The F-4 Phantom II was the primary fighter-bomber aircraft in the U.S. Air Force throughout the 1960s and 1970s
The interesting Infographic in this post provides some interesting facts about the legendary F-4 Phantom II.
First flown in May 1958, the F-4 Phantom II originally was developed for U.S. Navy fleet defense and entered service in 1961. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) evaluated it as the F-110A Spectre for close air support, interdiction and counter-air operations.
In 1962, the USAF version was approved. The Air Force’s Phantom II was designated F-4C, and first flew May 27, 1963. Production deliveries began in November 1963.
The F-4 was the primary fighter-bomber aircraft in the U.S. Air Force throughout the 1960s and 1970s. F-4s also flew reconnaissance and “Wild Weasel” anti-aircraft missile suppression missions. Phantom II production ended in 1979.
Noteworthy the last version of the iconic Phantom II was the QF-4, which is a reusable full-scale, remotely piloted aerial target modified from the F-4.
As we have reported in a recent extensive article, the QF-4 was retired from the United States Air Force on Dec. 21, 2016 at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), N.M..
Photo credit: U.S. Air Force
