F-4 Phantom

Jul 27, 2015 | AF-S 70-300mm f4.5-5.6G IF-ED VR, Aviation, Daily Image 2015, F-4 Phantom II, Military Aircraft, Nikon 1 V3

F-4 Phantom

The F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range, supersonic fighter-bomber developed by McDonnell Aircraft.  It first entered service in 1960 and by the mid 1960s, became a major part of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps air wings.  The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2 and it can carry more than 18,000 pounds of weapons on nine external hard points including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs, but without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a 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.  During the Vietnam War,  the F-4 was used extensively as the principal Air Superiority fighter.