Robert F. and Jon Lake. Fighters of the United States Air Force. London: Temple Press, 1990. ISBN 0-600-55094-X.
  • Dorr, Robert F. Phantoms Forever. London: Osprey Publishing Limited, 1987. ISBN 0-85045-742-4.
  • Eden, Paul ed. The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft. London: Amber Books Ltd, 2004. ISBN 1-904687-84-9.
  • Elward, Brad and Peter Davies. US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965-70 (Osprey Combat Aircraft #26). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2001. ISBN 978-1-84176-163-3.
  • Elward, Brad and Peter Davies. US Navy F-4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972-73 (Osprey Combat Aircraft #30). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2002. ISBN 978-1-84176-264-7.
  • Freeman, CJ and Gunston, Bill Consulting ed. The Encyclopedia of World Airpower. Crown Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-517-53754-0.
  • Fricker, John. "Boeing /McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Current Operators". World Air Power Journal. London: Aerospace, Volume 40, Spring 2000. ISBN 1-86184-043-8.
  • Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. ISBN 0-7603-1194-3.
  • Gimmi, Russell M. Airman: The Life of Richard F. B. Gimmi. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse, 2009. ISBN 978-1-4401-5311-2.
  • Goodrum, Alastair (January–February 2004). "Down Range: Losses over the Wash in the 1960s and 1970s". Air Enthusiast (109): 12–17. ISSN 0143-5450.
  • Grossnick, Roy and William J. Armstrong. United States Naval Aviation, 1910–1995. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Historical Center, 1997. ISBN 0-16-049124-X.
  • Gunston, Bill ed. The Illustrated History of Fighters. New York, New York: Exeter Books Div. of Simon Schuster, 1981. ISBN 0-89673-103-0.
  • Gunston, Bill Consulting ed. The Encyclopedia of World Airpower. Crown Publishers, 1979. ISBN 0-517-53754-0.
  • Higham, Robin and Carol Williams. Flying Combat Aircraft of USAAF-USAF (Vol.2). Manhattan, Kansas: Sunflower University Press, 1978. ISBN 0-8138-0375-6.
  • Hobson, Chris. Vietnam Air Losses, USAF, USN, USMC, Fixed-Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961–1973. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN 1-85780-115-6.
  • Howarth, Alan. Spanish Phantoms and Their Legacy. Air Enthusiast 115, January–February 2005, p. 74ISSN 0143-5450
  • Jefford, C.G. RAF Squadrons: A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912:. Shrewsbury, UK: Airlife Publishing, 2nd edition, 2001. ISBN 1-84037-141-2
  • Jones, Lloyd S. U.S. Fighters: 1925–1980s. Fallbrook, California: Aero Publishers, Inc., 1975. ISBN 0-8168-9200-8.
  • Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of U.S. Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN 0-912799-59-5.
  • Lake Jon. McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1992. ISBN 1-880588-04-8.
  • List, Friedrich. "German Air Arms Review". Air International, Volume 70, No. 5, May 2006, pp. 50–57. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing.ISSN 0306-5634.
  • Melampy, Jake. "Phantoms West". Air International, Volume 80, No. 1, January 2011, pp. 36–38. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing.ISSN 0306-5634.
  • Nordeen, Lon. Fighters Over Israel: The Story of the Israeli Air Force from the War of Independence to the Bekaa Valley. London: Guild Publishing, 1991. ISBN 1-85367-098-7.
  • Richardson, Doug and Mike Spick. F-4 Phantom II (Modern Fighting Aircraft, Volume 4) . New York: Arco Publishing, 1984. ISBN 0-668-06068-9.
  • Swanborough, Gordon and Peter Bowers. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. Washington, District of Columbia: Smithsonian, 1989. ISBN 0-87474-880-1.
  • Swanborough, Gordon and Peter Bowers. United States Navy Aircraft since 1911. London: Putnam, 1976. ISBN 0-370-10054-9.
  • Taylor, Michael J.H. Jane's American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th century. New York: Mallard Press, 1991. ISBN 0-7924-5627-0.
  • Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam, Fourth Edition, 1994, pp. 254–255. ISBN 0-85177-861-5.
  • Thornborough, Anthony M. and Peter E. Davies. The Phantom Story. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1994. ISBN 1-85409-121-2.
  • Wagner, Ray. American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition. New York: Doubleday, 1982. ISBN 0-385-13120-8.
  • Wilson, Stewart. Phantom, Hornet and Skyhawk in Australian Service. Weston Creek, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications, 1993. ISBN 1-875671-03-X.

External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
F-4 Phantom II (category)
 
Wikisource has several original texts related to Audio recordings and transcripts with comments of actual Wild Weasel combat missions over Vietnam..
  • F-4 Phantom II history page on Boeing.com
  • F-4 Phantom II Society site
  • PhantomF4K.org – Fleet Air Arm – Royal Navy site
  • F-4.nl site
  • Countering Israeli Reaction to F-4 Sales to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait
  • . Archived from the original on 12 February 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2004.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  • "The Phantom Turns 50" article at Fence Check site
  • F-4 Phantom page on Aerospaceweb.org
  • The Phantom Zone
  • A film clip of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is available at the Internet Archive
  • Phantom 50th Anniversary Slideshow

February 03, 2023
mcdonnell, douglas, phantom, redirects, here, other, uses, american, tandem, seat, twin, engine, weather, long, range, supersonic, interceptor, fighter, bomber, originally, developed, mcdonnell, aircraft, united, states, navy, proving, highly, adaptable, enter. F 4 redirects here For other uses see F4 The McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II N 1 is an American tandem two seat twin engine all weather long range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy 2 Proving highly adaptable it entered service with the Navy in 1961 3 before it was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force and by the mid 1960s it had become a major part of their air arms 4 Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5 195 aircraft built making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War 4 5 F 4 Phantom IIA U S Air Force F 4 flies with the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron over White Sands Missile RangeRole Interceptor fighter bomberNational origin United StatesManufacturer McDonnell Aircraft Corporation McDonnell DouglasFirst flight 27 May 1958Introduction 1961Retired 1996 U S combat use 2013 Germany 2016 U S target drone 1 2021 Japan Status In limited servicePrimary users United States Air Force historical United States Navy historical United States Marine Corps historical Iranian Air ForceProduced 1958 1981Number built 5 195Variants McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG 1 FGR 2The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2 2 It can carry more than 18 000 pounds 8 400 kg of weapons on nine external hardpoints including air to air missiles air to ground missiles and various bombs The F 4 like other interceptors of its time was initially designed without an internal cannon Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon Beginning in 1959 it set 15 world records for in flight performance 6 including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record 7 The F 4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U S Air Force Navy and Marine Corps and became important in the ground attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war During the Vietnam War one U S Air Force pilot two weapon systems officers WSOs 8 one U S Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer RIO became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft 9 The F 4 continued to form a major part of U S military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F 15 Eagle and F 16 Fighting Falcon in the U S Air Force the F 14 Tomcat in the U S Navy and the F A 18 Hornet in the U S Navy and U S Marine Corps The F 4 Phantom II remained in use by the U S in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses roles in the 1991 Gulf War finally leaving service in 1996 10 11 It was also the only aircraft used by both U S flight demonstration teams the United States Air Force Thunderbirds F 4E and the United States Navy Blue Angels F 4J 4 12 13 The F 4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab Israeli conflicts while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms acquired before the fall of the Shah in the Iran Iraq War As of 2021 63 years after its first flight the F 4 remains in active service with the air forces of Iran South Korea Greece and Turkey The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East Contents 1 Development 1 1 Origins 1 2 XF4H 1 prototype 1 3 Production 1 4 World records 2 Design 2 1 Overview 2 2 Flight characteristics 2 3 Costs 3 Operational history 3 1 United States Air Force 3 2 United States Navy 3 3 United States Marine Corps 3 4 Aerial combat in the Vietnam War 3 5 Non U S users 3 5 1 Australia 3 5 2 Egypt 3 5 3 Germany 3 5 4 Greece 3 5 5 Iran 3 5 6 Israel 3 5 7 Japan 3 5 8 South Korea 3 5 9 Spain 3 5 10 Turkey 3 5 11 United Kingdom 3 6 Civilian use 4 Variants 5 Operators 5 1 Operators 5 2 Former operators 6 Culture 6 1 Nicknames 6 2 Reputation 6 3 The Spook 7 Aircraft on display 8 Notable accidents 9 Specifications F 4E 10 See also 11 References 11 1 Notes 11 2 Citations 11 3 Bibliography 12 External linksDevelopment EditOrigins Edit In 1952 McDonnell s Chief of Aerodynamics Dave Lewis was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the company s preliminary design manager 14 With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type an attack fighter 15 The McDonnell F3H G H mockup 1954 In 1953 McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter seeking expanded capabilities and better performance The company developed several projects including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine 16 and variants powered by two Wright J65 engines or two General Electric J79 engines 17 The J79 powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1 97 On 19 September 1953 McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the Super Demon Uniquely the aircraft was to be modular as it could be fitted with one or two seat noses for different missions with different nose cones to accommodate radar photo cameras four 20 mm 79 in cannon or 56 FFAR unguided rockets in addition to the nine hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage The Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full scale mock up of the F3H G H but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F 9 and Vought XF8U 1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter 18 The McDonnell design was therefore reworked into an all weather fighter bomber with 11 external hardpoints for weapons and on 18 October 1954 the company received a letter of intent for two YAH 1 prototypes Then on 26 May 1955 four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and within an hour presented the company with an entirely new set of requirements Because the Navy already had the Douglas A 4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F 8 Crusader for dogfighting the project now had to fulfill the need for an all weather fleet defense interceptor A second crewman was added to operate the powerful radar 2 designers believed that air combat in the next war would overload solo pilots with information 19 XF4H 1 prototype Edit Key figures in the F 4 development David Lewis Robert Little and Herman Barkey The XF4H 1 was designed to carry four semi recessed AAM N 6 Sparrow III radar guided missiles and to be powered by two J79 GE 8 engines As in the McDonnell F 101 Voodoo the engines sat low in the fuselage to maximize internal fuel capacity and ingested air through fixed geometry intakes The thin section wing had a leading edge sweep of 45 and was equipped with blown flaps for better low speed handling 20 Wind tunnel testing had revealed lateral instability requiring the addition of 5 dihedral to the wings 21 To avoid redesigning the titanium central section of the aircraft McDonnell engineers angled up only the outer portions of the wings by 12 which averaged to the required 5 over the entire wingspan The wings also received the distinctive dogtooth for improved control at high angles of attack The all moving tailplane was given 23 of anhedral to improve control at high angles of attack while still keeping the tailplane clear of the engine exhaust 