For good reasons, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is sometimes known as “the Plane of Records.” It does stand as testimony to how multi-role combat aircraft evolved. Its career has been so legendary that no airplane can match the versatile capabilities of performance it had; hence, it gained a niche in aviation history.
The F-4 Phantom II, initially having been designed by McDonnell Douglas, soon gained attention from the U.S. military and its allies. Its outstanding capability eclipsed all other jets that came into being from the end of World War II through the early 1960s. The F-4 was the first aircraft to embody the concept of an “operational platform” a high-performance system designed from its inception for continual upgrading with the express aim of extending the life of the aircraft and enhancing its performance. This adaptability made it the only successful multirole aircraft adopted by all three major US air branches: USAF, US Navy, and USMC Aviation.
The prototype, designated XF4H-1, made its first flight on 27th May 1958. With extended trials, it was accepted into US Navy service on 30th December 1960. The USAF and USMC followed suit, partly because of the then Secretary of Defence Robert McNamara for standardization, but also because the F-4’s performance was undeniably superior. During its career, the F-4 established 15 flight records, including absolute speed and altitude.
Though awkward in appearance sobriquets included “Double Ugly”-the F-4 boasted the powerful AN/APQ-120 radar and the AIM-7 Sparrow missile, the world’s first Beyond Visual Range missile. The J79s led it to speeds of Mach 2.2, quite remarkable for an aircraft weighing roughly 19 tons and capable of carrying 8,400 pounds of ordnance. Moreover, its versatility was further enhanced because the F-4 had in-flight refueling capabilities, allowing it to conduct a wide range of missions such as air superiority, ground attack, photo-reconnaissance, and nuclear alert.
The F-4 Phantom II was utilized very extensively by just about all air forces of the world, including those from Australia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Iran, South Korea, and Japan. It participated in numerous conflicts, including the Vietnam War, the Arab-Israeli Wars, the Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War. In these theaters of combat, the F-4 often came face to face with its rivals, the Soviet MiG-21 Fishbed and it was mainly handicapped by the inaccuracy of early AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, along with not having an integral cannon, the F-4E incorporated the M61 Vulcan cannon, thus changing its combat capability.
The Vietnam War exposed the need for improved pilot training and tactics. Thus, the U.S. initiated its now-legendary program, “Top Gun,” to innovate air-to-air combat training. Improved missile variants coupled with better-trained pilots finally enabled the F-4 to begin turning the tide in its favor, not only in American hands but also in the hands of Israeli and Iranian pilots who achieved great success in the Middle East.
Over 60 years since its first flight, less than 6 percent of the 5,195 F-4 Phantom IIs manufactured remain in service. These highly modified aircraft remain in service with Japan, South Korea, Greece, Turkey, and Iran. The ultimate expression of this behemoth is the Turkish F-4E 2020 Terminator. Despite their years of age, both have seen combat use in recent times-Iranian F-4s have bombed ISIS targets in Iraq, while Turkish F-4s have engaged in operations against ISIS and Kurdish forces.
Considering the geopolitical instabilities in the Aegean Sea, the Middle East, and the Korean Peninsula, it would appear that the remaining F-4s will be critical for some time to come. With these parts of the world continuing to be flashpoints of conflict, the legendary F-4 Phantom II, the “Largest Distributor of MiG Parts in the World,” will most probably continue making history and enhancing its aviation legend.