McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Aircraft Model From Franklin Mint

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McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Aircraft Model From Franklin Mint

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - Scale Model Warbird
Part Number: B11B169
Availability: Available Now
Actual size is approximately
14 1/2" (36.8 cm) in length. Wingspan approximately 10" (25.4 cm). Scale 1:48

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - Scale Model - Description

·	The U.S. Air Force's most potent weapon in Vietnam.

·	Re-created in impressive 1:48 scale die-cast metal.

·	Assembled and painted by hand.

·	Decked out with historic military markings.

·	The pilot, Col. Robin Olds, scored two combat victories in this jet in a single day - May 20, 1967.

·	Features detailed undercarriage and cockpit.

·	Own an awesome replica of the fighter-bomber known as "MiG Killer"!

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat supersonic long-range all-weather fighter-bomber first produced for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Douglas. The Phantom flew in U.S. service from 1960 to 1996; it also served with the armed forces of eleven other nations. As of 2001, more than 1,000 F-4s remained in service around the world.

Entering service in 1960, the F-4 was designed as the first modern fleet defense fighter for the United States Navy. By 1963, it was adopted by the United States Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in the airframe.

Despite the imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg), the F-4 was capable of reaching a top speed of Mach 2.23 and had an initial climb rate of over 41,000 feet per minute (210 m/s). Shortly after its introduction, the Phantom set 16 world records, including an absolute speed record of 1,606.342 miles per hour (2,585.086 km/h), and an absolute altitude record of 98,557 feet (30,040 m). Although set in 1959-1962, five of the speed records were not broken until 1975.

The F-4 could carry up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs. Created when air-to-air missiles were expected to eliminate the need for close air combat, the Phantom received an internal cannon only in the definitive F-4E variant.

Due to its widespread service with United States military and its allies and distinctive appearance, the F-4 is one of the best-known icons of the Cold War. It served with distinction in Vietnam War and Arab-Israeli conflicts, with F-4 crews achieving 393 aerial victories and completing countless ground attack sorties. It was also a capable tactical reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (supression of enemy air defenses) platform, seeing action as late as the Gulf War. The Phantom was also the only aircraft used by both the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels (F-4J) flight demonstration teams.

Development

The origins of McDonnell's F-4 can be traced to a 1953 request by the Navy for an upgrade of McDonnell F3H Demon carrier-borne fighter. Although the Vought F8U Crusader won the contract, the Super Demon (as McDonnell's entrant was dubbed) was developed as a ground attack aircraft under the designation AH, which by 1955 had evolved into an all-weather air superiority fighter designated F4H. The F4H first flew in 1958 and remained in production from 1959 until 1981. Dave Lewis was the chief of preliminary design, and ultimately, the Program Manager for the development and sales effort.

Super Demon

In 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on modernizing its F3H Demon naval fighter. Seeking expanded capabilities and better performance, the company developed several projects including the F3H-E with a Wright J67 engine, the F3H-G with two Wright J65 engines, and the F3H-H with two General Electric J79 engines. The J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the "Super Demon". Uniquely, the aircraft was to be modular—it could be fitted with one- or two-seat noses for different missions, with different nose cones to accommodate radar, photo cameras, four 20 millimeter cannon, or 56 FFAR unguided rockets in addition to the 9 hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage. The Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mockup of the F3H-G/H but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for the supersonic fighter. The McDonnell design was therefore reworked into an all-weather fighter-bomber with 11 external hardpoints for weapons and on 18 October 1954 the company received a letter of intent for two YAH-1 prototypes. On 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and within an hour presented the company with an entirely new set of requirements. Because the Navy already had the A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor. The addition of powerful radar capabilities necessitated a second crewman. In a fateful decision, the aircraft was to be armed only with missiles.

Phantom origins

In 1952, McDonnell's Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis was appointed by CEO J.S. McDonnell to be the company's Preliminary Design Manager. The first of its kind in the aerospace industry, the group had no specific target other than to learn and understand all of the rapid technical advances being made in aeronautics, airframes, and engines.

With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded that the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type, an Attack Fighter. At the time, the Navy had separate Fighter and Attack branches, each with separate systems and operational requirements. After many iterations and various "enemy capability" assumptions, an "unwanted" Attack Fighter was presented to the Navy. The McDonnell design called for two engines. The primary air-to-air armament was provided by the new Sparrow III missiles semi-submerged in the fuselage. The air-to-ground armament was to be as many bombs as could be carried on stations that would be mounted under the wings and aft of the Sparrow stations on the fuselage. No guns were offered. It took two long years of hard work with the Bureau of Aeronautics and the Naval Air Warfare Division in the Pentagon, but the F-4 was sold with pretty much the same configuration as was originally proposed. [3]