20 In addition air intakes were equipped with one fixed ramp and one variable geometry ramp with angle scheduled to give maximum pressure recovery between Mach 1 4 and Mach 2 2 Airflow matching between the inlet and engine was achieved by bypassing the engine as secondary air into the exhaust nozzle All weather intercept capability was achieved with the AN APQ 50 radar To meet requirements for carrier operations the landing gear was designed to withstand landings with a maximum sink rate of 23 ft s 7 m s while the nose strut could extend by 20 in 51 cm to increase angle of attack on the catapult portion of a takeoff 21 An F4H 1F aboard Independence April 1960 On 25 July 1955 the Navy ordered two XF4H 1 test aircraft and five YF4H 1 pre production examples The Phantom made its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 with Robert C Little at the controls A hydraulic problem precluded the retraction of the landing gear but subsequent flights went more smoothly Early testing resulted in redesign of the air intakes including the distinctive addition of 12 500 holes to bleed off the slow moving boundary layer air from the surface of each intake ramp Series production aircraft also featured splitter plates to divert the boundary layer away from the engine intakes The aircraft was soon in competition with the XF8U 3 Crusader III Due to cockpit workload the Navy wanted a two seat aircraft and on 17 December 1958 the F4H was declared the winner Delays with the J79 GE 8 engines meant that the first production aircraft were fitted with J79 GE 2 and 2A engines each having 16 100 lbf 71 8 kN of afterburning thrust In 1959 the Phantom began carrier suitability trials with the first complete launch recovery cycle performed on 15 February 1960 from Independence 21 There were proposals to name the F4H Satan and Mithras 21 In the end the aircraft was given the less controversial name Phantom II the first Phantom being another McDonnell jet fighter the FH 1 Phantom The Phantom II was briefly given the designation F 110A and named Spectre by the USAF but these were not officially used 22 and the Tri Service aircraft designation system F 4 was adopted in September 1962 Production Edit VF 74 was the first operational U S Navy Phantom squadron in 1961 Early in production the radar was upgraded to the Westinghouse AN APQ 72 an AN APG 50 with a larger radar antenna necessitating the bulbous nose and the canopy was reworked to improve visibility and make the rear cockpit less claustrophobic 23 During its career the Phantom underwent many changes in the form of numerous variants developed The USN operated the F4H 1 re designated F 4A in 1962 with J79 GE 2 and 2A engines of 16 100 lbf 71 62 kN thrust and later builds receiving 8 engines A total of 45 F 4As were built none saw combat and most ended up as test or training aircraft 24 The USN and USMC received the first definitive Phantom the F 4B which was equipped with the Westinghouse APQ 72 radar pulse only a Texas Instruments AAA 4 Infrared search and track pod under the nose an AN AJB 3 bombing system and powered by J79 GE 8 8A and 8B engines of 10 900 lbf 48 5 kN dry and 16 950 lbf 75 4 kN afterburner reheat with the first flight on 25 March 1961 649 F 4Bs were built with deliveries beginning in 1961 and VF 121 Pacemakers receiving the first examples at NAS Miramar 24 The USAF received Phantoms as the result of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara s push to create a unified fighter for all branches of the US military After an F 4B won the Operation Highspeed fly off against the Convair F 106 Delta Dart the USAF borrowed two Naval F 4Bs temporarily designating them F 110A in January 1962 and developed requirements for their own version Unlike the US Navy s focus on air to air interception in the Fleet Air Defense FAD mission the USAF emphasized both an air to air and an air to ground fighter bomber role With McNamara s unification of designations on 18 September 1962 the Phantom became the F 4 with the naval version designated F 4B and USAF F 4C The first Air Force Phantom flew on 27 May 1963 exceeding Mach 2 on its maiden flight 25 The F 4J improved both air to air and ground attack capability deliveries begun in 1966 and ended in 1972 with 522 built 26 It was equipped with J79 GE 10 engines with 17 844 lbf 79 374 kN thrust the Westinghouse AN AWG 10 Fire Control System making the F 4J the first fighter in the world with operational look down shoot down capability 27 a new integrated missile control system and the AN AJB 7 bombing system for expanded ground attack capability 28 The F 4N updated F 4Bs with smokeless engines and F 4J aerodynamic improvements started in 1972 under a U S Navy initiated refurbishment program called Project Bee Line 29 with 228 converted by 1978 The F 4S model resulted from the refurbishment of 265 F 4Js with J79 GE 17 smokeless engines of 17 900 lbf 79 379 kN AWG 10B radar with digitized circuitry for improved performance and reliability Honeywell AN AVG 8 Visual Target Acquisition Set or VTAS world s first operational Helmet Sighting System classified avionics improvements airframe reinforcement and leading edge slats for enhanced maneuvering 30 The USMC also operated the RF 4B with reconnaissance cameras with 46 built 31 the RF 4B flew alone and unarmed with a requirement to fly straight and level at 5 000 feet while taking photographs They relied on the shortcomings of the anti aircraft defenses to survive as they were unable to make evasive maneuveres 19 Phantom II production ended in the United States in 1979 after 5 195 had been built 5 057 by McDonnell Douglas and 138 in Japan by Mitsubishi Of these 2 874 went to the USAF 1 264 to the Navy and Marine Corps and the rest to foreign customers 4 The last U S built F 4 went to South Korea while the last F 4 built was an F 4EJ built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan and delivered on 20 May 1981 32 As of 2008 631 Phantoms were in service worldwide 33 while the Phantoms were in use as a target drone specifically QF 4Cs operated by the U S military until 21 December 2016 when the Air Force officially ended use of the type 34 World records Edit Transcontinental Operation LANA in 1961 To show off their new fighter the Navy led a series of record breaking flights early in Phantom development 4 All in all the Phantom set 16 world records Five of the speed records remained unbeaten until the F 15 Eagle appeared in 1975 6 Operation Top Flight On 6 December 1959 the second XF4H 1 performed a zoom climb to a world record 98 557 ft 30 040 m 7 35 Commander Lawrence E Flint Jr USN accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2 5 2 660 km h 1 650 mph at 47 000 ft 14 330 m and climbed to 90 000 ft 27 430 m at a 45 angle He then shut down the engines and glided to the peak altitude As the aircraft fell through 70 000 ft 21 300 m Flint restarted the engines and resumed normal flight 36 On 5 September 1960 an F4H 1 averaged 1 216 78 mph 1 958 16 km h over a 500 km 311 mi closed circuit course 7 On 25 September 1960 an F4H 1F averaged 1 390 24 mph 2 237 37 km h over a 100 km 62 1 mi closed circuit course 7 FAIRecord File Number 8898 Operation LANA To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Naval aviation L is the Roman numeral for 50 and ANA stood for Anniversary of Naval Aviation on 24 May 1961 Phantoms flew across the continental United States in under three hours and included several tanker refuelings The fastest of the aircraft averaged 869 74 mph 1 400 28 km h and completed the trip in 2 hours 47 minutes earning the pilot and future NASA Astronaut Lieutenant 37 Richard Gordon USN and RIO Lieutenant Bobbie Young USN the 1961 Bendix trophy 7 38 39 40 Operation Sageburner On 28 August 1961 a F4H 1F Phantom II averaged 1 452 777 kilometers per hour 902 714 miles per hour over a 3 mi 4 82 km course flying below 125 feet 38 1 m at all times 7 Commander J L Felsman USN was killed during the first attempt at this record on 18 May 1961 when his aircraft disintegrated in the air after pitch damper failure 41 Operation Skyburner On 22 November 1961 a modified Phantom with water injection piloted by Lt Col Robert B Robinson set an absolute world record average speed over a 20 mile 32 2 km long 2 way straight course of 1 606 342 mph 2 585 086 km h 7 42 43 44 On 5 December 1961 another Phantom set a sustained altitude record of 66 443 8 feet 20 252 m 7 Project High Jump A series of time to altitude records was set in early 1962 34 523 seconds to 3 000 m 9 840 ft 48 787 seconds to 6 000 m 19 700 ft 61 629 seconds to 9 000 m 29 500 ft 77 156 seconds to 12 000 m 39 400 ft 114 548 seconds to 15 000 m 49 200 ft 178 5 s to 20 000 m 65 600 ft 230 44 s to 25 000 m 82 000 ft and 371 43 s to 30 000 m 98 400 ft 45 All High Jump records were set by F4H 1 production number 108 Bureau Number 148423 46 47 48 49 Two of the records were set by future distinguished NASA astronaut LCdr John Young 50 51 Design EditOverview Edit Cockpit of F 4 Phantom II The F 4 Phantom is a tandem seat fighter bomber designed as a carrier based interceptor to fill the U S Navy s fleet defense fighter role Innovations in the F 4 included an advanced pulse Doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe 52 Despite imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60 000 lb 27 000 kg 53 the F 4 has a top speed of Mach 2 23 and an initial climb rate of over 41 000 ft min 210 m s 54 The F 4 s nine external hardpoints have a capability of up to 18 650 pounds 8 480 kg of weapons including air to air and air to surface missiles and unguided guided and thermonuclear weapons 55 Like other interceptors of its day the F 4 was designed without an internal cannon 56 The baseline performance of a Mach 2 class fighter with long range and a bomber sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light middle weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat 57 Flight characteristics Edit Cockpit of an F 4 Phantom II at the Estonian Aviation Museum view as a 360 interactive panorama Speed is life was F 4 pilots slogan as the Phantom s greatest advantage in air combat was acceleration 19 and thrust which permitted a skilled pilot to engage and disengage from the fight at will MiGs usually could outturn the F 4 because of the high drag on the Phantom s airframe 58 as a massive fighter aircraft designed to fire radar guided missiles from beyond visual range the F 4 lacked the agility of its Soviet opponents and was subject to adverse yaw during hard maneuvering Although the F 4 was subject to irrecoverable spins during aileron rolls pilots reported the aircraft to be very responsive and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope In 1972 the F 4E model was upgraded with leading edge slats on the wing greatly improving high angle of attack maneuverability at the expense of top speed 59 source source source source source source F 4 Phantom II flight demonstration video The J79 had a reduced time lag between the pilot advancing the throttle from idle to maximum thrust and the engine producing maximum thrust compared to earlier engines While landing on USS Midway CV 41 John Chesire s tailhook missed the arresting gear as he mistakenly reduced thrust to idle He then slammed the throttle to full afterburner the engine s response time being enough to return to full thrust quickly and he was able get the Phantom airborne again successfully bolter 19 The J79 produced noticeable amounts of black smoke at mid throttle cruise settings a severe disadvantage in that it made it easier for the enemy to spot the aircraft 60 Two decades after the aircraft entered service 19 this was solved on the F 4S which was fitted with the 10A engine variant with a smokeless combustor 61 The lack of an internal gun was the biggest mistake on the F 4 Chesire said Bullets are cheap and tend to go where you aim them I needed a gun and I really wished I had one Marine Corps General John R Dailey recalled that everyone in RF 4s wished they had a gun on the aircraft 19 For a brief period doctrine held that turning combat would be impossible at supersonic speeds and little effort was made to teach pilots air combat maneuvering In reality engagements quickly became subsonic as pilots would slow down in an effort to get behind their adversaries Furthermore the relatively new heat seeking and radar guided missiles at the time were frequently reported as unreliable and pilots had to fire multiple missiles just to hit one enemy fighter To compound the problem rules of engagement in Vietnam precluded long range missile attacks in most instances as visual identification was normally required Many pilots found themselves on the