The F-4 Phantom is often regarded
as the deadliest fighter in Vietnam. This tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather,
long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber became one of the Vietnam
War's most recognizable and feared planes. The Phantom first entered service in 1961 with
the Navy. After proving to be highly adaptable, it was also flown by the Marine Corps
and the United States Air Force. Everyone wanted to fly this
jet capable of Mach 2.2 speeds. During its four decades of active service
in the United States' three air arms, the aircraft set 16 world performance records. It downed more adversaries than any
other US fighter in the Vietnam War. Eventually, the Phantom entered service
with 15 other militaries across the world. Some of those F-4's still fly today. An iconic US fighter of the Vietnam War era, there is no doubt why the F-4 Phantom became
one of the most feared aircraft of its time. Yes. No. Maybe. In 1952, engineer Dave Lewis was appointed
Design Manager at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Without any aircraft Request
for Proposals on the horizon, McDonnell's internal studies concluded that the
army would benefit from a new attack fighter. The following year, the company began
revising and increasing their F3H Demon fighter jet's overall performance. One of the
versions even promised a speed of Mach 1.97 In September 1952, McDonnell presented
their new and improved Superdemon. The Navy was interested enough to order a full-scale
mock-up but canceled the project because they believed the Grumman XF9F-9 and the Vought XF8U-1
already filled the need for a supersonic fighter. So instead of starting another
project from scratch, McDonnell reworked their design into a fighter-bomber. In October 1954, the aircraft company received
a letter of intent for two of these prototypes. But when the Navy showed up at the
McDonnell Saint Louis' headquarters, they presented the company
with a new set of requirements. Since they already had the steady Douglas A-4
Skyhawk and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting purposes, the Navy now needed an all-weather
fleet defense interceptor. To this new design, McDonnell added a second
crewman to operate the powerful radar; since Dave Lewis believed that air combat
would overload pilots traveling solo. The Phantom The Phantom was powered by two GE turbojets, each generating close to 18,000 pounds
of thrust with its afterburners lit. Although a relatively large fighter, it
was capable of a top speed of Mach 2.2. Since 1959, the Phantom set 15 world
records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record
and an absolute altitude record. The F-4 could carry up to
18,000 pounds of weapons, such as air-to-air and air-to-ground
missiles, and different types of bombs. Like other interceptors of the Vietnam War era, the Phantom was initially designed
without an internal cannon. Because it was a peculiar jet, pilots had
a love-hate relationship with the Phantom. It had none of the attractive and newfangled
features some of the fighters of its generation usually had (save for one big secret, but more
on that later). Although the jet carried an inertial navigation system, there was no flight
management system, no GPS, no Electronic Flight Instrument System, and no voice system
to alert the pilot of upcoming hazards. Navigation, bombing, missile shooting, firing
the gun, being on the lookout for problems... The tandem team of the Phantom was busy
every second they were up in the air. Pilots had to spend a lot of their
time with their heads buried down, analyzing and interpreting the instrument's
data. This isn't common practice with today's modern aircraft since their display screens
are now overhead the instrument panel. The Deadliest Fighter in Vietnam The Phantom made its first flight on May 27, 1958, with test pilot Robert C. Little at
the controls. After its maiden flight, the jet was used extensively during
the late stages of the Vietnam War. The F-4 soon became the principal air
superiority fighter for the Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and it was a staple
in ground-attack and aerial recon roles. One Air Force pilot, two weapon
systems officers, one Navy pilot, and one radar intercept officer became aces by
achieving five aerial kills aboard their Phantoms. When the Phantom was adopted by the USAF
in 1963, their variant was dubbed the F-4C. The Navy's Phantoms flew their first
combat sortie on August 5, 1964, as part of Operation Pierce Arrow. The Phantom's first great air-to-air victory
happened in April 1965 when Lieutenant Terence Murphy, and his radar officer, Ensign
Ronald Fegan, shot down a Chinese MiG-17. As fighter interceptors, the Navy's
Phantoms downed 40 enemy aircraft. In comparison, they only suffered five losses. The Marine Corps' F-4 serviced from both
carriers and land bases during the war. Flying ground support missions,
their F-4s claimed three kills but lost 75 of their aircraft,
most of them to ground fire. And even though the Air Force was the last branch
to adopt the Phantom, they eventually became its largest user. In Vietnam, the Air Force's Phantoms
flew air superiority and ground support roles. As F-105 Thunderchiefs losses grew, the
