The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the main fighter aircraft of the U.S Navy and the U.S Air Forces in the Vietnam War, replacing the F-105 Thunderchief.

Contents 1 Description 2 Operators 3 Variants 4 Specifications 4.1 General Characteristics 4.2 Performance 4.3 Armament 5 See Also 5.1 Related Variants 5.2 Similar Aircraft

DescriptionEdit

The F-4 Phantom II is a twin-engine, all-weather, third generation fighter-bomber. The cost of a new one during its age was 2.4 million. The aircraft could perform four tactical air roles: air superiority, interdiction, close air support and fleet defense, as it did in Southeast Asia and the Middle East. First flown in May 1958, the Phantom II originally was developed for U.S. Navy fleet defense and entered service in 1961. The USAF evaluated it for close air support, interdiction, and counter-air operations and, in 1962, approved a USAF version after it was discovered to be over 100 miles per hour faster than the F-104 Starfighter. The USAF's Phantom II, designated F-4C, made its first flight on May 27, 1963. Production deliveries began in November 1963. In its air-to-ground role the F-4 could carry twice the normal bomb load of a WW II B-17. USAF F-4s also flew reconnaissance and "Wild Weasel" anti-aircraft missile suppression missions (the latter had a specialized variant known as the F-4G Wild Weasel). Phantom II production ended in 1979 after over 5,000 had been built more than 2,600 for the USAF, about 1,200 for the Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest for friendly foreign nations, including to Israel, Iran, Greece, Spain, Turkey, South Korea, West Germany, Australia, Japan, and Great Britain. The F-4 was used extensively in the Vietnam War, where its numerous dogfights with North Vietnamese MiG fighters earned it the nickname "the world's leading distributor of MiG parts." The Phantom also saw service in the Middle East with the Israeli Air Force. The Israeli Phantoms were delivered under the Peace Echo I though IV and Nickel Grass programs. Israeli F-4E Phantoms were nicknamed Kurnass (heavy hammer) while the RF-4E's was called Orev (raven). In the Beqqa Valley the Phantom shot down 4th generation soviet aircraft piloted by Russians under Syrian markings. The last Israeli Phantoms were retired in 2004. Later versions of the aircraft were still active in the U.S. Air Force inventory well into the 1990s. F-4s are no longer in the USAF inventory but are still flown by foreign nations.

The aircraft is still used by the USAF in an unmanned drone form (the QF-4E) for training in air-to-air gunnery. In one particular incident, a flight of four F-22 Raptors were on a training mission where they had to 'intercept' a QF-4E. Each Raptor fired missiles at it, but for some reason, all of them missed, despite the QF-4E flying in a straight line the whole time. Finally, all four Raptors fired missiles all at once and finally shot down the aging Phantom. A veteran pilot on the ground was known to have said "So it takes four Raptors to shoot down one Phantom...".

Starting in 1973, F-4E's were fitted with target-identification systems for long-range visual identification of airborne or ground targets. Each system is basically a television camera with a zoom lens to aid in positive identification, and a system called Pave-Tack, which provided day and night all-weather capability to acquire, track and designate ground targets for laser, infrared and electro-optically guided weapons. Another change was a digital intercept computer that includes launch computations for all AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow.

OperatorsEdit

Australia

• Royal Australian Air Force - a batch of 24 F-4E operated under a lease agreement due to delays with F-111 procurement.

South Korea

• South Korean Air Force

Egypt

• Egyptian Air Force

  

Germany

• Luftwaffe - F-4F version, originally intended as a single seat varient of the F-4E

Japan

• Japan Self-Defense Air Force

Greece

• Hellenic Air Force

Iran

• Islamic Repulblic of Iran Air Force

Israel

• Israeli Air Force

United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force

Spain

• Ejercito del Aire

United States

• United States Air Force
• United States Marine Corps
• United States Navy

Turkey

• Turkish Air Force

VariantsEdit

• F-4A, B, J, N and S

Variants for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marines. F-4B was upgraded to F-4N, and F-4J was upgraded to F-4S. (One batch of F-4J aircraft were supplied to the

United Kingdom as F-4J(UK) ).

• 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 widely exported. These versions of the aircraft were extensively used under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) air defense system.

• F-4G Wild Weasel V

A dedicated SEAD variant with updated radar and avionics, converted from F-4E. The designation F-4G was applied earlier to an entirely different Navy Phantom.

• F-4K and M

Variants for the British Military re-engined with Rolls-Royce Spey turbofans.

• F-4EJ

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

• F-4F

Simplified F-4E exported to Germany.

• QF-4B, E, G, N and S

Retired aircraft converted into remote-controlled target drones used for weapons and defensive systems research.

• RF-4B, C, and E

Tactical reconnaissance variants.

SpecificationsEdit

General CharacteristicsEdit

• Crew: 2
• Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 4.5 in (11.7 m)
• Height: 16 ft 6 in (5.0 m)
• Wing area: 530.0 ft² (49.2 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 0006.4-64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip
• Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
• Loaded weight: 41,500 lb (18,825 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× General Electric J79-GE-17A axial compressor turbojets, 17,845 lbf (79.4 kN) each
• Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0224
• Drag area: 11.87 ft² (1.10 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 2.77
• Fuel capacity: 1,994 U.S. gal (7,549 L) internal, 3,335 U.S. gal (12,627 L) with three external tanks (370 U.S. gal (1,420 L) tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 U.S. gal (2,310 or 2,345 L) tank for the centerline station).
• Maximum landing weight: 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)

PerformanceEdit

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.23 (1,472 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
• Cruise speed: 506 kn (585 mph, 940 km/h)
• Combat radius: 367 nmi (422 mi, 680 km)
• Ferry range: 1,403 nmi (1,615 mi, 2,600 km) with 3 external fuel tanks
• Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,300 m)
• Rate of climb: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)
• Wing loading: 78 lb/ft² (383 kg/m²)
• lift-to-drag: 8.58
• 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)

ArmamentEdit

• 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 (UK Phantoms 6 × Matra rocket pods with 18 × SNEB 68 mm rockets each), air-to-ground missiles, anti-runway weapons, anti-ship missiles, targeting pods, reconnaissance pods, and nuclear weapons. Baggage pods and external fuel tanks may also be carried.
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses plus 4 × AIM-9 Sidewinders on wing pylons; upgraded Hellenic F-4E and German F-4F ICE carry AIM-120 AMRAAM, Japanese F-4EJ Kai carry AAM-3, Hellenic F-4E will carry IRIS-T in future. Iranian F-4s could potentially carry Russian and Chinese missiles. UK Phantoms carried Skyflash missiles
• 1× M61 Vulcan 20 mm (.79 in) gatling cannon, 640 rounds
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder, Python-3 (F-4 Kurnass 2000), IRIS-T (F-4E AUP Hellenic Air Force)
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow, AAM-3 (F-4EJ Kai)
• 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM for F-4F ICE, F-4E AUP (Hellenic Air Force)
• 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
• SUU-23/A 20 mm (.79 in) gun pod

See AlsoEdit

Related VariantsEdit

• F-4G Wild Weasel V
• F-4 Terminator 2020
• F-110 Spectre

Similar AircraftEdit

• F-14 Tomcat
• F-5 Freedom Fighter
• MiG-21 Fishbed
• Su-15 Flagon
• FH3 Demon