tail of an enemy aircraft but too close to fire short range Falcons or Sidewinders Although by 1965 USAF F 4Cs began carrying SUU 16 external gunpods containing a 20 mm 79 in M61A1 Vulcan Gatling cannon USAF cockpits were not equipped with lead computing gunsights until the introduction of the SUU 23 virtually assuring a miss in a maneuvering fight Some Marine Corps aircraft carried two pods for strafing In addition to the loss of performance due to drag combat showed the externally mounted cannon to be inaccurate unless frequently boresighted yet far more cost effective than missiles The lack of a cannon was finally addressed by adding an internally mounted 20 mm 79 in M61A1 Vulcan on the F 4E 59 Costs Edit F 4C RF 4C F 4D F 4EUnit R amp D cost 61 200 1965 by 1973 526 242 current by 1973 22 700 1965 by 1973 195 191 current by 1973Airframe 1 388 725 1965 11 941 275 current 1 679 000 1965 14 437 272 current 1 018 682 1965 8 759 374 current 1 662 000 1965 14 291 094 current Engines 317 647 1965 2 731 362 current 276 000 1965 2 373 250 current 260 563 1965 2 240 512 current 393 000 1965 3 379 302 current Electronics 52 287 1965 449 602 current 293 000 1965 2 519 429 current 262 101 1965 2 253 736 current 299 000 1965 2 571 021 current Armament 139 706 1965 1 201 295 current 73 000 1965 627 707 current 133 430 1965 1 147 329 current 111 000 1965 954 459 current Ordnance 6 817 1965 58 618 current 8 000 1965 68 790 current Flyaway cost 1 9 million 1965 16 3 million current 2 3 million 1965 19 8 million current 1 7 million 1965 14 6 million current 2 4 million 1965 20 6 million current Modification costs 116 289 1965 by 1973 999 938 current by 1973 55 217 1965 by 1973 474 796 2008 by 1973 233 458 1965 by 1973 2 007 443 current by 1973 7 995 1965 by 1973 68 747 current by 1973Cost per flying hour 924 1965 7 945 2008 867 1965 7 455 current 896 1965 7 704 current 867 1965 7 455 current Maintenance cost per flying hour 545 1965 4 686 current Note Original amounts were in 1965 U S dollars 62 The figures in these tables have been adjusted for inflation to the current year Operational history EditSee also McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II U S operators United States Air Force Edit USAF F 4 Summary for Vietnam War action Aircraft Weapons Tactics MiG 17 MiG 19 MiG 21 TotalF 4C AIM 7 Sparrow 4 0 10 14AIM 9 Sidewinder 12 0 10 2220 mm gunpod 3 0 1 4Maneuvering tactics 2 0 0 2F 4D AIM 4 Falcon 4 0 1 5AIM 7 Sparrow 4 2 20 26AIM 9 Sidewinder 0 2 3 520 mm gunpod 4 5 0 2 6 5Maneuvering tactics 0 0 2 2F 4E AIM 7 Sparrow 0 2 8 10AIM 9 Sidewinder 0 0 4 4AIM 9 20 mm gun 0 0 1 120 mm gun 0 1 4 5Maneuvering tactics 0 1 0 1Total 33 5 8 66 107 5In USAF service the F 4 was initially designated the F 110A 63 prior to the introduction of the 1962 United States Tri Service aircraft designation system The USAF quickly embraced the design and became the largest Phantom user The first USAF Phantoms in Vietnam were F 4Cs from the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron arrived in December 1964 64 Unlike the U S Navy and U S Marine Corps which flew the Phantom with a Naval Aviator pilot in the front seat and a Naval Flight Officer as a radar intercept officer RIO in the back seat the USAF initially flew its Phantoms with a rated Air Force Pilot in front and back seats Pilots usually did not like flying in the back seat 19 while the GIB or guy in back could fly and ostensibly land the aircraft he had fewer flight instruments and a very restricted forward view The Air Force later assigned a rated Air Force Navigator qualified as a weapon targeting systems officer later designated as weapon systems officer or WSO in the rear seat instead of another pilot 65 19 On 10 July 1965 F 4Cs of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron 15th TFW on temporary assignment in Ubon Thailand 66 scored the USAF s first victories against North Vietnamese MiG 17s using AIM 9 Sidewinder air to air missiles 67 On 26 April 1966 an F 4C from the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron scored the first aerial victory by a U S aircrew over a North Vietnamese MiG 21 Fishbed 68 On 24 July 1965 another Phantom from the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first American aircraft to be downed by an enemy SAM and on 5 October 1966 an 8th Tactical Fighter Wing F 4C became the first U S jet lost to an air to air missile fired by a MiG 21 Early aircraft suffered from leaks in wing fuel tanks that required re sealing after each flight and 85 aircraft were found to have cracks in outer wing ribs and stringers 62 There were also problems with aileron control cylinders electrical connectors and engine compartment fires Reconnaissance RF 4Cs made their debut in Vietnam on 30 October 1965 flying the hazardous post strike reconnaissance missions The USAF Thunderbirds used the F 4E from the 1969 season until 1974 12 435th TFS F 4Ds over Vietnam Although the F 4C was essentially identical to the Navy Marine Corps F 4B in flight performance and carried the AIM 9 Sidewinder missiles USAF tailored F 4Ds initially arrived in June 1967 equipped with AIM 4 Falcons However the Falcon like its predecessors was designed to shoot down heavy bombers flying straight and level Its reliability proved no better than others and its complex firing sequence and limited seeker head cooling time made it virtually useless in combat against agile fighters The F 4Ds reverted to using Sidewinders under the Rivet Haste program in early 1968 and by 1972 the AIM 7E 2 Dogfight Sparrow had become the preferred missile for USAF pilots Like other Vietnam War Phantoms the F 4Ds were urgently fitted with radar warning receivers to detect the Soviet built S 75 Dvina SAMs 69 From the initial deployment of the F 4C to Southeast Asia USAF Phantoms performed both air superiority and ground attack roles supporting not only ground troops in South Vietnam but also conducting bombing sorties in Laos and North Vietnam As the F 105 force underwent severe attrition between 1965 and 1968 the bombing role of the F 4 proportionately increased until after November 1970 when the last F 105D was withdrawn from combat it became the primary USAF tactical ordnance delivery system In October 1972 the first squadron of EF 4C Wild Weasel aircraft deployed to Thailand on temporary duty 70 The E prefix was later dropped and the aircraft was simply known as the F 4C Wild Weasel USAF F 4 Phantom II destroyed on 18 February 1968 during the enemy attack against Tan Son Nhut during the Tet Offensive Sixteen squadrons of Phantoms were permanently deployed between 1965 and 1973 and 17 others deployed on temporary combat assignments 71 Peak numbers of combat F 4s occurred in 1972 when 353 were based in Thailand 72 A total of 445 Air Force Phantom fighter bombers were lost 370 in combat and 193 of those over North Vietnam 33 to MiGs 30 to SAMs and 307 to AAA 72 The RF 4C was operated by four squadrons 73 and of the 83 losses 72 were in combat including 38 over North Vietnam seven to SAMs and 65 to AAA 72 By war s end the U S Air Force had lost a total of 528 F 4 and RF 4C Phantoms When combined with U S Navy and Marine Corps losses of 233 Phantoms 761 F 4 RF 4 Phantoms were lost in the Vietnam War 74 On 28 August 1972 Captain Steve Ritchie became the first USAF ace of the war 8 On 9 September 1972 WSO Capt Charles B DeBellevue became the highest scoring American ace of the war with six victories 8 and WSO Capt Jeffrey Feinstein became the last USAF ace of the war on 13 October 1972 75 Upon return to the United States DeBellevue and Feinstein were assigned to undergraduate pilot training Feinstein was given a vision waiver and requalified as USAF pilots in the F 4 USAF F 4C D E crews claimed 107 1 2 MiG kills in Southeast Asia 50 by Sparrow 31 by Sidewinder five by Falcon 15 5 by gun and six by other means 72 On 31 January 1972 the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron 183d Tactical Fighter Group of the Illinois Air National Guard became the first Air National Guard unit to transition to Phantoms from Republic F 84F Thunderstreaks which were found to have corrosion problems citation needed Phantoms would eventually equip numerous tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance units in the USAF active National Guard and reserve On 2 June 1972 a Phantom flying at supersonic speed shot down a MiG 19 over Thud Ridge in Vietnam with its cannon At a recorded speed of Mach 1 2 Major Phil Handley s shoot down was the first and only recorded gun kill while flying at supersonic speeds 76 77 F 4Gs over Bahrain during Operation Desert Shield On 15 August 1990 24 F 4G Wild Weasel Vs and six RF 4Cs were deployed to Shaikh Isa AB Bahrain for Operation Desert Storm The F 4G was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory equipped for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses SEAD role and was needed to protect coalition aircraft from Iraq s extensive air defense system The RF 4C was the only aircraft equipped with the ultra long range KS 127 LOROP long range oblique photography camera and was used for a variety of reconnaissance missions In spite of flying almost daily missions only one RF 4C was lost in a fatal accident before the start of hostilities One F 4G was lost when enemy fire damaged the fuel tanks and the aircraft ran out of fuel near a friendly airbase The last USAF Phantoms F 4G Wild Weasel Vs from 561st Fighter Squadron were retired on 26 March 1996 The last operational flight of the F 4G Wild Weasel was from the 190th Fighter Squadron Idaho Air National Guard in April 1996 78 The last operational USAF ANG F 4 to land was flown by Maj Mike Webb and Maj Gary Leeder of the Idaho ANG Like the Navy the Air Force has operated QF 4 target drones serving with the 82d Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base Florida and Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico 79 It was expected that the F 4 would remain in the target role with the 82d ATRS until at least 2015 when they would be replaced by early versions of the F 16 Fighting Falcon converted to a QF 16 configuration 80 Several QF 4s also retain capability as manned aircraft and are maintained in historical color schemes being displayed as part of Air Combat Command s Heritage Flight at air shows base open houses and other events while serving as non expendable target aircraft during the week 81 On 19 November 2013 BAE Systems delivered the last QF 4 aerial target to the Air Force The example had been in storage for over 20 years before being converted Over 16 years BAE had converted 314 F 4 and RF 4 Phantom IIs into QF 4s and QRF 4s with each aircraft taking six months to adapt As of December 2013 QF 4 and QRF 4 aircraft had flown over 16 000 manned and 600 unmanned training sorties with 250 unmanned aircraft being shot down in firing exercises The remaining QF 4s and QRF 4s held their training role until the first of 126 QF 16s were delivered by Boeing 82 The final flight of an Air Force QF 4 from Tyndall AFB took place on 27 May 2015 to Holloman AFB 83 After Tyndall AFB ceased operations the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group at Holloman became the fleet of 22 QF 4s last remaining operator The base continued using them to fly manned test and unmanned live fire test support and Foreign Military Sales testing with the final unmanned flight taking place in August 2016 84 The type was officially retired from US military service with a four ship flight at Holloman during an event on 21 December 2016 85 The remaining QF 4s were to be demilitarized after 1 January 2017 86 United States Navy Edit A U S Navy F 4B from VF 111 dropping bombs over Vietnam 25 November 1971 On 30 December 1960 the VF 121 Pacemakers at NAS Miramar became the first Phantom operator with its F4H 1Fs F 4As The VF 74 Be devilers at NAS Oceana became the first deployable Phantom squadron when it received its F4H 1s F 4Bs on 8 July 1961 87 The squadron completed carrier qualifications in October 1961 and Phantom s first full carrier deployment between August 1962 and March 1963 aboard Forrestal 88 The second deployable U S Atlantic Fleet squadron to receive F 4Bs was the VF 102 Diamondbacks who promptly took their new aircraft on the shakedown cruise of Enterprise 89 The first deployable U S Pacific Fleet squadron to receive the F 4B was the VF 114 Aardvarks which participated in the September 1962 cruise aboard USS Kitty Hawk 87 By the time of the Tonkin Gulf incident 13 of 31 deployable navy squadrons were armed with the type F 4Bs from Constellation made the first Phantom combat sortie of the Vietnam War on 5 August 1964 flying bomber escort in Operation Pierce Arrow 