F-4 Phantom II - McDonnell Douglas Supersonic Jet Interceptor And Fighter Bomber

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it entered service with the Navy in 1961 before it was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s it had become a major part of their air arms. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most-produced American supersonic military aircraft in history and cementing its position as a signature combat aircraft of the Cold War.
The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. 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. 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.
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. During the Vietnam War, all five American servicemen who became aces – one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one U.S. Navy pilot, and one radar intercept officer (RIO) – did so in F-4s. 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.

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.7 m)
Width: 27 ft 7 in (8.4 m) wing folded
Height: 16 ft 5 in (5 m)
Wing area: 530 sq ft (49.2 m2)
Aspect ratio: 2.77
Airfoil: NACA 0006.4–64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip
Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
Gross weight: 41,500 lb (18,824 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
Maximum landing weight: 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)
Fuel capacity: 1,994 US gal (1,660 imp gal; 7,550 L) internal, 3,335 US gal (2,777 imp gal; 12,620 L) with 2x 370 US gal (310 imp gal; 1,400 L) external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal (500 or 510 imp gal; 2,300 or 2,300 L) tank for the center-line station.
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: 1,280 kn (1,470 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
Cruise speed: 510 kn (580 mph, 940 km/h)
Combat range: 370 nmi (420 mi, 680 km)
Ferry range: 1,457 nmi (1,677 mi, 2,699 km)
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
Rate of climb: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)
Lift-to-drag: 8.58
Wing loading: 78 lb/sq ft (380 kg/m2)
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)
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 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

#f4phantom #aircraft #aviation

[brealistic]

The British Navy loved their F4s. I don't know of any country flying them that didn't. Truly ONE of the great Jet fighters.

[simple_beys]

The greatest distributor of MiG parts.

[rickmcbride]

❤ I lived in St Louis by Lambert Field and I used to see a whole Squadron of phantom sitting there and they were awesome and I always remember it and it's one of my favorite airplanes ever

[clintredwood]

I know many will disagree but the phantom is the sexist jet fighter ever!! Ive loved her since i can remember. Im not talking capabilities, im talk look, style

[gownerjones]

My dad served in the German Luftwaffe for 12 years and he worked on the electronic systems of these magnificent planes. To this day, he loves the F-4. He has pictures of it on his walls, he bought the plane in MFS and flies it every day. He infected me with an enthusiasm for military aviation and now I, too, love the F-4.

RF4C crew chief here…
Strong airframe, usually leaks something somewhere, very smooth to fly.

[w.rustylane]

Didn't realize that the Phantom had such slats and flaps that used compressor gasses. What a great design. I was on Yankee Station on a WESTPAC cruise aboard the USS Coral Sea, CVA-43, with Marine All Weather Attack Squadron 224, from 12 November 1971 until 17 July 1972. VMA(AW)-224 was an A-6 squadron and we flew A-6A's, A-6B's & KA-6D tankers. I believe there was a Navy squadron with an EA-6B Prowler. Along with our squadron were 2 Navy F-4 Phantom squadrons, VF-111 (the Sundowners) & VF-51, two Navy A-7D squadrons, VA-22 & VA-94. The Commander, Air Group 15, Commander Roger E. Sheets was shot down over north Vietnam on a mission to take out a bridge. As CAG-15, he always led the airstrikes in his A-7D. On May 3, 1972, we lost a couple of aircrews attacking another bridge in north Vietnam. Cmdr. Sheets led the mission when we mined Hiaphong harbor. Commander Sheets and my friend, Capt. David B. Williams, bodies have been returned to the US for proper burial. When we got back to Cherry Point, NC, I purchased a POW/MIA bracelet from Capt. Williams' wife and still have it to this day. I've kept up with these fallen warriors all these years because I served with them. Cheers from an old Marine sergeant in eastern TN

[kennethhoffman]

It's amazing to think that in just 4 years Mcdonnell went from introducing the clumsy, underpowered F-3 Demon in 1956 to this incredible BEAST in 1960.

[wmjohns]

I was an navy aviation ordnance AO2 during the Vietnam war. My specialty was both the F-4 and the A-4

I really liked how easy it was to access and repair the weapons systems on the Phantom.

The F-4 was a very rugged fighter and could handle a lot of damage without going down.

[walt]

My favorite fighter. I was lucky to see the Thunderbirds flying F4s when I was 10 or 11. Built a model in camo colors.

[MFCH-]

My fav model from Revell as a kid in the 70s .
And I glued the back wings the wrong way around 😂

[Sam_Green____]

An F-4 Phantom flew over my house the other day ! Not just one but two in formation !! And not just once, several times !

[kevingthompson]

There were more variants than letters in the alphabet. In stripped down trials they made mach 3.2.

Once that nose gun was added it made for the PERFECT flying tiger grin.

The navy loved them. The marines depended on them. The air force insisted on them against the entire USAF brass.

Robin Olds and Randy Cunningham became living legends flying them. Hell, Olds staked his entire career upon absolute insistence on having them as he as adamant to not send any more guys to Hanoi Hilton by transport of Thud aka Thundercheif.

You gotta love these things. Those JOLLY ROGER tail fins. The SUNDOWNER tail fins.

These things were the stuff so many young men dreamed about joining service for in the 70s and 80s.

I was one of those.

[vittoriocasassa]

Sin duda el avión MÁS HERMOSO que se a construido...
Gracias por tan buen video.😅😅😅

[JohnShields-xxyk]

1970 I was 10 when we had a Christmas at grandparent's house, Nanna had glass ornaments with the grandkids name on them, " John ", I felt so loved, luckily my uncle Jack was there, on leave where he piloted the F4 Phantom in Vietnam, I was in awe, still am. God bless the United States of America 🇺🇸

[kennethhoffman]

One of the sometimes overlooked aspects of the Phantom's design is the completely flush underside of the wings. It allowed a nearly unobstructed surface for the attachment of weapons and external fuel tanks.

[Gator-]

The B-17 was the first heavy bomber to use both a supercharger and a turbo charger in succession in order to maintain full speed at height.

[robmorgan]

I want a titanium composite F4 with GE F110s and fly by wire avionics (including computer controlled intake ramps) the thing would supercruise and hit Mach 3 without melting. Combat weight 30000lbs with 34000lbs thrust out of burner. Range 2300 mi. Max takeoff 70000lbs 12500 lbs internal fuel. No stealth... but that doesn't really work as Iran recently proved.
Saving 8000lbs on steel and aluminum has a major impact on performance.

[mikestanmore]

When you compare the exhaust from the British Spey engined Phantom with the American version, the British aircraft is practically the stealth version!

[orucreyisguven]

Türk Hava kuvvetleri İsrail hava endüstrisi ile birlikte geliştirdiği F4E Phantom terminator uçaklarını hala başarıyla kullanmakta . Her ne kadar günümüz modern çağının stealth vb özelliklerinin çok uzağında olsa da Phantom yüksek hızı manevra kaabiliyeti hava hava ve hava yer tercübesi ile çok etkili bir görev uçağı. Jet savaş uçağı dünyasında F-14 tomcat ile birlikte en ikonik tasarıma sahip uçaktır Phantom