XF4H-1 prototype

The XF4H-1 was designed to carry four semi-recessed AAM-N-6 Sparrow III radar-guided missiles and be powered by two J79-GE-8 engines. As in the F-101 Voodoo, the engines sat low in the fuselage to maximize internal fuel capacity and ingested air through fixed geometry intakes. The thin-section wing had a leading edge sweep of 45 degrees and was equipped with a boundary layer control system for better low-speed handling. Wind tunnel testing revealed lateral instability requiring the addition of 5 degrees dihedral to the wings. To avoid redesigning the titanium central section of the aircraft, McDonnell engineers angled up only the outer portions of the wings by 12 degrees which averaged to the required 5 degrees over the entire wingspan. The wings also received the distinctive "dogtooth" for improved control at high angles of attack. The all-moving tailplane was given 23 degrees of anhedral to improve control at high angles of attack and clear the engine exhaust. In addition, air intakes were equipped with movable ramps to regulate airflow to the engines at supersonic speeds. All-weather intercept capability was achieved thanks to the AN/APQ-50 radar. To accommodate carrier operations, landing gear was designed for landings with a sink rate of 23 feet per second (7 m/s). The nose strut could extend by some 20 inches (50 cm) to increase angle of attack at takeoff. [4]

Naming the aircraft

The F4H was initially going to be named "Satan" or "Mithras". Under pressure from the government, the aircraft was given the less controversial name "Phantom II", the first "Phantom" being another McDonnell jet fighter, the FH-1. Since the FH-1 was long out of service, the new aircraft was usually referred to simply as the "Phantom".

Flight testing

On 25 July 1955, the Navy ordered two XF4H-1 test aircraft and five YF4H-1 pre-production fighters. The Phantom made its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 with Robert C. Little at the controls. A hydraulic problem precluded retraction of landing gear but subsequent flights went more smoothly. Early testing resulted in redesign of the air intakes, including the addition of distinctive 12,500 bleed air holes on each ramp, and the aircraft soon squared off against the Vought XF8U-3 Crusader III. The Navy wanted a two-seat aircraft and on 17 December 1958 the F4H was declared a winner. Due to delays with the J79-GE-8 engines, the first production aircraft had the J79-GE-2 and -2A engines with 16,100 pound-force (71.8 kN) of afterburner thrust. In 1959, the Phantom began carrier trials with the first complete launch-recovery cycle performed on 15 February 1960 from USS Independence (CV-62).

Into production

Early in production, the radar was upgraded to a larger AN/APQ-72, necessitating the bulbous nose, and the canopy was reworked to make the rear cockpit less claustrophobic. The changes did little to improve the Phantom's appearance, with one critic saying it looked like someone stepped on its nose and kicked it in the butt. Overall, the Phantom underwent a great many changes during its career, summarized in the "Variants" section below.

The United States Air Force received Phantoms as the result of Robert McNamara's push to create a unified fighter for all branches of the military. After an F-4B won the Operation Highspeed fly-off against the F-106 Delta Dart, the USAF borrowed two Naval F-4Bs, temporarily designating them F-110A Spectre, and developed requirements for their own version. Unlike the Navy focus on air superiority, the USAF emphasized a fighter-bomber role. With unification of designations in 1962, the Phantom became the F-4 with the Naval version designated F-4B and USAF F-4C. The first Air Force Phantom flew on 27 May 1963, exceeding Mach 2 on its maiden flight.

Phantom II production ended in the United States in 1979 after 5,195 had been built (5,057 by McDonnell Douglas and 138 in Japan by Mitsubishi), making it the second most numerous American jet after the F-86 Sabre. Of these, 2,874 went to the USAF, 1,264 to the Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest to foreign customers.[5] The last US-built F-4 went to Turkey, while the last F-4 ever built was completed in 1981 as an F-4EJ by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan. As of 2001, about 1,100 Phantoms remained in service worldwide, including QF-4 drones operated by the US military.[6]

World record breaker

To show off their new fighter, the Navy led a series of record-breaking flights early in Phantom development.[5]

Operation Top Flight: On 6 December 1959, the second XF4H-1 performed a zoom climb to a world record 98,557 feet (30,040 m). The previous record of 94,658 feet (28,852 m) was set by a Soviet Sukhoi T-43-1 prototype. Commander Lawrence E. Flint Jr. accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2.5 at 47,000 feet (14,330 m) and climbed to 90,000 feet (27,430 m) at a 45 degree angle. He then shut down the engines and glided to the peak altitude. As the aircraft fell through 70,000 feet (21,300 m), Flint restarted the engines and resumed normal flight.

·	On 5 September 1960, an F4H-1 averaged 1,216.78 miles per hour (1,958.16 km/h) over a 500 kilometer (311 mi) closed-circuit course.