90 Navy fighter pilots were unused to flying with a non pilot RIO but learned from air combat in Vietnam the benefits of the GiB guy in back or voice in the luggage compartment helping with the workload 19 The first Phantom air to air victory of the war took place on 9 April 1965 when an F 4B from VF 96 Fighting Falcons piloted by Lieutenant junior grade Terence M Murphy and his RIO Ensign Ronald Fegan shot down a Chinese MiG 17 Fresco The Phantom was then shot down probably by an AIM 7 Sparrow from one of its wingmen 21 There continues to be controversy over whether the Phantom was shot down by MiG guns or as enemy reports later indicated an AIM 7 Sparrow III from one of Murphy s and Fegan s wingmen 91 On 17 June 1965 an F 4B from VF 21 Freelancers piloted by Commander Louis Page and Lieutenant John C Smith shot down the first North Vietnamese MiG of the war 92 93 On 10 May 1972 Lieutenant Randy Duke Cunningham and Lieutenant junior grade William P Driscoll flying an F 4J call sign Showtime 100 shot down three MiG 17s to become the first American flying aces of the war Their fifth victory was believed at the time to be over a mysterious North Vietnamese ace Colonel Nguyen Toon now considered mythical On the return flight the Phantom was damaged by an enemy surface to air missile To avoid being captured Cunningham and Driscoll flew their burning aircraft using only the rudder and afterburner the damage to the aircraft rendered conventional control nearly impossible until they could eject over water 9 The Blue Angels flew the F 4J 1969 1974 During the war U S Navy F 4 Phantom squadrons participated in 84 combat tours with F 4Bs F 4Js and F 4Ns The Navy claimed 40 air to air victories at a cost of 73 Phantoms lost in combat seven to enemy aircraft 13 to SAMs and 53 to AAA An additional 54 Phantoms were lost in mishaps 94 In 1984 all Navy F 4Ns were retired from Fleet service in deployable USN squadrons and by 1987 the last F 4Ss were retired from deployable USN squadrons On 25 March 1986 an F 4S belonging to the VF 151 Vigilantes became the last active duty U S Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier in this case Midway On 18 October 1986 an F 4S from the VF 202 Superheats a Naval Reserve fighter squadron made the last ever Phantom carrier landing while operating aboard America In 1987 the last of the Naval Reserve operated F 4S aircraft were replaced by F 14As The last Phantoms in service with the Navy were QF 4N and QF 4S target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Center at NAS Point Mugu California 21 These airframes were subsequently retired in 2004 95 United States Marine Corps Edit A U S Marine F 4B with VMFA 314 flies over South Vietnam in September 1968 The Marine Corps received its first F 4Bs in June 1962 with the Black Knights of VMFA 314 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro California becoming the first operational squadron Marine Phantoms from VMFA 531 Grey Ghosts were assigned to Da Nang airbase on South Vietnam s northeast coast on 10 May 1965 and were initially assigned to provide air defense for the USMC They soon began close air support missions CAS and VMFA 314 Black Knights VMFA 232 Red Devils VMFA 323 Death Rattlers and VMFA 542 Bengals soon arrived at the primitive airfield 96 Marine F 4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs two while on exchange duty with the USAF at the cost of 75 aircraft lost in combat mostly to ground fire and four in accidents The VMCJ 1 Golden Hawks later VMAQ 1 and VMAQ 4 which had the old RM tailcode flew the first photo recon mission with an RF 4B variant on 3 November 1966 from Da Nang AB South Vietnam and remained there until 1970 with no RF 4B losses and only one aircraft damaged by anti aircraft artillery AAA fire 97 VMCJ 2 and VMCJ 3 now VMAQ 3 provided aircraft for VMCJ 1 in Da Nang and VMFP 3 was formed in 1975 at MCAS El Toro CA consolidating all USMC RF 4Bs in one unit that became known as The Eyes of the Corps VMFP 3 disestablished in August 1990 after the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System was introduced for the F A 18D Hornet 24 The F 4 continued to equip fighter attack squadrons in both active and reserve Marine Corps units throughout the 1960s 1970s and 1980s and into the early 1990s In the early 1980s these squadrons began to transition to the F A 18 Hornet starting with the same squadron that introduced the F 4 to the Marine Corps VMFA 314 at MCAS El Toro California On 18 January 1992 the last Marine Corps Phantom an F 4S in the Marine Corps Reserve was retired by the Cowboys of VMFA 112 at NAS Dallas Texas after which the squadron was re equipped with F A 18 Hornets 98 Aerial combat in the Vietnam War Edit The USAF and the US Navy had high expectations of the F 4 Phantom assuming that the massive firepower the best available on board radar the highest speed and acceleration properties coupled with new tactics would provide Phantoms with an advantage over the MiGs However in confrontations with the lighter MiG 21 F 4s did not always succeed and began to suffer losses 99 Over the course of the air war in Vietnam between 3 April 1965 and 8 January 1973 each side would ultimately claim favorable kill ratios 100 During the war U S Navy F 4 Phantoms claimed 40 air to air victories at a loss of seven Phantoms to enemy aircraft 94 USMC F 4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs at the cost of one aircraft in air combat USAF F 4 Phantom crews scored 107 1 2 MiG kills including 33 1 2 MiG 17s eight MiG 19s and 66 MiG 21s at a cost of 33 Phantoms in air combat 72 F 4 pilots were credited with a total of 150 1 2 MiG kills at a cost of 42 Phantoms in air combat According to the VPAF 103 F 4 Phantoms were shot down by MiG 21s at a cost of 54 MiG 21s downed by F 4s 101 During the war the VPAF lost 131 MiGs in air combat 63 MiG 17s eight MiG 19s and 60 MiG 21s of which one half were by F 4s 102 From 1966 to November 1968 in 46 air battles conducted over North Vietnam between F 4s and MiG 21s VPAF claimed 27 F 4s were shot down by MiG 21s at a cost of 20 MiG 21s 103 In 1970 one F 4 Phantom was shot down by a MiG 21 104 The struggle culminated on 10 May 1972 with VPAF aircraft completing 64 sorties resulting in 15 air battles The VPAF claimed seven F 4s were shot down while U S confirmed five F 4s were lost 104 The Phantoms in turn managed to destroy two MiG 21s three MiG 17s and one MiG 19 103 On 11 May two MiG 21s which played the role of bait brought the four F 4s to two MiG 21s circling at low altitude The MiGs quickly engaged and shot down two F 4s On 18 May Vietnamese aircraft made 26 sorties in eight air engagements which cost 4 F 4 Phantoms Vietnamese fighters on that day did not suffer losses 103 Non U S users Edit Main article McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II non U S operators The Phantom has served with the air forces of many countries including Australia Egypt Germany United Kingdom Greece Iran Israel Japan Spain South Korea and Turkey Australia Edit Main article McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II in Australian service The Royal Australian Air Force RAAF leased 24 USAF F 4Es from 1970 to 1973 while waiting for their order for the General Dynamics F 111C to be delivered They were so well liked that the RAAF considered retaining the aircraft after the F 111Cs were delivered 105 They were operated from RAAF Amberley by No 1 Squadron and No 6 Squadron 106 Egypt Edit In 1979 the Egyptian Air Force purchased 35 former USAF F 4Es along with a number of Sparrow Sidewinder and Maverick missiles from the U S for 594 million as part of the Peace Pharaoh program 107 An additional seven surplus USAF aircraft were purchased in 1988 108 Three attrition replacements had been received by the end of the 1990s 105 Egyptian F 4Es were retired in 2020 with their former base at Cairo West Air Base being reconfigured for the operation of F 16C D Fighting Falcons 109 Germany Edit F 4Fs of the German Air Force 21 January 1998 The German Air Force Luftwaffe initially ordered the reconnaissance RF 4E in 1969 receiving a total of 88 aircraft from January 1971 110 In 1973 under the Peace Rhine program the Luftwaffe purchased 175 units of the F 4F The F variant was a more agile version of the E due to its lower weight and slatted wings However this was achieved at the expense of reduced fuel capacity and the elimination of AIM 7 Sparrow capability These purchases made Germany the largest export customer for the Phantom 111 In 1975 Germany also received 10 F 4Es for training in the U S In the late 1990s these were withdrawn from service after being replaced by F 4Fs 112 In 1982 the initially unarmed RF 4Es were given a secondary ground attack capability these aircraft were retired in 1994 113 The F 4F was upgraded in the mid 1980s 114 Germany also initiated the Improved Combat Efficiency ICE program in 1983 The 110 ICE upgraded F 4Fs entered service in 1992 114 and were expected to remain in service until 2012 115 All the remaining Luftwaffe Phantoms were based at Wittmund with Jagdgeschwader 71 fighter wing 71 in Northern Germany 116 and WTD61 at Manching A total of 24 German F 4F Phantom IIs were operated by the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing of the USAF at Holloman AFB to train Luftwaffe crews until December 2004 Phantoms were deployed to NATO states under the Baltic Air Policing starting in 2005 2008 2009 2011 and 2012 The German Air Force retired its last F 4Fs on 29 June 2013 German F 4Fs flew 279 000 hours from entering service on 31 August 1973 until retirement 117 118 Greece Edit In 1971 the Hellenic Air Force ordered brand new F 4E Phantoms with deliveries starting in 1974 In the early 1990s the Hellenic AF acquired surplus RF 4Es and F 4Es from the Luftwaffe and U S ANG 119 120 Following the success of the German ICE program on 11 August 1997 a contract was signed between DASA of Germany and Hellenic Aerospace Industry for the upgrade of 39 aircraft to the very similar Peace Icarus 2000 standard 21 The Hellenic AF operated 34 upgraded F 4E PI2000 338 and 339 Squadrons and 12 RF 4E aircraft 348 Squadron as of September 2013 On 5 May 2017 the Hellenic Air Force officially retired the RF 4E Phantom II during a public ceremony 121 Iran Edit Iranian F 4E Phantom refueling through a boom during Iran Iraq war 1982 In the 1960s and 1970s when the U S and Iran were on friendly terms the U S delivered 225 F 4D F 4E and RF 4E Phantoms to Iran making it the second largest export customer 122 The Imperial Iranian Air Force saw at least one engagement resulting in a loss after an RF 4C was rammed 123 by a Soviet MiG 21 during Project Dark Gene an ELINT operation during the Cold War The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Phantoms saw heavy action in the Iran Iraq War in the 1980s and were kept operational by overhaul and servicing from Iran s aerospace industry 124 Notable operations of Iranian F 4s during the war included Operation Scorch Sword an attack by two F 4s against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor site near Baghdad on 30 September 1980 125 and the attack on H3 a 4 April 1981 strike by eight Iranian F 4s against the H 3 complex of air bases in the far west of Iraq which resulted in many Iraqi aircraft being destroyed or damaged for no Iranian losses 126 On 5 June 1984 two Saudi Arabian fighter pilots shot down two Iranian F 4 fighters The Royal Saudi Air Force pilots were flying American built F 15s and fired air to air missiles to bring down the Iranian planes The Saudi fighter pilots had Boeing KC 135 Stratotanker planes and Boeing E 3 Sentry AWACS surveillance planes assist in the encounter The aerial fight occurred in Saudi airspace over the Persian Gulf near the Saudi island Al Arabiyah about 60 miles northeast of Jubail 127 Iranian F 4s were in use as of late 2014 128 the aircraft reportedly conducted air strikes on ISIS targets in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala 129 Israel Edit Israeli Air Force F 4Es taking off during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973 The Israeli Air Force acquired between 212 and 222 130 newly built and ex USAF aircraft and modified several as one off special reconnaissance variants The first F 4Es nicknamed Kurnass Sledgehammer and RF 4Es nicknamed Orev Raven were delivered in 1969 under the Peace Echo I program Additional Phantoms arrived during the 1970s under Peace Echo II through Peace Echo V and Nickel Grass programs Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat during Arab Israeli conflicts first seeing action during the War of Attrition 131 In the 1980s Israel began the Kurnass 2000 