McDONNELL F-4 PHANTOM^73
The need for speed
To show o their new ghter, the US Navy led a series of record-breaking ights early in
Phantom development The F-4 established 16 speed, altitude and time-to-climb records. In
1959, its prototype set the world altitude record at 98,556ft (30,000m) and in
1961, an F-4 set the world speed record at 1,604mph (258 km/h) on
a 15-mile circuit.hardpoints had a capability of up to
18,650lb (8,480kg) of weapons, including
air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and
unguided, guided, and thermonuclear
weapons. Like other interceptors of its day,
the F-4 was designed without an internal
cannon, a weakness that was later recti ed.
Because of its size, it was not the most
agile of ghters, but the huge thrust
generated by its mighty General Electric
J79 engines allowed the pilot to engage
or disengage from the ght at will. The
engines produced noticeable amounts of
black smoke, a severe disadvantage in that
the enemy could spot the aircraft. This was
nally solved on the F-4S version.
The Phantom was used extensively during
the Vietnam War. It served as the principal
air superiority ghter for the US and became
important in the ground-attack and aerial
reconnaissance roles late in the war. The
Phantom has the distinction of being the last
US ghter own by pilots who attained ace
status in the 20th century.
Production of the Phantom peaked at a
rate of more than 70 aircraft a month and the
5,000th Phantom was delivered on 24 May
1978, in ceremonies that also marked the
20th anniversary of the aircraft’s rst ight.
McDonnell Douglas delivered the last St Louis-
built Phantom II in October 1979.
The Phantom was also extensively operated
by the armed forces of 11 other Western
nations, including the RAF. Israeli Phantoms saw
combat in several Arab–Israeli con icts, while
Iran used its large eet of Phantoms in the Iran–
Iraq War. Remarkably, Phantoms remain in front
line service today.Below: McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II,
BuAerNo 153019 of VF-111 ‘Sundowners’,
US Navy.Left: In 1961 this US Navy YF4H-1 Phantom II
set a world absolute speed record of
1,606.342mph. Piloting the record ight was
Lt Col Robert B. Robinson.Right: The Phantom’s greatest asset was the raw
power of its two General Electric J79 engines.