 |
|
|
| SPECIFICATIONS |
|
|
|
| ENGINE |
|
2 General Electric J-79-GE-15 turbojets 17,000 lbs. of thrust each |
| ARMAMENT |
|
Up to 16,000 lbs. of air-to-air missiles, nuclear or conventional bombs, rockets, air-to-ground
missiles or gun pods |
| WING SPAN |
|
38 feet, 5 inches |
| LENGTH |
|
58 feet, 2 inches |
| HEIGHT |
|
16 feet, 6 inches |
| MAX TAKEOFF WEIGHT |
|
54,600 pounds |
| CREW |
|
2 |
| MANUFACTURED BY |
|
McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft |
| TOTAL BUILT |
|
5,195 |
| TOTAL EXISTING |
|
Unknown |
| FIRST BUILT |
|
1958 |
| MUSEUM'S AIRCRAFT BUILT |
|
1964 |
| ON DISPLAY AT |
 |
Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison Airport (KADS), Dallas, Texas |
| MAXIMUM SPEED |
|
1,400 m.p.h. |
| RANGE W/EXTERNAL TANKS |
|
1,750 miles |
| SERVICE CEILING |
|
59,600 feet |
|
During 1954 to 1957, the McDonnell-Douglas Aircraft Company designed the Phantom II, perhaps the most well-known and beloved American jet fighter of
the post-World War II era. The Phantom II came from a long line of St. Louis built naval fighters which included the FH-1 Phantom, the F2 Banshee,
the F3D Skyknight and the F3H Demon. First envisioned as an attack aircraft armed with 20mm cannons, the Phantom II's design was changed into a
gun-less, all-weather interceptor fitted with the most advanced radar system and air-to-air missiles of the day. The F-4 prototype first flew on
May 27,1958. It soon demonstrated unprecedented performance and was ordered into production for use in the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
The first production version, the F-4A, had tandem seats for the pilot and radar intercept officer (RIO) and was armed with four AIM-7 Sparrow
air-to-air missiles. Production of the Phantom II began in volume with the F-4B, a variant featuring raised cockpits, an enlarged canopy and a larger
nose cone for additional radar equipment. Eventually, the F-4A and F-4B established more world records for speed, rate of climb and altitude than
any other aircraft in history. In a 1961 competition the F-4B out-performed all contemporary U.S. Air Force fighters by a wide margin. In March 1962,
the Air Force adopted the F-4C for use in 16 of its 23 Tactical Air Command wings.
The F-4 has seen combat all over the world but most notably in Vietnam, the Middle East and the Persian Gulf. In Vietnam the F-4 proved itself as the
definitive multi-role fighter. The Phantom replaced the Republic F-105 as a tactical bomber, interdicted North Vietnamese Army supply lines night and
day and fought against North Vietnamese MiGs. Additionally, specially adapted Phantoms were used on photo-reconnaissance missions and or in the Wild
Weasel role, hunting enemy surface-to-missile (SAM) units and anti-aircraft guns. During Desert Storm, the F-4 served as the Air Force's primary air
defense suppression aircraft, nearly 30 years after it first entered service!
During its long career, the F-4 Phantom has been used in every conceivable role: fighter, interceptor, fighter/bomber, electronic counter measures,
reconnaissance, tanker and target drone. The F-4 is the only aircraft to be flown by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels at the
same time. When production of the F-4 ended in 1979, 5,195 Phantoms had been built in 17 major variants. The F-4C Phantom on display at the Cavanaugh
Flight Museum is on loan to the Frontiers of Flight Museum from the National Museum of the USAF. The aircraft is a combat veteran and carries the same colors it wore on May 20,1967 when Lt. Bob Titus and 1st Lt.
Milan Zimer shot down a MiG-21 over Vietnam.
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