Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the F-4 Phantom II served as the U.S. Air Force’s main fighter-bomber aircraft
This post’s informative infographic offers some important findings about the famed F-4 Phantom II.
The F-4 Phantom II made its maiden flight in May 1958 and was introduced to service in 1961 as a fleet defense aircraft for the United States Navy. It was rated as the F-110A Spectre by the U.S. Air Force (USAF) for close air support, interdiction, and counter-air operations.
The USAF variant was approved in 1962. On May 27, 1963, the Air Force’s Phantom II, dubbed F-4C, made its first flight. In November 1963, production deliveries started.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the F-4 served as the U.S. Air Force’s main fighter-bomber aircraft. Reconnaissance and “Wild Weasel” anti-aircraft missile suppression missions were also flown by F-4s. In 1979, Phantom II’s manufacturing ceased.
It is noteworthy that the QF-4, a reusable full-scale, remotely piloted aerial target developed from the F-4, was the final variant of the iconic Phantom II.
However, the QF-4 was retired from the United States Air Force on December 21, 2016, at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB), New Mexico.
Photo by U.S. Air Force
