A classic American warplane, the F-4 Phantom II was famous for being the deadliest fighter in the skies over Vietnam, constantly duelling with its chief adversary, the equally potent (and legendary) MiG-21. First serving with the US Navy as a shipborne heavy fighter, the F-4 would go on to serve with the USMC, the USAF, and eventually succeed the F-105 Thunderchief in the hazardous Wild Weasel role. Originally built under the assumption that missiles would replace guns, the F-4 nevertheless could still hold its own in a dogfight, although at a disadvantage. As for how it fared against Soviet aircraft, this could be summed up in McDonell Douglas's advertising slogan for the Phantom II: "The World's Largest Distributor of MiG Parts".
Although the F-4 Phantom was arguably McDonnell Douglas's most successful jet fighter, it was derived from their most notorious "skeletons in the closet", the F3H Demon. During the Demon's production, McDonnell's design bureau compiled plans for a larger, twin-engined Demon toting a formidable weapons suite consisting of four 20-mm cannons and ground-attack weapons options. Having sought a two-seat high-performance fighter-bomber ideally suited to the carrier defence and shipborne heavy-interceptor roles for several years, the US Navy immediately showed interest in the proposal. The USN requested several modifications be made to McDD's design, including the deletion of the cannons which were thought to be obsolete in the age of the heat-seeking missile. This would later turn out to be a miscalculation with negative consequences, sometimes leaving the type vulnerable in a dogfight to manoeuvrable, gun-armed Soviet types. The AIM-7 Sparrow AMRAAM (Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile) employed by the F-4 was designed to give an aircraft a long reach in combat, and would arm equip F-15 Eagles in the future. The two XF4H-1 prototypes first flew in 1958 and the aircraft entered service soon after, receiving the "Phantom II" name in honour of McDonnell's earlier naval jet fighter.
The initial two-seat F4H-1F (F4-A) Phantom was deployed in small numbers on US Navy intermediate-sized carriers, being unable to land on small-deck ships. F-4As were deployed to Vietnam, but mainly flew standard patrols until war was declared against Vietnam in the early 1960s. Only 45 were ever built and saw relatively little action, unlike the subsequent F-4B, the most distinctive early Phantom II to fly with the USN. The F-4B was the first true Phantom with ground attack capabilities, and served with the USMC as well as the USN, unlike the F-4A.
The F-4B Phantom, like all F-4 variants, featured a 2-piece canopy covering a tandem style cockpit, with the pilot sitting in the fore and the RIO (Radar Intercept Officer, in charge of weapons) in the aft of the jet. Massive side mounted intakes gave the F-4 a bulky, brick-like appearance and the nickname "Double Ugly", but were vital as the dual General Electric 79.65 J79-8A engines were relatively powerful and required a large amount of airflow. The rear fuselage/tail-section of the aircraft extended above the engine nozzles, as did the tailplanes themselves. The F-4B Phantom II was able to reach speeds up to 2390 KmH utilizing afterburner, which was very useful for catching the incredibly quick MiG-21 "Fishbed". The sole USN pilot ace in Vietnam, Randy Cunningham, achieved ace status in an F-4B Phantom II.
Dominated by bright squadron markings and colourful tailfins, most F-4Bs wore a silver or white colour scheme and were without camouflage. In order to operate from carriers, F-4B Phantom IIs required large, strengthened decks and pilots had to use afterburner to assist during takeoff. An APQ-72 radar came standard on all F-4 Phantom IIs and was helpful for tracking aircraft. In Vietnam, however, although the long-range radar, AIM-7 Sparrow combination gave the F-4B Phantom II a theoretical advantage, the ROE (Rules Of Engagement) specified that pilots could only fire if they were sure of their targets, and F-4s of all types were often forced to visually confirm whether targets were hostile. Coupled with the tendency of early AIM-7s to malfunction, this forced pilots into dogfights which they were ill-equipped for, lacking cannon armament. However, the AIM-9 sidewinder missile, part of the F-B's repertoire, was quite reliable and lethal at short ranges, giving the F-4B a fighting chance. Although the F-4B along with its USAF Phantom II counterparts was famous for dropping napalm tanks, incendiary and dumb bombs were just as often carried and highly effective in the jungles of Vietnam. Although bombing was a secondary role for the F-4B, the lack of available attack aircraft often forced unwilling F-4 pilots to go on air-to-ground sorties. Unable to carry a significant bombload without sacrificing AAMs (Air-to-Air Missiles), and without cannon, F-4s were left highly vulnerable during attacks.
Following the success of the F-4B Phantom II, the USAF ordered their own similar model, the F-4C, a small number of which were converted to EF-4C Wild Weasel aircraft in charge of the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) mission. Replacing F-105Gs, Wild Weasel F-4s would duel with SAM batteries and radars, and were vital to the war effort. The F-4D variant that followed the F-4C was in fact very similar to its predecessor, it was built in greater numbers and featured updated avionics and electronics suites. Several were equipped with centreline cannon packs. Several were converted into EF-4D Phantom II "Wild Weasels" to supplement the EF-4Cs. The F-4E Phantom which followed was the most numerous and successful variant, and over 1,300 were built. The aircraft included an M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm cannon and, while it was too late to do more than marginally support the Vietnam effort, was extremely popular with a variety of nations including Turkey, Japan, and Greece. RF-4 variants were also built in B, C, D, and E Phantom variants and were extremely popular with export customers. The LS-58A camera and the RF-4's decent range made it popular with the USAF, USMC, and Luttewaffe, as well as Israel, Greece, and Japan, and many others. An F-4F variant, essentially a downgraded low-cost F-4E, was developed but served solely with the Luttewaffe, where the jets were later upgraded to F-4F ICE standard. An F-4G variant was built, but only a small number served with the USN, the rest going to the USAF as SEAD Wild Weasel aircraft to work alongside F-16s and EF-111s. The F-4J, K, and N variants were all derived from the F-4B. The naval K model would also be modified to a land-based F-4M to serve with the RAF. The ultimate Phantom II variant was the F-4S, possessing an HUD, modernised avionics and smokeless engines. Japan built 138 F-4EJs under license, and they remain operational, although they are being replaced gradually by F-2s.
Written by: Pace51