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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.
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Altering the design to make the new aircraft an all-weather fighter-bomber featuring 11 external hardpoints, McDonnell received a letter of intent for two prototypes, designated YAH-1, on October 18, 1954. Meeting with the US Navy the following May, McDonnell was handed a new set of requirements calling for an all-weather fleet interceptor as the s...
On May 27, 1958, the type made its maiden flight with Robert C. Little at the controls. Later that year, the XF4H-1 entered into competition with the single-seat Vought XF8U-3. An evolution of the F-8 Crusader, the Vought entry was defeated by the XF4H-1 as the US Navy preferred the latter's performance and that the workload was split between two c...
General
1. Length:63 ft. 2. Wingspan:38 ft. 4.5 in. 3. Height:16 ft. 6 in. 4. Wing Area:530 sq. ft. 5. Empty Weight:30,328 lbs. 6. Loaded Weight:41,500 lbs. 7. Crew:2
Performance
1. Power Plant:2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A axial compressor turbojets 2. Combat Radius:367 nautical miles 3. Max. Speed:1,472 mph (Mach 2.23) 4. Ceiling:60,000 ft.
Armament
1. 1 x M61 Vulcan 20 mm Gatling cannon 2. Up to 18,650 lbs. of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and most types of bombs
Setting several aviation records just prior to and in the years after introduction, the F-4 became operational on December 30, 1960, with VF-121. As the US Navy transitioned to the aircraft in the early 1960s, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara pushed to create a single fighter for all branches of the military. Following an F-4B's victory over th...
Adopted by the USAF in 1963, their initial variant was dubbed the F-4C. With the US entry in the Vietnam War, the F-4 became one of the most identifiable aircraft of the conflict. US Navy F-4s flew their first combat sortie as part of Operation Pierce Arrow on August 5, 1964. The F-4's first air-to-air victory occurred the following April when Lieu...
Following Vietnam, the F-4 remained the principal aircraft for both the US Navy and USAF. Through the 1970s, the US Navy began replacing the F-4 with the new F-14 Tomcat. By 1986, all F-4s had been retired from frontline units. The aircraft remained in service with the USMC until 1992 when the last airframe was replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet. Throug...
As the F-4 was initially intended as an interceptor, it was not equipped with a gun as planners believed that air-to-air combat at supersonic speeds would be fought exclusively with missiles. The fighting over Vietnam soon showed that engagements quickly became subsonic, turning battles that often precluded the use of air-to-air missiles. In 1967, ...
The second-most produced Western jet fighter in history with 5,195 units, the F-4 was extensively exported. Nations that have flown the aircraft include Israel, Great Britain, Australia, and Spain. While many have since retired the F-4, the aircraft has been modernized and is still use (as of 2008) by Japan, Germany, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Iran, an...
Oct 31, 2023 · The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was used extensively during the Vietnam War. During the plane's maiden flight with the United States Air Force, it exceeded Mach 2. The aircraft then went on to set numerous speed records, five of which stood until the F-15 Eagle appeared in 1975. Photo: Flight Video and Photo | Shutterstock.com.
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In 1965 the USAF sent its first F-4Cs to Southeast Asia, where they flew air-to-air missions against North Vietnamese fighters as well as attacking ground targets. The first USAF pilot to score four combat victories with F-4s in Southeast Asia was Col. Robin Olds, a World War II ace.
Aug 11, 2018 · Cold War. Military Vehicles. Vietnam War. Aug 11, 2018 Micheal Chimaobi Kalu, Guest Author. F-4C Phantom with AGM-12 Bullpups. Without a doubt, the F-4 Phantom is among the finest fighters of the 20th century. Officially known as the McDonnell Douglas F4-Phantom II, the F-4 Phantom is legendary.
However, the elimination of guns proved to be a detriment during close-in air-to-air encounters in Vietnam, which resulted in the installation of guns starting with F-4C. 2. The Phantom II was the first fighter aircraft to be designed with missiles only. Guns were added on later models.
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During the Vietnam War, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II would prove to be a better interceptor than the Convair F-106, a better ground-attack plane than the Republic F-105 (although loyal "Thud" drivers will protest this), a superb Wild Weasel defense-suppression aircraft, and a dogfighter able to use its power and energy to defeat more ...
