McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II
By 1953, the US Navy had already bought the F3H Demon fighter, but McDonnell Aircraft felt it could improve on the Demon’s design. A full-scale mockup of the F3H-G was built, and it was designed as an aircraft with a modular nose, with different versions for attack, reconnaissance, fighter, and interceptor. The Navy passed on the F3H-G, so McDonnell continued to tinker with the design, expanding it to a two-seat aircraft with J79 engines and a large number of hardpoints as an all-weather multirole fighter. Once more the Navy had little interest in this “Super Demon,” but it proposed instead that the design be reworked into a fleet air defense interceptor. Finally, the Navy accepted McDonnell’s aircraft as the F4H-1 Phantom II—having turned down McDonnell’s proposal to name it the F4H-1 Satan.
The Phantom II needed work before the first prototype took to the air in May 1958. Instability and problems at high angles of attack led to the fairly conventional design to be changed: the nose was lowered to accommodate the radar and give the pilot better vision, the wingtips bent upwards, and the tailplanes bent downwards. This gave the Phantom a hideous appearance, which one pilot likened to it having its nose stepped on while it was kicked in the rear end. Nonetheless, it worked, and flight testing of the F4H-1 went smoothly. It entered the fleet in 1960 after beating the heavily modified XF8U-3 Crusader III for the role of fleet defense, although the Phantom also retained a useful bomb-carrying capability, making it a multirole fighter. Under Project High Jump, Skyburner, and Sageburner, the F4H-1 also set a number of performance records.
Production F4H-1s, which differed only slightly from the preproduction aircraft, were designated F-4B in 1962. They would see their first combat operations, of sorts, in the Cuban Missile Crisis the same year, and then actual combat in 1964, when F-4Bs participated in Operation Pierce Arrow, the forerunner to Operation Rolling Thunder over North Vietnam. F-4Bs also were the first American fighters to score aerial kills during the war, first over a Chinese MiG-17 in April 1965 and then a North Vietnamese MiG-17 in June.
In combat, F-4 pilots had learned that they were at a severe disadvantage against North Vietnamese fighters, which were smaller and far more nimble than the big Phantom. The MiG-17 and MiG-21 could easily turn inside the F-4s, which risked going into an uncontrollable spin at certain angles of attack. Lack of training on the part of US Navy pilots, poor missiles and restrictive Rules of Engagement also gave the North Vietnamese advantages. The F-4 had, however, shown that it could hold its own if the pilot played to the Phantom’s strengths: incredible speed and acceleration, a good radar, and good performance in the vertical. While kill ratios were low, at least the F-4B was holding its own. The Marines would also use the F-4B extensively in South Vietnam, strictly as a fighter-bomber as they rarely ventured into North Vietnam. 170 F-4Bs were lost to enemy action or accidents over Vietnam in both Navy and Marine Corps service. Beginning in 1969, under Project Bee Line, the Navy began modifying most surviving F-4Bs to F-4N standard, though F-4Bs would serve until the end of the Vietnam War, with the last Navy F-4Bs not being converted until 1974 and the Marines not converting theirs until 1979.
One of my most popular pics on my Flickr page is one Dad took of two F-4Bs of VMFA-321 ("Hells' Angels"), but it wasn't until recently that I found this shot of just one of the aircraft, Bureau Number 153064. Both F-4s had stopped in for an overnight stop at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, on their way back to their home base at Andrews AFB, Maryland--hence the red, white and blue motif! (Note also the travel pod on the inboard starboard wing station.)
153064 had started its career with VF-121 ("Pacemakers"), the Pacific Fleet Replacement Air Group, before serving in Vietnam with VMFA-323 ("Death Rattlers") and VMFA-115 ("Able Eagles"), both at Da Nang. Following its war service, it was transferred to VMFA-321, and would remain with the squadron until 1981, by which time it had been upgraded to a F-4N. 153064 finished its career with VMFA-531 ("Grey Ghosts") at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina before retirement in 1982. It was sent to NAS China Lake, California and expended as a ground target--a sad end for a beautiful aircraft.
This really is a pleasing study of a F-4, and I'm surprised I hadn't posted it before.
McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II
By 1953, the US Navy had already bought the F3H Demon fighter, but McDonnell Aircraft felt it could improve on the Demon’s design. A full-scale mockup of the F3H-G was built, and it was designed as an aircraft with a modular nose, with different versions for attack, reconnaissance, fighter, and interceptor. The Navy passed on the F3H-G, so McDonnell continued to tinker with the design, expanding it to a two-seat aircraft with J79 engines and a large number of hardpoints as an all-weather multirole fighter. Once more the Navy had little interest in this “Super Demon,” but it proposed instead that the design be reworked into a fleet air defense interceptor. Finally, the Navy accepted McDonnell’s aircraft as the F4H-1 Phantom II—having turned down McDonnell’s proposal to name it the F4H-1 Satan.
The Phantom II needed work before the first prototype took to the air in May 1958. Instability and problems at high angles of attack led to the fairly conventional design to be changed: the nose was lowered to accommodate the radar and give the pilot better vision, the wingtips bent upwards, and the tailplanes bent downwards. This gave the Phantom a hideous appearance, which one pilot likened to it having its nose stepped on while it was kicked in the rear end. Nonetheless, it worked, and flight testing of the F4H-1 went smoothly. It entered the fleet in 1960 after beating the heavily modified XF8U-3 Crusader III for the role of fleet defense, although the Phantom also retained a useful bomb-carrying capability, making it a multirole fighter. Under Project High Jump, Skyburner, and Sageburner, the F4H-1 also set a number of performance records.
Production F4H-1s, which differed only slightly from the preproduction aircraft, were designated F-4B in 1962. They would see their first combat operations, of sorts, in the Cuban Missile Crisis the same year, and then actual combat in 1964, when F-4Bs participated in Operation Pierce Arrow, the forerunner to Operation Rolling Thunder over North Vietnam. F-4Bs also were the first American fighters to score aerial kills during the war, first over a Chinese MiG-17 in April 1965 and then a North Vietnamese MiG-17 in June.
In combat, F-4 pilots had learned that they were at a severe disadvantage against North Vietnamese fighters, which were smaller and far more nimble than the big Phantom. The MiG-17 and MiG-21 could easily turn inside the F-4s, which risked going into an uncontrollable spin at certain angles of attack. Lack of training on the part of US Navy pilots, poor missiles and restrictive Rules of Engagement also gave the North Vietnamese advantages. The F-4 had, however, shown that it could hold its own if the pilot played to the Phantom’s strengths: incredible speed and acceleration, a good radar, and good performance in the vertical. While kill ratios were low, at least the F-4B was holding its own. The Marines would also use the F-4B extensively in South Vietnam, strictly as a fighter-bomber as they rarely ventured into North Vietnam. 170 F-4Bs were lost to enemy action or accidents over Vietnam in both Navy and Marine Corps service. Beginning in 1969, under Project Bee Line, the Navy began modifying most surviving F-4Bs to F-4N standard, though F-4Bs would serve until the end of the Vietnam War, with the last Navy F-4Bs not being converted until 1974 and the Marines not converting theirs until 1979.
One of my most popular pics on my Flickr page is one Dad took of two F-4Bs of VMFA-321 ("Hells' Angels"), but it wasn't until recently that I found this shot of just one of the aircraft, Bureau Number 153064. Both F-4s had stopped in for an overnight stop at Malmstrom AFB, Montana, on their way back to their home base at Andrews AFB, Maryland--hence the red, white and blue motif! (Note also the travel pod on the inboard starboard wing station.)
153064 had started its career with VF-121 ("Pacemakers"), the Pacific Fleet Replacement Air Group, before serving in Vietnam with VMFA-323 ("Death Rattlers") and VMFA-115 ("Able Eagles"), both at Da Nang. Following its war service, it was transferred to VMFA-321, and would remain with the squadron until 1981, by which time it had been upgraded to a F-4N. 153064 finished its career with VMFA-531 ("Grey Ghosts") at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina before retirement in 1982. It was sent to NAS China Lake, California and expended as a ground target--a sad end for a beautiful aircraft.
This really is a pleasing study of a F-4, and I'm surprised I hadn't posted it before.