modernization program which significantly updated avionics 21 The last Israeli F 4s were retired in 2004 132 Japan Edit From 1968 the Japan Air Self Defense Force JASDF purchased a total of 140 F 4EJ Phantoms without aerial refueling AGM 12 Bullpup missile system nuclear control system or ground attack capabilities 133 134 Mitsubishi built 138 under license in Japan and 14 unarmed reconnaissance RF 4Es were imported One of the aircraft 17 8440 was the last of the 5 195 F 4 Phantoms to be produced It was manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on 21 May 1981 The Final Phantom served with 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron and later transferred to the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron 135 JASDF F 4EJ Kais 57 8354 and 87 8407 of 8 Hikōtai in gray air superiority paint scheme 2002 Of these 96 F 4EJs were modified to the F 4EJ Kai 改 modified standard 136 15 F 4EJ and F 4EJ Kai were converted to reconnaissance aircraft designated RF 4EJ Japan had a fleet of 90 F 4s in service in 2007 After studying several replacement fighters 137 138 the F 35A Lightning II was chosen in 2011 139 The 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first JASDF F 35 Squadron at Misawa Air Base when it converted from the F 4EJ Kai on 29 March 2019 140 The JASDF s sole aerial reconnaissance unit the 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron retired their RF 4Es and RF 4EJs on 9 March 2020 and the unit itself dissolved on 26 March 141 The 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron then became the sole user of the F 4EJ in the Air Defense Command with their retirement originally scheduled in 2021 along with the unit s transition to the F 35A 142 However on 20 November 2020 the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron announced the earlier retirement of their remaining F 4EJs concluding the Phantom s long running career in the JASDF Air Defense Command 143 Although retirement was announced the 301st TFS continued operations up until 10 December 2020 with the squadron s Phantoms being decommissioned on 14 December 144 Two F 4EJs and a F 4EJ Kai continued to be operated by the Air Development and Test Wing in Gifu Prefecture until their retirement on 17 March 2021 marking an end of Phantom operations in Japan 145 South Korea Edit The Republic of Korea Air Force purchased its first batch of secondhand USAF F 4D Phantoms in 1968 under the Peace Spectator program The F 4Ds continued to be delivered until 1988 The Peace Pheasant II program also provided new built and former USAF F 4Es 146 Spain Edit The Spanish Air Force acquired its first batch of ex USAF F 4C Phantoms in 1971 under the Peace Alfa program Designated C 12 the aircraft were retired in 1989 At the same time the air arm received a number of ex USAF RF 4Cs designated CR 12 In 1995 1996 these aircraft received extensive avionics upgrades Spain retired its RF 4s in 2002 147 148 Turkey Edit A Turkish Air Force F 4E Phantom II aircraft armed with Popeye missiles takes off from Third Air Force Base Konya Turkey during Exercise Anatolian Eagle The Turkish Air Force TAF received 40 F 4Es in 1974 with a further 32 F 4Es and 8 RF 4Es in 1977 78 under the Peace Diamond III program followed by 40 ex USAF aircraft in Peace Diamond IV in 1987 and a further 40 ex U S Air National Guard Aircraft in 1991 149 A further 32 RF 4Es were transferred to Turkey after being retired by the Luftwaffe between 1992 and 1994 149 In 1995 Israel Aerospace Industries IAI implemented an upgrade similar to Kurnass 2000 on 54 Turkish F 4Es which were dubbed the F 4E 2020 Terminator 21 Turkish F 4s and more modern F 16s have been used to strike Kurdish PKK bases in ongoing military operations in Northern Iraq 150 On 22 June 2012 a Turkish RF 4E was shot down by Syrian air defenses while flying a reconnaissance flight near the Turkish Syrian border 151 152 Turkey has stated the reconnaissance aircraft was in international airspace when it was shot down while Syrian authorities stated it was inside Syrian airspace 153 Turkish F 4s remained in use as of 2020 128 154 and it plans to fly them at least until 2030 155 On 24 February 2015 two RF 4Es crashed in the Malatya region in the southeast of Turkey under yet unknown circumstances killing both crew of two each 156 157 158 On 5 March 2015 an F 4E 2020 crashed in central Anatolia killing both crew 159 160 After the recent accidents the TAF withdrew RF 4Es from active service Turkey was reported to have used F 4 jets to attack PKK separatists and the ISIS capital on 19 September 2015 161 The Turkish Air Force has reportedly used the F 4E 2020s against the more recent Third Phase of the PKK conflict on heavy bombardment missions into Iraq on 15 November 2015 12 January 2016 and 12 March 2016 162 163 United Kingdom Edit Main article McDonnell Douglas Phantom in UK service An F 4J of the U S Navy foreground alongside an F 4K of the Fleet Air Arm background wait to be catapulted from USS Independence March 1975 one of the major differences can be seen by the higher degree of the British aircraft s extendable nose wheel Both variants were eventually used by the RAF The United Kingdom bought versions based on the U S Navy s F 4J for use with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy s Fleet Air Arm The UK was the only country outside the United States to operate the Phantom at sea with them operating from HMS Ark Royal The main differences were the use of the British Rolls Royce Spey engines and of British made avionics The RN and RAF versions were given the designation F 4K and F 4M respectively and entered service with the British military aircraft designations Phantom FG 1 fighter ground attack and Phantom FGR 2 fighter ground attack reconnaissance 164 165 Initially the FGR 2 was used in the ground attack and reconnaissance role primarily with RAF Germany while 43 Squadron was formed in the air defense role using the FG 1s that had been intended for the Fleet Air Arm for use aboard HMS Eagle The superiority of the Phantom over the English Electric Lightning in terms of both range and weapons system capability combined with the successful introduction of the SEPECAT Jaguar meant that during the mid 1970s most of the ground attack Phantoms in Germany were redeployed to the UK to replace air defense Lightning squadrons 166 A second RAF squadron 111 Squadron was formed on the FG 1 in 1979 after the disbandment of 892 NAS In 1982 during the Falklands War three Phantom FGR2s of No 29 Squadron were on active Quick Reaction Alert duty on Ascension Island to protect the base from air attack 167 After the Falklands War 15 upgraded ex USN F 4Js known as the F 4J UK entered RAF service to compensate for one interceptor squadron redeployed to the Falklands 114 Around 15 RAF squadrons received various marks of Phantom many of them based in Germany The first to be equipped was No 228 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Coningsby in August 1968 One noteworthy operator was No 43 Squadron where Phantom FG1s remained the squadron equipment for 20 years arriving in September 1969 and departing in July 1989 During this period the squadron was based at Leuchars 168 The interceptor Phantoms were replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3 from the late 1980s onwards and the last combat British Phantoms were retired in October 1992 when No 74 F Squadron was disbanded 21 168 Phantom FG 1 XT597 was the last British Phantom to be retired on 28 January 1994 it was used as a test jet by the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment for its whole service life 169 170 Civilian use Edit Sandia National Laboratories expended an F 4 mounted on a rocket sled in a crash test to record the results of an aircraft impacting a reinforced concrete structure such as a nuclear power plant 171 The Collings Foundation F 4D Phantom II with Vietnam era Ritchie DeBellevue markings taxis at Selfridge ANGB May 2005 One aircraft an F 4D civilian registration NX749CF is operated by the Massachusetts based non profit organization Collings Foundation as a living history exhibit 21 172 Funds to maintain and operate the aircraft which is based in Houston Texas are raised through donations sponsorships from public and commercial parties 173 174 After finding the Lockheed F 104 Starfighter inadequate NASA used the F 4 to photograph and film Titan II missiles after launch from Cape Canaveral during the 1960s Retired U S Air Force colonel Jack Petry described how he put his F 4 into a Mach 1 2 dive synchronized to the launch countdown then walked the rocket s contrail Petry s Phantom stayed with the Titan for 90 seconds reaching 68 000 feet then broke away as the missile continued into space 19 NASA s Dryden Flight Research Center acquired an F 4A on 3 December 1965 It made 55 flights in support of short programs chase on X 15 missions and lifting body flights The F 4 also supported a biomedical monitoring program involving 1 000 flights by NASA Flight Research Center aerospace research pilots and students of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School flying high performance aircraft The pilots were instrumented to record accurate and reliable data of electrocardiogram respiration rate and normal acceleration In 1967 the Phantom supported a brief military inspired program to determine whether an airplane s sonic boom could be directed and whether it could be used as a weapon of sorts or at least an annoyance NASA also flew an F 4C in a spanwise blowing study from 1983 to 1985 after which it was returned 175 Variants EditMain article List of McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II variants QF 4E AF Serial No 74 1626 at McGuire AFB in May 2007 with an A 10 in the background F 4A B J N and S Variants for the U S Navy and the U S Marine Corps F 4B was upgraded to F 4N and F 4J was upgraded to F 4S F 110 original USAF designation for F 4C F 4C D and E Variants for the U S Air Force F 4E introduced an internal M61 Vulcan cannon The F 4D and E were the most numerously produced widely exported and also extensively used under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment SAGE U S air defense system F 4G Wild Weasel V A dedicated SEAD variant for the U S Air Force with updated radar and avionics converted from F 4E The designation F 4G was applied earlier to an entirely different U S Navy Phantom F 4K and M Variants for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force respectively re engined with Rolls Royce Spey turbofan engines F 4EJ and RF 4EJ Simplified F 4E exported to and license built in Japan Some modified for reconnaissance role carrying photographic and or electronic reconnaissance pods and designated RF 4EJ F 4F Simplified F 4E exported to Germany QRF 4C QF 4B E G N and S Retired aircraft converted into remote controlled target drones used for weapons and defensive systems research by USAF and USN USMC RF 4B C and E Tactical reconnaissance variants Operators Edit Hellenic Air Force RF 4E Phantom II in a special color scheme lands at RIAT 2008 UK Spanish Air Force RF 4C Phantom II 15 June 1993 Egyptian Air Force F 4E Phantom IIs of the 222nd Tactical Fighter Brigade in formation with a U S Air Force 347th Tactical Fighter Wing F 4E Phantom II during exercise Proud Phantom A RAAF F 4E Phantom II at RAAF Base Pearce in 1971 Operators Edit GreeceHellenic Air Force 18 F 4E AUPs in service 176 Andravida Air Base Elis 338 MDV IranIslamic Republic of Iran Air Force 62 F 4D F 4E and RF 4Es in service 176 177 Bandar Abbas Air Base Hormozgan Province 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron F 4E Bushehr Air Base Bushehr Province 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron F 4E Chabahar Konarak Air Base Sistan and Baluchestan Province 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron F 4D Hamadan Air Base Hamadan Province 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron RF 4E 31st Tactical Fighter Squadron F 4E South KoreaRepublic of Korea Air Force 27 F 4Es in service 176 Suwon Air Base Gyeonggi Province 153rd Fighter Squadron TurkeyTurkish Air Force 54 F 4E 2020 Terminators in service 176 Eskisehir Air Base Eskisehir Province 111 FiloFormer operators Edit AustraliaRoyal Australian Air Force F 4E 1970 to 1973 178 EgyptEgyptian Air Force F 4E 1977 to 2020 109 GermanyGerman Air Force RF 4E 1971 to 1994 F 4F 1973 to 2013 F 4E 1978 to 1992 179 GreeceHellenic Air Force RF 4E 1978 to 2017 121 IranImperial Iranian Air Force F 4D 1968 to 1979 F 4E 1971 to 1979 RF 4E 1971 to 1979 180 IsraelIsraeli Air Force F 4E 1969 to 2004 181 RF 4C 1970 to 1971 182 RF 4E 1971 to 2004 183 JapanJapan Air Self Defense