F-4 began to carry more ground support. By the end of the war, the Phantom was
the USAF's primary all-around aircraft. Combat Tree The Phantom was the first
aircraft fitted with the APX-80, a top-secret and supposedly
game-changing technology. Better known by its codename Combat Tree, this feature was installed on
a select number of Phantoms, which would fly in hunter/killer teams with other
Phantoms equipped with internal rotary cannons. The device's exact details of operations
are still classified as of 2020. However, there is some knowledge
available on how Phantom aircrews used it. Instead of using a radar scanner on the jet's
nose, the weapon system officers behind the pilot would use Combat Tree to spot the specialized
transponders built into Vietnam's aircraft. These transponders would relay
a code to the scanners built into their surface-to-air missiles and
ground-control-interception computers. They allowed Vietnam to distinguish between their
own fighters and the marauding American aircraft. Combat Tree determined the allegiance of other
aircraft by receiving an automatic response from their transponder, which revealed
whether the plane was allied or not. The device would accurately plot the
quarry's location on display located in the Phantom's rear cockpit. Then, the
hunt for the enemy pilot would begin. Meanwhile, the Vietnamese pilot
had no idea all of this happened. This method allowed Phantom pilots to engage
Vietnamese MiG-21s at greater distances, even beyond their visual range. Before Combat Tree, all US fighter pilots flying
in Vietnamese skies had to get physically closer to enemy MiGs to obtain a positive identification
on enemy aircraft before attacking them. Since standard radars of the time only
determined if aircraft were around, a visual identification was required
to establish whether they were allies. Thus, Combat Tree improved the margin of
safety for American pilots by allowing them to identify enemy aircraft before they
unknowingly engaged the deadly MiG fighters. When the North Vietnamese Air Force found
out about the existence of this revolutionary technology, they were puzzled. They didn't
quite know what it was or how it functioned. Their highest-ranking North Vietnamese
officers noticed a devastating increase of attrition rates with their fighters, especially
those who ran into US Air Force fighter jets. Dozens of MiG-21s were reportedly being
engaged at distances never seen before, and with deadly accuracy. Eventually, radio transmissions between pilots,
intercepted by picket stations, were able to pinpoint the reason behind the suddenly high
MiG-loss rate North Vietnamese aircraft were sustaining. Unbeknownst to them, their own
transponders were giving away their location. By the end of the Vietnam War in
1975, Combat Tree was responsible for attributing the US Air Force with several
crucial wins against North Vietnamese aircraft. A Beloved Jet After Vietnam, the Phantom continued to be
the Navy and Air Force's aircraft of choice. Throughout the 1970s, the US Navy began
replacing the F-4 with the newer F-14 Tomcat. By 1986, all Phantoms had been removed
from frontline units. However, the aircraft continued to service the Marine Corps until 1992,
until it was substituted by the F/A-18 Hornet. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Air Force transitioned from the F-4 to
the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon. During this time, the Air Force used the F-4
Phantom II in both the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the Gulf War. Finally,
the jet was retired from service in 1996. Eventually, the Phantom became the
only aircraft used by the Air Force's Thunderbirds and the Navy's Blue Angels,
America's two flight demonstration teams. Overall, 5,195 Phantoms were built, and it became one of the most successful
fighter aircraft since World War II. The United States wasn't the only country
to benefit from the F-4's incredible speed. A total of 1,200 new and retired
Phantoms were bought by other nations. The Israeli Phantoms participated
in several Arab-Israeli conflicts, and Iran used their extensive fleet
of F-4's in the Iran-Iraq War. About 800 F-4s still fly today in Germany, Greece, Spain, Turkey, Israel, Japan,
South Korea, and Egypt. When a fighter jet is sold to all
three of the United States air arms, the large amount of produced aircraft
usually reduces the cost per unit. With the Phantom, its vast overseas
sales lowered the price even more. As of 2020, 62 years after its maiden flight, the Phantom is still going strong. Despite
its shaky start at the McDonnell headquarters, it eventually became one of the most
flexible and prolific fighters of its time. Although not entirely aesthetically
pleasant, the Phantom was loved by many. Even if its original purpose
was not a fighter-interceptor, just like the ugly duckling story,
the Phantom redeemed itself.
The F-4 holds the record for the largest
production of a supersonic jet aircraft in the United States, and the second
in the world, behind Russia's MiG-21, with a whopping 10,000 units
built for numerous conflicts. If they gave awards to aircraft for
enduring service, McDonnell''s F-4 Phantom would definitely be one of the winners.
