McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Supersonic Jet Interceptor

Efran Syah       Fighter Aircraft    Comment   

A U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4D Phantom II taking off from MacDill Air Force Base, Florida (USA), on 27 August 1987. (SRA David Holt, U.S. Air Force)

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.

Holloman AFB F-4 Phantom II, 18 November 2008. (USAF)

It first entered service in 1961 with the Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their air arms.

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II. (USAF Museum)

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2 (2716 km/h). 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.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, 25 July 2015. (wallycacsabre)

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, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record.

A U.S. Navy Northrop F-5E Tiger II flies in formation with a McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II on 1 July 1985. (LCdr. David Baranak, USN)

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.

A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4G Phantom II aircraft launches an AGM-45 Shrike missile on 1 August 1988. (TSgt. Bob Simons, USAF)

During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. 

A flight of U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4C Phantom II fighters refuel from a Boeing KC-135A Stratotanker aircraft before making a strike against targets in North Vietnam, 1966. (USAF)

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.

An F-4 Phantom II aircraft lands during exercise FROST '83, 26 January 1983. (SRA Perry Heimer)

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. 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).

An air-to-air left side view of an F-4 Phantom II aircraft during Exercise Gallant Eagle '82, 1 April 1982. (Garfield F. Jones)

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.

Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft. As of 2020, 62 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

F-4 Phantom II (Luftwaffe). (Bomberpilot)

The Phantom gathered a number of nicknames during its career. Some of these names included "Snoopy", "Rhino", "Double Ugly", "Old Smokey", the "Flying Anvil", "Flying Footlocker", "Flying Brick", "Lead Sled", the "Big Iron Sled", and the "St. Louis Slugger". In recognition of its record of downing large numbers of Soviet-built MiGs, it was called the "World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts". As a reflection of excellent performance in spite of its bulk, the F-4 was dubbed "the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics." German Luftwaffe crews called their F-4s the Eisenschwein ("Iron Pig"), Fliegender Ziegelstein ("Flying Brick") and Luftverteidigungsdiesel ("Air Defense Diesel").

F-4 Phantom II (Luftwaffe). (Bomberpilot)

Variants

• 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 Spectre, 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 built, 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. Simplified F-4E exported to and license-built in Japan.
• 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.

12 February 2002 - A formation of F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft fly in formation during a heritage flight demonstration here. The heritage flight program was established in 1997 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force. (MSgt Michael Ammons / USAF)

Specifications (F-4E)

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 19.2 m
• Wingspan: 11.7 m
• Height: 5 m
• Wing area: 49.2 m2
• Empty weight: 13,757 kg
• Gross weight: 18,824 kg
• Max takeoff weight: 28,030 kg
• Maximum landing weight: 16,706 kg
• 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: 1,470 mph (2,370 km/h) at 12,000 m
• Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
• Cruise speed: 580 mph (940 km/h)
• Combat range: 420 mi (680 km)
• Ferry range: 1,677 mi (2,699 km)
• Service ceiling: 18,000 m
• Rate of climb: 210 m/s

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
• 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 B57