Force F 4EJ 1971 to 2021 145 RF 4E 1974 to 2020 RF 4EJ 1992 to 2020 184 South KoreaRepublic of Korea Air Force F 4D 1969 to 2010 185 RF 4C 1989 to 2014 186 SpainSpanish Air Force F 4C 1971 to 1990 RF 4C 1978 to 2002 187 TurkeyTurkish Air Force RF 4E 1980 to 2015 188 United KingdomAeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment F 4K 1970 to 1994 189 Fleet Air Arm F 4K 1968 to 1978 166 Royal Air Force F 4M 1968 to 1992 F 4K 1969 to 1990 F 4J UK 1984 to 1991 166 United StatesNASA F 4A 1965 to 1967 190 F 4C 1983 to 1985 175 United States Air Force F 4B 1963 to 1964 191 F 4C 1964 to 1989 192 RF 4C 1964 to 1995 193 F 4D 1965 to 1992 F 4E 1967 to 1991 192 F 4G 1978 to 1996 191 QF 4 1996 to 2016 194 United States Marine Corps F 4B 1962 to 1979 RF 4B 1965 to 1990 F 4J 1967 to 1984 195 F 4N 1973 to 1985 196 F 4S 1978 to 1992 195 United States Navy F 4A 1960 to 1968 F 4B 1961 to 1974 F 4J 1966 to 1982 F 4N 1973 to 1984 F 4S 1979 to 1987 QF 4 1983 to 2004 197 Culture EditNicknames Edit An F 4F on display described as the World s largest distributor of MiG parts because of the high number of this type of enemy aircraft shot down The Phantom gathered a number of nicknames during its career Some of these names included Snoopy Rhino Double Ugly 198 Old Smokey 65 the Flying Anvil Flying Footlocker Flying Brick Lead Sled the Big Iron Sled and the St Louis Slugger 199 In recognition of its record of downing large numbers of Soviet built MiGs 200 it was called the World s Leading Distributor of MiG Parts 198 As a reflection of excellent performance in spite of its bulk the F 4 was dubbed the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics 201 German Luftwaffe crews called their F 4s the Eisenschwein Iron Pig Fliegender Ziegelstein Flying Brick and Luftverteidigungsdiesel Air Defense Diesel 202 In the RAF it was most commonly referred to as The Toom not tomb 203 Reputation Edit Imitating the spelling of the aircraft s name McDonnell issued a series of patches Pilots became Phantom Phlyers backseaters became Phantom Pherrets fans of the F 4 Phantom Phanatics and call it the Phabulous Phantom Ground crewmen who worked on the aircraft are known as Phantom Phixers 4 Several active websites are devoted to sharing information on the F 4 and the aircraft is grudgingly admired as brutally effective by those who have flown it Colonel Ret Chuck DeBellevue reminisced The F 4 Phantom was the last plane that looked like it was made to kill somebody It was a beast It could go through a flock of birds and kick out barbeque from the back 204 It had A reputation of being a clumsy bruiser reliant on brute engine power and obsolete weapons technology 205 The Spook Edit The Spook The aircraft s emblem is a whimsical cartoon ghost called The Spook which was created by McDonnell Douglas technical artist Anthony Tony Wong for shoulder patches The name Spook was coined by the crews of either the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing or the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing at MacDill AFB The figure is ubiquitous appearing on many items associated with the F 4 The Spook has followed the Phantom around the world adopting local fashions for example the British adaptation of the U S Phantom Man 198 is a Spook that sometimes wears a bowler hat and smokes a pipe 206 Aircraft on display EditMain article McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom IIs on display As a result of its extensive number of operators and large number of aircraft produced there are many F 4 Phantom II of numerous variants on display worldwide Notable accidents EditSee also List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft On 6 June 1971 Hughes Airwest Flight 706 a McDonnell Douglas DC 9 31 collided in mid air with a United States Marine Corps F 4B Phantom above the San Gabriel Mountains while en route from Los Angeles International Airport to Salt Lake City All 49 on board the DC 9 were killed while the pilot of the F 4B was unable to eject and died when the aircraft crashed shortly afterwards The F 4B s Radar Intercept Officer successfully ejected from the plane and parachuted to safety being the sole survivor of the incident On 9 August 1974 a Royal Air Force Phantom FGR2 was involved in a fatal collision with a civilian PA 25 235 Pawnee crop sprayer over Norfolk England Aircraft Accident Report 975 On 21 March 1987 Captain Dean Paul Martin a pilot in the 163d Tactical Fighter Group of the California Air National Guard and son of entertainer Dean Martin crashed his F 4C into San Gorgonio Mountain California shortly after departure from March Air Force Base Both Martin and his weapon systems officer WSO Captain Ramon Ortiz were killed 207 On 30 January 2023 a Greek Air Force F 4E Phantom II crashed into the Ionian Sea The aircraft was conducting a training exercise when it crashed 46 km south of the Andravida Air Base The co pilot First Lieutenant Marios Michael Touroutsikas was killed The pilot Captain Efstathios Tsitlakidis was also declared dead 208 Specifications F 4E Edit 3 side view of the F 4E F Structural view of partially disassembled German F 4 Phantoms VF 96 F 4J Showtime 100 armed with Sidewinder and Sparrow missiles 9 February 1972 A ROKAF F 4D Phantom II armed with AIM 9 missiles at Daegu Air Base in January 1979 Data from The Great Book of Fighters 114 Quest for Performance 20 Encyclopedia of USAF Aircraft 62 and McDonnell F 4 Phantom Spirit in the Skies 209 General characteristicsCrew 2 Length 63 ft 0 in 19 2 m Wingspan 38 ft 5 in 11 7 m Width 27 ft 7 in 8 4 210 m wing folded Height 16 ft 5 in 5 m Wing area 530 sq ft 49 2 m2 Aspect ratio 2 77 Airfoil NACA 0006 4 64 root NACA 0003 64 tip Empty weight 30 328 lb 13 757 kg Gross weight 41 500 lb 18 824 kg Max takeoff weight 61 795 lb 28 030 kg Maximum landing weight 36 831 lb 16 706 kg Fuel capacity 1 994 US gal 1 660 imp gal 7 550 l internal 3 335 US gal 2 777 imp gal 12 620 l with 2x 370 US gal 310 imp gal 1 400 l external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal 500 or 510 imp gal 2 300 or 2 300 l tank for the center line station Powerplant 2 General Electric J79 GE 17A after burning turbojet engines 11 905 lbf 52 96 kN thrust each dry 17 845 lbf 79 38 kN with afterburnerPerformance Maximum speed 1 280 kn 1 470 mph 2 370 km h at 40 000 ft 12 000 m Maximum speed Mach 2 23 Cruise speed 510 kn 580 mph 940 km h Combat range 370 nmi 420 mi 680 km Ferry range 1 457 nmi 1 677 mi 2 699 km Service ceiling 60 000 ft 18 000 m Rate of climb 41 300 ft min 210 m s Lift to drag 8 58 Wing loading 78 lb sq ft 380 kg m2 Thrust weight 0 86 at loaded weight 0 58 at MTOW Takeoff roll 4 490 ft 1 370 m at 53 814 lb 24 410 kg Landing roll 3 680 ft 1 120 m at 36 831 lb 16 706 kg Armament E model has a 20 mm 0 787 in M61A1 Vulcan cannon mounted internally under the nose 640 rounds Up to 18 650 lb 8 480 kg of weapons on nine external hardpoints including general purpose bombs cluster bombs TV and laser guided bombs rocket pods air to ground missiles anti ship missiles gun pods and nuclear weapons Reconnaissance targeting electronic countermeasures and baggage pods and external fuel tanks may also be carried 4 AIM 9 Sidewinders on wing pylons Israeli F 4 Kurnass 2000 carried Python 3 Japanese F 4EJ Kai carry AAM 3 4 AIM 7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses upgraded Hellenic F 4E and German F 4F ICE carry AIM 120 AMRAAM UK Phantoms carried Skyflash missiles 211 6 AGM 65 Maverick 4 AGM 62 Walleye 4 AGM 45 Shrike AGM 88 HARM AGM 78 Standard ARM 4 GBU 15 18 Mk 82 GBU 12 5 Mk 84 GBU 10 GBU 14 18 CBU 87 CBU 89 CBU 58 Nuclear weapons including the B28EX B61 B43 and B57See also Edit Aviation portalF 4 Phantom II in fiction Operation BoloRelated development McDonnell F3H Demon McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG 1 FGR 2 F 3Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Dassault Mirage III English Electric Lightning Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 21 Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 23 Republic F 105 Thunderchief Saab 35 Draken Shenyang J 8 Sukhoi Su 15 Vought XF8U 3 Crusader IIIRelated lists List of fighter aircraft List of military aircraft of the United StatesReferences EditNotes Edit The aircraft was originally designated the AH and later re designated F4H by the United States Navy while the U S Air Force s original designation was F 110A Spectre The F 4 designation came about in 1962 when the designation systems for all branches of the U S military were unified by the order of U S Defense Secretary Robert McNamara Within McDonnell Aircraft the F 4 was referred to as Model 98 2 Citations Edit Devine Jacqueline USAF bids farewell to F 4 Phantom Military 1 Archived from the original on 7 February 2017 Retrieved 6 February 2017 a b c Swanborough and Bowers 1976 p 301 Boeing Historical Snapshot F 4 Phantom II Fighter boeing com Archived from the original on 14 August 2020 Retrieved 29 August 2020 a b c d e f F 4 Phantoms Phabulous 40th Boeing Retrieved 27 November 2012 First to Last Phabulous 40th Boeing archived from the original on 13 December 2009 retrieved 19 November 2007 a b Phantom Phirsts Phabulous 40th Boeing archived from the original on 29 June 2011 retrieved 27 November 2012 a b c d e f g h World Record Holder Phabulous 40th Boeing archived from the original on 6 July 2009 retrieved 14 December 2007 a b c Dorr and Bishop 1996 pp 200 201 a b Dorr and Bishop 1996 pp 188 189 Donald Spring 1991 p 26 Donald Summer 1991 p 22 a b Lake 1992 p 190 Lake 1992 p 203 Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 13 Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 11 Dorr 2008 p 61 Phabulous 40th Phantom Development Archived 7 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine 1978 Commemorative Book Boeing Retrieved 14 February 2008 Lake 1992 p 15 a b c d e f g h i j Joiner Stephen March 2015 What Couldn t the F 4 Phantom Do Air amp Space Archived from the original on 6 June 2020 Retrieved 5 June 2020 a b c Loftin Laurence K Quest for Performance The Evolution of Modern Aircraft SP 468 Archived 13 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Washington DC National Aeronautics and Space Administration History Office Scientific and Technical Information Branch 1985 Retrieved 19 November 2007 a b c d e f g h i j k Donald and Lake 2002 pp 6 8 Angelucci 1987 p 316 Lake 1992 p 21 a b c Eden 2004 p 278 Knaack 1978 p 266 Gunston 1979 p 246 AWG 10 Radar Antenna Control Type C 8778 APG 59 Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 10 June 2014 McDonnell F 4J Phantom II Archived from the original on 14 July 2014 Retrieved 10 June 2014 Project Bee Line Archived from the original on 3 May 2012 Gunston 1981 p 233 Dorr 1987 p 39 Photos McDonnell Douglas Mitsubishi F 4EJ Kai Phantom II Aircraft Pictures Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine Airliners net Retrieved on 28 July 2013 Directory World Air Forces Archived 11 October 2017 at the Wayback Machine Flight International 11 17 November 2008 pp 52 76 Final flight farewells Phantom Archived from the original on 24 April 2017 Retrieved 23 April 2017 This day in aviation 6 December 1959 Archived 26 April 2014 at the Wayback Machine Bryan R Swopes Retrieved 25 April 2014 Lake 1992 pp 16 17 Naval Aviation News July 1961 p 6 Stein Alan J Seattle native Dick Gordon orbits the moon on 18 November 1969 Archived 30 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine HistoryLink org 13 June 1999 Retrieved 13 February 2008 Grossnick Roy A Part 9 The Sixth Decade 1960 1969 Archived 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine history navy mil Retrieved 21 July 2010 United States Naval Aviation 1910 1995 Archived 12 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine Naval Historical Center 1997 Retrieved 21 July 2010 McDonnell F 4A F4H 1 Phantom II Sageburner National Air and Space Museum Smithsonian Institution Retrieved 22 August 2011 McComb Enterprise Journal USM 22 November 1961 This Day in Aviation 22 November 2016 Archived from the original on 15 March 2017 Retrieved 15 March 2017 22 November 1961 22 November 2021 Archived from the original on 15 March 2017 Retrieved 15 March 2017 Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 15 Naval Aviation News April 1962 p 12 Naval Aviation News June 1962 p 12 USN Photo 1143454 Archived from the original on 7 May 2022 Retrieved 7 May 2022 US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series 145062 to 150138 www joebaugher com Archived from the original on 17 June 2010 Retrieved 7 May 2022 Naval Aviation News April 1962 p 12 Naval Aviation News June 1962 p 12 Phabulous 40th Current Uses of Titanium F 4 Archived 9 