Model Aircraft – September 2019

BUILDING THE

F-4 Phantom

PO Box 1592 | Bedford | MK40 9FD | UK

T: +44 (0) 1234 331431 E: [email protected]

http://www.modelaircraftmag.com

AIRCRAFTMODEL

EXTRA

No.3

BUILDING THE

F-4 Phantom

Compiled by Andy Evans

MA PUBLICATIONS LTD

Model Aircraft Extra #3

Building the F-4 Phantom

T

he iconic McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was
originally developed for the US Navy and entered
service in 1960. Proving highly adaptable, it was soon
adopted by the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force,
and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their
air arms. The Phantom is a large ighter with a top speed
of over Mach 2.2, and can carry more than 18,000lb of
weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air
missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The
F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War, where it
served as the principal air superiority ighter for the US Air
Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in
the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles later in
the war. The aircraft continued to form a major part of US
military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being
gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15
Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18
Hornet. The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the US
forces in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the
1991 Gulf War, inally leaving service in 1996. It was also the
only aircraft used by both the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E)
and the US Navy Blue Angels (F-4J). The Phantom was also
operated by the armed forces of eleven other nations, and
Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several conlicts,
while Iran used its large leet of Phantoms, acquired before
the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War, and both the Royal
Air Force and Royal Navy used the FG.1 and FGR.2 versions
using Rolls-Royce Spey engines. 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 2018, sixty years after its irst light, 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. This third book
in the MA Extra Series contains ifteen model builds,
colour proiles and scale plans, and will be a must for the
Phantom-Phanatic!

MAE3

Phantom

£14.99

+P&P

PRE-ORDER NOW!