McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy. It entered service with the Navy in 1961, then was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and within a few years became a major part of their air arms. In total, 5,195 Phantoms were built from 1958 to 1981, making it the most-produced American supersonic military aircraft in history and a signature combat aircraft of the Cold War.

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,200 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. Like some other interceptors of its time, the F-4 was initially designed without an internal cannon, but some later models incorporated an internal 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, first as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force (USAF), Navy(USN), and Marine Corps (USMC), and later as a ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance aircraft. During the Vietnam War, all five American servicemen who became aces – one USAF pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one USN pilot, and one radar intercept officer (RIO) – did so in F-4s. The Phantom remained a major part of U.S. military air power into the 1980s, when it was gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the USAF, the F-14 Tomcat in the USN, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the USN and USMC.

The F-4G Phantom was used for reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions in the 1991 Gulf War, and finally left combat service in 1996. It was the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight-demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the USN Blue Angels (F-4J). The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. The F-4 remains in active service with the Hellenic Air Force and the Turkish Air Force. Turkey's most recently upgraded F-4E Terminator variant is to remain in service until at least 2030.