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing 1971 F 4B C 1 006 lb 7 7 of Structure F J E 1 261 lb 8 5 of Structure Retrieved 14 February 2008 Donald and Lake 1996 p 268 Dorr and Donald 1990 p 198 McDonnell Douglas F 4D Phantom II Archived 23 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the USAF Retrieved 20 January 2008 Angelucci 1987 p 310 Donald David Warplanes of the Fleet London AIRtime Publishing Inc 2004 ISBN 1 880588 81 1 Goebel Greg Phantom Over Southeast Asia Archived 23 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Vectorsite net Retrieved 18 January 2008 a b Higham and Williams 1978 McDonnell Douglas F 4S Phantom Archived 27 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine MAPS Air Museum at Akron Canton Airport Retrieved 28 March 2010 Richardson and Spick 1984 p 25 a b c Knaack 1978 Fact sheet discussing the F 110 Archived 20 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine National Museum of the U S Air Force Retrieved 26 May 2008 Dorr and Bishop 1996 p 37 a b Wetterhahn Ralph January 2009 Where Have All the Phantoms Gone Air amp Space Archived from the original on 17 June 2013 Retrieved 9 September 2013 Dorr and Bishop 1996 p 38 Dorr and Bishop 1996 pp 48 49 Dorr and Bishop 1996 p 232 Knaack 1974 p 274 Swanborough and Bowers 1976 p 188 Baugher Joe Phantom Service with USAF Archived 4 November 2010 at the Wayback Machine Joe Baugher s Home Page Retrieved 27 February 2010 a b c d e Correll John T The Vietnam War Almanac PDF Air Force Magazine September 2004 with attribution to USAF Operations Report 30 November 1973 Retrieved 19 November 2007 Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 222 Hobson 2001 pp 268 270 Dorr and Bishop 1996 pp 198 199 Kirk R amp Lihani R Producers 8 February 29 Dogfights Supersonic Transcript Television series episode In Dogfights Houston Texas The History Channel Handley Phil FU Hero Archived 17 February 2015 at the Wayback Machine fighterpilotuniversity com Retrieved Phabulous 40th Last to Serve Archived 13 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing Retrieved 19 November 2007 Bosco Albert 23 October 2002 Team Target keeps Air Force on mark Press release Tyndall Air Force Base U S Air Force Archived from the original on 1 July 2015 Retrieved 29 June 2015 Carrara 2006 p 48 Melampy 2011 pp 38 39 PICTURE US Air Force gets final QF 4 aerial target Archived 14 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 5 December 2013 Echols SrA Alex 28 May 2015 Final Tyndall QF 4 takes off 325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs Archived from the original on 1 July 2015 Retrieved 28 June 2015 Phenol unmanned Phantom Mission 31 August 2016 Archived 20 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine combataircraft net Retrieved 20 November 2016 1 Archived 23 December 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 23 December 2016 USAF QF 4s set for 2017 out of service date Archived 24 December 2015 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 9 November 2015 a b Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 260 Lake 1992 p 199 Lake 1992 p 200 Dorr 1995 p 196 Burgess 1985 p 388 Dorr and Bishop 1996 p 44 Navy MiG Killers Archived 27 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine phantomphlyers org a b Grossnick 1997 Hunter Jamie and Collens Richard In Relentless Pursuit of Excellence VX 30 Bloodhounds Archived 26 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine PDF Naval Aviation News September October 2004 pp 26 29 Retrieved 10 November 2015 Eden 2004 p 276 Eden 2004 p 277 Crowther M J and Rusty Baker The History of VMFA 112 Archived 27 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 U S Marine Corps Retrieved 13 February 2008 MiG 21 against the Phantom Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 Retrieved 14 November 2014 Anderton 1987 pp 70 71 Nga noi gi về cuộc đấu MiG 21 va F 4 ở Việt Nam 2 Kienthuc net vn 27 December 2013 Archived from the original on 21 October 2014 Retrieved 14 November 2014 Migs over North Vietnam The Vietnam People s Air Force in Combat 1965 75 Stackpole Military History a b c Mig 21 against the Phantom Archived from the original on 29 November 2014 a b Vietnamese Air to Air Victories Part 2 Archived from the original on 4 March 2013 Retrieved 14 November 2014 a b Lake 1992 p 209 RAAF Aircraft Series 3 A69 Phantom Archived 21 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine RAAF Museum Point Cook Retrieved 14 November 2008 Fricker 2000 p 59 Fricker 2000 p 60 a b Phantom wing finally re equipped with F 16s Arabian Aerospace 23 July 2020 Archived from the original on 12 April 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Lake 1992 p 210 Lake 1992 p 210 Fricker 2000 p 81 Fricker 2000 p 80 a b c d Green and Swanborough 2001 List 2006 p 51 Jan de Ridder Dirk German Phantoms still going strong AirForces Monthly magazine June 2008 issue p 40 German air force to bid Pharewell to last F 4Fs Archived 30 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine Flightglobal com 26 June 2013 Auf Wiedersehn Phantom Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine Aviation Week blog 1 July 2013 Dimitropoulos K F 4 Phantom in Greek Athens Constantinidis Publications 1997 ISBN 960 8426 01 4 Manakanatas D and D Stergiou Phantom F 4 in Greek Athens Epikoinonies S A 2002 a b Bozinovski Igor 8 May 2017 Hellenic Air Force retires recce squadron RF 4Es IHS Jane s 360 Archived from the original on 9 May 2017 Retrieved 9 May 2017 Lake 1992 p 213 Gennadii N Eliseev Medal record and citation Archived from the original on 16 September 2011 Retrieved 10 February 2011 Fricker 2000 p 64 Cooper and Bishop Air Enthusiast March April 2004 pp 5 6 Cooper and Bishop Air Enthusiast March April 2004 pp 7 8 Times Richard Halloran and Special To the New York 6 June 1984 2 Iranian Fighters Reported Downed by Saudi Air Force The New York Times Archived from the original on 29 January 2017 Retrieved 11 February 2017 a b US official confirms Iran is bombing Islamic State Times of Israel Archived from the original on 29 December 2014 Retrieved 2 December 2014 Iran jets bomb Islamic State targets in Iraq Pentagon BBC News Archived from the original on 23 September 2018 Retrieved 20 June 2018 Lake 1992 p 215 Nordeen 1991 p 99 Directory World Air Forces Israel Archived 7 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight International 16 22 November 2004 Retrieved 14 February 2008 Fricker 2000 p 85 Baugher Joseph F McDonnell F 4EJ Phantom II Archived 16 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine F 4 history Retrieved 31 December 2009 17 8440 McDonnell Douglas F 4EJ Kai Archived 28 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 28 September 2017 Baugher Joseph F McDonnell F 4EJ Kai Phantom II Archived 27 August 2010 at the Wayback Machine F 4 history Retrieved 31 December 2009 Grevatt Jon Japan narrows next generation fighter requirement choice Jane s Defence Industry 21 March 2007 Retrieved 19 November 2007 Japan likely to choose F 35 for F X requirement reports Archived 8 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine Flight International 14 December 2011 Retrieved 18 December 2011 Kallender Umezu Paul Japan s Fighter Procurement Crunch 6 June 2015 Archived 22 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine Defense News Retrieved 15 February 2017 Reim Garrett 29 March 2019 Japan s air force stood up its first operational F 35A fighter squadron the 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron on 29 March Flight Global Archived from the original on 30 March 2019 Retrieved 13 July 2019 jasdf hyakuri 25 March 2020 航空総隊司令官は 百里基地 において 航空総隊 直轄部隊である 偵察航空隊 の廃止に伴う 隊旗返還式 を執行しました 偵空隊の総員が整列し見守る中 偵空隊司令から総隊司令官に隊旗が返還 偵空隊は3 26をもって廃止され 1961年の創設から59年の長きに亘る栄光の歴史に幕を閉じました Tweet in Japanese via Twitter Japanese RF 4E Phantoms Have Just Carried Out Their Last Flight Archived 10 March 2020 at the Wayback Machine theaviationist com 9 March 2020 Quote However the 301 Squadron also based at Hyakuri and equipped with the grey F 4EJ Kai jets with the squadron emblem a frog on the tail will continue to operate the Phantom for some months jasdf hyakuri 20 November 2020 本日 百里基地 は 第３０１飛行隊 壮行行事を実施しました 48年間に及ぶ F4 運用の終止符として 基地協力団体代表の方々 歴代飛行隊長 総隊司令官 統幕副長をはじめ多くの方々のご臨席を賜り３０１飛行隊の偉業をたたえるとともに新たな門出を祝いました Tweet in Japanese via Twitter The Phinal ending of 301 Hikotai Phantom operations Scramble nl 11 December 2020 Archived from the original on 11 December 2020 Retrieved 17 March 2021 a b Cenciotti David 17 March 2021 Japan s Last Three F 4EJ Phantoms Have Just Flown For The Last Time The Aviationist Archived from the original on 18 March 2021 Retrieved 17 March 2021 Lake 1992 p 218 McDonnell Douglas F 4C Phantom II in Spanish Archived 27 December 2007 at the Wayback Machine Ejercito del Aire Ministerio de Defensa Espana Retrieved 19 November 2007 Wierenga Eddy Spanish Air Arms Other Air Forces Ejercito del Aire FAMET Armada Archived 30 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Scramble magazine Retrieved 19 November 2007 a b Fricker 2000 p 88 Turkey kills almost 100 terrorists in offensives led by top commanders Archived 23 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Today s Zaman 23 October 2011 Syrian military says it downed Turkish fighter jet Archived 3 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine BBC 23 June 2012 Turkey to push NATO on jet downing by Syria Archived 27 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine CBC 25 June 2012 Turkish jet downed by Syria in international airspace Archived 28 July 2018 at the Wayback Machine BBC Retrieved 24 June 2012 Iddon Paul Where Can Turkey Buy Stopgap Fighter Jets For Its Aging Air Force Forbes Archived from the original on 16 May 2021 Retrieved 9 July 2021 Tegle Eric 28 November 2021 Turkey s Request To Buy F 16s Reminds Us That F 4 Phantoms Aren t Ghosts Yet Forbes Archived from the original on 21 June 2022 Retrieved 21 June 2022 Harro Ranter ASN Aircraft accident 24 FEB 2015 McDonnell Douglas RF 4E Phantom II aviation safety net Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Two Turkish fighter jets crash killing four hurriyetdailynews com Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Four dead as two Turkish military jets crash official The Daily Star Newspaper Lebanon Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Turkish F 4 Phantom crashes two dead janes com Archived from the original on 8 April 2015 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Turkish military aircraft crashes two pilots dead DailySabah 5 March 2015 Archived from the original on 2 April 2015 Retrieved 7 April 2015 Turkey hits ISIS capital targets amid war with PKK Daily Sabah 13 September 2015 Archived from the original on 13 September 2015 Retrieved 14 September 2015 Turkish military destroys PKK targets in Northern Iraq Daily Sabah 13 January 2016 Archived from the original on 4 March 2016 Retrieved 12 March 2016 Turkish military hit 44 PKK targets in northern Iraq Archived from the original on 22 November 2015 Retrieved 12 March 2016 Donald 1999 p 11 Donald 1999 p 5 a b c History McDonnell Douglas BAC F 4K M Phantom II Thunder and Lightnings Archived from the original on 1 June 2013 Retrieved 2 April 2013 Burden et al 1986 pp 417 419 a b Jefford 2001 Not a Lot of People Know That Royal Air Force Museum Archived from the original on 13 July 2021 Retrieved 13 July 2021 XT897 British Phantom Aviation Group Archived from the original on 13 July 2021 Retrieved 13 July 2021 Footage of 1988 rocket sled test Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Slow motion video Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine Sandia National Laboratories via sandia gov Retrieved 2 March 2011 McDonnell Douglas Phantom II Archived 29 October 2007 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation Retrieved 19 November 2007 Collings Foundation Background Archived 25 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation Retrieved 11 January 2008 Sponsors Archived 1 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine Collings Foundation Retrieved 11 January 2008 a b NASA Dryden F 4 Graphics Collection Archived 1 November 2009 at the Wayback Machine NASA Retrieved 1 August 2009 a b c d Taghvaee Babak April 2021 Samurai Sunset Air Forces Monthly Key Publishing Ltd pp 48 49 Orbats Iran Air Force Scramble nl Archived from the original on 23 March 2021 Retrieved 22 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom with Royal Australian Air Force Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 30 July 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom with Luftwaffe Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 15 April 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 30 March 2004 Phantom with Iran Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 14 June 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom with Israel Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 6 September 2018 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Hayles John 3 March 2007 Israel Air Force Aeroflight Archived from the original on 16 October 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Petrinic Emil March 2015 F 4X The Fastest Phantom HistoryNet Archived from the original on 19 May 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Japan retires its last McDonnell Douglas RF 4E EJ Photo Phantoms recon aircraft Asia Pacific Defense Journal 18 March 2020 Archived from the original on 25 September 2020 Retrieved 20 November 2020 Donald David 2 July 2010 McDonnell F 4D Phantom Bows Out of Service AIN Online Archived from the original on 20 October 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 세계 최후의 RF 4C 정찰기 한국서 은퇴 비행 NewDaily in Korean 28 February 2014 Archived from the original on 16 October 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 8 May 2004 Phantom with Spain Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 30 July 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Ozbek Tolga 11 March 2015 Twin crash prompts Turkey to order RF 4E retirement Flight Global Archived from the original on 10 April 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 Survivors British Phantom Aviation Group Archived from the original on 13 July 2021 Retrieved 13 July 2021 F 4A Image Gallery NASA 27 August 2013 Archived from the original on 22 January 2023 Retrieved 25 March 2021 a b Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom Service with USAF Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 4 November 2010 Retrieved 25 March 2021 a b Baugher Joseph F 30 April 2000 Phantom with Air National Guard Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 23 October 2021 Retrieved 25 March 2021 Aircraft History 152nd Airlift Wing 2 June 2008 Archived from the original on 8 May 2021 Retrieved 25 March 2021 82 Aerial Targets Squadron ACC Air Force Historical Research Agency 26 December 2007 Archived from the original on 20 October 2020 Retrieved 25 March 2021 a b Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom with US Marine Corps Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 23 October 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 McDonnell F 4N Phantom II BuNo 152291 Naval Air Museum Barbers Point Archived from the original on 19 April 2021 Retrieved 21 March 2021 Baugher Joseph F 28 September 2015 Phantom with US Navy Joe Baugher Archived from the original on 23 October 2021 Retrieved 18 March 2021 a b c Phabulous 40th Gee Whiz Archived 15 December 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing Retrieved 20 January 2008 Basic Aircraft Wisdom and Aircraft Nicknames Archived 2 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine Bluejacket com Retrieved 19 November 2007 Thornborough and Davies 1994 p 202 More QF 4s And A New Trick for Old Dogs Archived 24 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine Defense Industry Daily 22 January 2008 Retrieved 26 January 2008 Quote These large 2 seat multi role fighters were a triumph of thrust over aerodynamics and formed the mainstay of the USAF and U S Navy fleets for many years Zwei Alarmrotten mit dem Luftverteidigungsdiesel in German Archived 31 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine Hamburger Abendblatt 25 November 2004 Retrieved 26 January 2008 Aviation Classics Issue 25 3 October 2016 ISBN 978 1 909128 32 3 Leone Dario 23 February 2017 Saying Goodbye to Old Smokey The Phinal Phantom Phlight The Aviation Geek Club Archived from the original on 20 September 2021 Retrieved 14 September 2021 Roblin Sebastien 25 June 2016 The F 4 Is a Great Fighter With a Bad Reputation Warisboring com Archived from the original on 14 February 2020 Retrieved 3 March 2020 Phabulous 40th UK Spook Archived 6 July 2009 at the Wayback Machine Boeing Retrieved 13 February 2008 The Son Of Singer Dean Martin Killed While Flying His Military Phantom Jet Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine avstop com Retrieved 9 April 2011 Kokkinidis Tasos 30 January 2023 One Dead One Missing After Fighter Jet Crashes in Greece Greek Reporter Retrieved 30 January 2023 Lake 1992 pp 92 111 McDonnell Douglas F 4E Flight Manual PDF 1979 ed pp 1 1 Archived PDF from the original on 18 January 2023 Retrieved 18 January 2023 From 1978 replacing the AIM 7 Sparrow Bibliography Edit Angelucci Enzo The American Fighter Sparkford Somerset UK Haynes Publishing Group 1987 ISBN 0 85429 635 2 Beit Hallahmi Benjamin The Israeli Connection Whom Israel Arms and Why London I G Tauris 1987 ISBN 1 85043 069 1 Bishop Farzad and Tom Cooper Iranian F 4 Phantom II Units in Combat Osprey Combat Aircraft 37 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2003 ISBN 978 1 84176 658 4 Bowers Peter M and Enzo Angellucci The American Fighter New York Orion Books 1987 ISBN 0 517 56588 9 Burden Rodney Michael I Draper Douglas A Rough Colin R Smith and David L Wilton Falklands The Air War London Arms and Armour Press 1986 ISBN 0 85368 842 7 Burgess Richard E The Naval Aviation Guide 4th ed Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 1985 ISBN 0 87021 409 8 Calvert Denis Le Tigri della RAF RAF s Tigers in Italian Aerei magazine N 5 Parma Italy Delta editrice 1991 Carrara Dino Phantom Targets The USAFs Last F 4 Squadron Air International Volume 71 no 5 November 2006 Stamford Lincolnshire UK Key Publishing pp 42 48 ISSN 0306 5634 Cooper Tom and Farzad Bishop Target Saddam s Reactor Israeli and Iranian Operations Against Iraqi Planes to Develop Nuclear Weapons Air Enthusiast No 110 March April 2004 pp 2 12 ISSN 0143 5450 Davies Peter E USAF F 4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965 68 Osprey Combat Aircraft 45 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2004 ISBN 978 1 84176 656 0 Davies Peter E USAF F 4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972 73 Osprey Combat Aircraft 55 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2005 ISBN 978 1 84176 657 7 Deurenberg Rudd Shedding Light on Iranian Phantoms Air Enthusiast No 111 May June 2004 p 72 ISSN 0143 5450 Donald David RAF Phantoms Wings of Fame London Aerospace Volume 15 1999 pp 4 21 ISBN 1 86184 033 0 Donald David and Jon Lake eds Desert Storm The First Phase World Air Power Journal London Aerospace Volume 5 Spring 1991 ISSN 0959 7050 Donald David and Jon Lake eds Desert Storm Gulf Victory World Air Power Journal London Aerospace Volume 6 Summer 1991 ISSN 0959 7050 Donald David and Jon Lake eds Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft London AIRtime Publishing 1996 ISBN 1 880588 24 2 Donald David and Jon Lake eds McDonnell F 4 Phantom Spirit in the Skies London AIRtime Publishing 2002 ISBN 1 880588 31 5 Dorr Robert F Navy Phantoms in Vietnam Wings of Fame Volume 1 1995 London Aerospace Publishing ISBN 1 874023 68 9 Dorr Robert F McDonnell F3H Demon Aeroplane Volume 36 No 3 March 2008 pp 58 61 London IBC Dorr Robert F and Chris Bishop eds Vietnam Air War Debrief London Aerospace Publishing 1996 ISBN 1 874023 78 6 Dorr Robert F and Jon Lake Fighters of the United States Air Force London Temple Press 1990 ISBN 0 600 55094 X Dorr Robert F Phantoms Forever London Osprey Publishing Limited 1987 ISBN 0 85045 742 4 Eden Paul ed The Encyclopedia of Modern Military Aircraft London Amber Books Ltd 2004 ISBN 1 904687 84 9 Elward Brad and Peter Davies US Navy F 4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1965 70 Osprey Combat Aircraft 26 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2001 ISBN 978 1 84176 163 3 Elward Brad and Peter Davies US Navy F 4 Phantom II MiG Killers 1972 73 Osprey Combat Aircraft 30 Oxford UK Osprey Publishing Limited 2002 ISBN 978 1 84176 264 7 Freeman CJ and Gunston Bill Consulting ed The Encyclopedia of World Airpower Crown Publishers 1979 ISBN 0 517 53754 0 Fricker John Boeing McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II Current Operators World Air Power Journal London Aerospace Volume 40 Spring 2000 ISBN 1 86184 043 8 Green William and Gordon Swanborough The Great Book of Fighters St Paul Minnesota MBI Publishing 2001 ISBN 0 7603 1194 3 Gimmi Russell M Airman The Life of Richard F B Gimmi Bloomington Indiana iUniverse 2009 ISBN 978 1 4401 5311 2 Goodrum Alastair January February 2004 Down Range Losses over the Wash in the 1960s and 1970s Air Enthusiast 109 12 17 ISSN 0143 5450 Grossnick Roy and William J Armstrong United States Naval Aviation 1910 1995 Annapolis Maryland Naval Historical Center 1997 ISBN 0 16 049124 X Gunston Bill ed The Illustrated History of Fighters New York New York Exeter Books Div of Simon Schuster 1981 ISBN 0 89673 103 0 Gunston Bill Consulting ed The Encyclopedia of World Airpower Crown Publishers 1979 ISBN 0 517 53754 0 Higham Robin and Carol Williams Flying Combat Aircraft of USAAF USAF Vol 2 Manhattan Kansas Sunflower University Press 1978 ISBN 0 8138 0375 6 Hobson Chris Vietnam Air Losses USAF USN USMC Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast Asia 1961 1973 North Branch Minnesota Specialty Press 2001 ISBN 1 85780 115 6 Howarth Alan Spanish Phantoms and Their Legacy Air Enthusiast 115 January February 2005 p 74ISSN 0143 5450 Jefford C G RAF Squadrons A Comprehensive Record of the Movement and Equipment of All RAF Squadrons and Their Antecedents Since 1912 Shrewsbury UK Airlife Publishing 2nd edition 2001 ISBN 1 84037 141 2 Jones Lloyd S U S Fighters 1925 1980s Fallbrook California Aero Publishers Inc 1975 ISBN 0 8168 9200 8 Knaack Marcelle Size Encyclopedia of U S Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems Volume 1 Post World War II Fighters 1945 1973 Washington DC Office of Air Force History 1978 ISBN 0 912799 59 5 Lake Jon McDonnell F 4 Phantom Spirit in the Skies London Aerospace Publishing 1992 ISBN 1 880588 04 8 List Friedrich German Air Arms Review Air International Volume 70 No 5 May 2006 pp 50 57 Stamford Lincolnshire UK Key Publishing ISSN 0306 5634 Melampy Jake Phantoms West Air International Volume 80 No 1 January 2011 pp 36 38 Stamford Lincolnshire UK Key Publishing ISSN 0306 5634 Nordeen Lon Fighters Over Israel The Story of the Israeli Air Force from the War of Independence to the Bekaa Valley London Guild Publishing 1991 ISBN 1 85367 098 7 Richardson Doug and Mike Spick F 4 Phantom II Modern Fighting Aircraft Volume 4 New York Arco Publishing 1984 ISBN 0 668 06068 9 Swanborough Gordon and Peter Bowers United States Military Aircraft Since 1909 Washington District of Columbia Smithsonian 1989 ISBN 0 87474 880 1 Swanborough Gordon and Peter Bowers United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 London Putnam 1976 ISBN 0 370 10054 9 Taylor Michael J H Jane s American Fighting Aircraft of the 20th century New York Mallard Press 1991 ISBN 0 7924 5627 0 Thetford Owen British Naval Aircraft since 1912 London Putnam Fourth Edition 1994 pp 254 255 ISBN 0 85177 861 5 Thornborough Anthony M and Peter E Davies The Phantom Story London Arms and Armour Press 1994 ISBN 1 85409 121 2 Wagner Ray American Combat Planes Third Enlarged Edition New York Doubleday 1982 ISBN 0 385 13120 8 Wilson Stewart Phantom Hornet and Skyhawk in Australian Service Weston Creek ACT Australia Aerospace Publications 1993 ISBN 1 875671 03 X External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to F 4 Phantom II category Wikisource has several original texts related to Audio recordings and transcripts with comments of actual Wild Weasel combat missions over Vietnam F 4 Phantom II history page on Boeing com F 4 Phantom II Society site PhantomF4K org Fleet Air Arm Royal Navy site F 4 nl site Countering Israeli Reaction to F 4 Sales to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait 8th Tactical Fighter Wing site F 4 Phantom II articles and publications theaviationindex com The Phantom page with images on fas org Silver Lobos fly into retirement af mil Archived from the original on 12 February 2020 Retrieved 23 December 2004 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint bot original URL status unknown link The Phantom Turns 50 article at Fence Check site F 4 Phantom page on Aerospaceweb org RAF Phantom Losses The Phantom Zone A film clip of McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II is available at the Internet Archive Phantom 50th Anniversary Slideshow Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title McDonnell Douglas F 4 Phantom II amp oldid 1137014702, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.