·	On 25 September 1960, an F4H-1 averaged 1,390.21 miles per hour (2,237.26 km/h) over a 100 kilometer (62 mi) closed-circuit course.

Operation LANA: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Naval aviation (L is the Roman numeral for 50 and ANA stood for Anniversary of Naval Aviation) on 24 May 1961, Phantoms flew across the continental United States in under three hours in spite of several tanker refuelings. The fastest of the aircraft averaged 869.74 miles per hour (1,400.28 km/h) and completed the trip in 2 hours 47 minutes, earning the pilot Lt. Richard Gordon and navigator Lt. Bobbie Long the 1961 Bendix trophy.

Operation Sageburner: On 28 August 1961, a Phantom averaged 902.769 miles per hour (1,452.826 km/h) over a 3-mile (1.86 km) course flying below 125 feet (40 m) at all times. Navy Commander J.L. Felsman was killed during the first attempt at this record on 18 May 1961 when his aircraft disintegrated in the air after pitch dampener failure.

·	Operation Skyburner: On 22 December 1961, a modified Phantom with water-methanol injection set an absolute world record speed of 1,606.342 miles per hour (2,585.086 km/h).

·	On 5 December 1961, another Phantom set a sustained altitude record of 66,443.8 feet (20,252.1 m).

Operation High Jump: A series of time-to-altitude records was set in early 1962; 34.523 seconds to 3,000 meters (9,840 ft), 48.787 seconds to 6,000 meters (19,680 ft), 61.629 seconds to 9,000 meters (29,530 ft), 77.156 seconds to 12,000 meters (39,370 ft), 114.548 seconds to 15,000 meters (49,210 ft), 178.5 seconds to 20,000 meters (65,600 ft), 230.44 seconds to 25,000 meters (82,000 ft), and 371.43 seconds to 30,000 meters (98,400 ft). Although not officially recognized, the Phantom zoom-climbed to over 100,000 feet (30,480 m) during the last attempt.

All in all, the Phantom set 16 world records. With the exception of Skyburner, all records were achieved in unmodified production aircraft. Five of the speed records remained unbeaten until the F-15 Eagle appeared in 1975.

Operational history

United States Navy

On 30 December 1960, the VF-121 Pacemakers became the first Phantom operator with its F4H-1Fs (F-4As). The VF-74 Be-devilers at NAS Oceana became the first deployable Phantom squadron when it received its F4H-1s (F-4Bs) on 8 July 1961. The squadron completed carrier qualifications in October 1961 and Phantom's first full carrier deployment between August 1962 and March 1963 aboard USS Forrestal (CVA-59). The second deployable U.S. Atlantic Fleet squadron to receive F-4Bs was the VF-102 Diamondbacks who promptly took their new aircraft on the shakedown cruise of the USS Enterprise (CVAN-65). The first deployable U.S. Pacific Fleet squadron to receive the F-4B was the VF-114 Aardvarks which participated in the September 1962 cruise aboard USS Kitty Hawk (CVA-63).

By the time of the Tonkin Gulf incident, 13 of 31 deployable Navy squadrons were armed with the type. F-4Bs from USS Constellation (CV-64) made the first Phantom combat sortie of the Vietnam War on 5 August 1964, flying bomber escort in Operation Pierce Arrow. The first Phantom air-to-air victory of the war took place on 9 April 1965 when an F-4B from VF-96 Fighting Falcons piloted by Lt JG Terence M. Murphy shot down a Chinese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17. The Phantom was then shot down, apparently by an AIM-7 Sparrow from one of its wingmen.[4] On 17 June 1965, an F-4B from VF-21 Freelancers piloted by Cdr Thomas C. Page and Lt John C. Smith shot down the first North Vietnamese MiG of the war.

On 10 May 1972, Randy "Duke" Cunningham and William P. Driscoll flying an F-4J called "Showtime 100" shot down three MiGs to become the first flying aces of the war. Their fifth victory is believed to be over the mysterious North Vietnamese ace Colonel Toon. On the return flight, the Phantom was damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile. To avoid being captured, Cunningham and Driscoll flew upside-down (the damage made the aircraft uncontrollable in a conventional attitude) and on fire until they could eject over water. During the war, Navy Phantom squadrons participated in 84 combat tours with F-4Bs, F-4Gs, and F-4Js. The Navy claimed 41 air-to-air victories at the cost of 71 aircraft lost to enemy fire (5 to aircraft, 13 to SAMs, and 53 to AAA). An additional 54 aircraft were lost in accidents.

By 1983, the F-4Ns have been completely replaced by F-14 Tomcats, and by 1986 the last F-4Ss were exchanged for F/A-18 Hornets. On 25 March 1986, an F-4S belonging to VF-161 Chargers became the last Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier (USS Midway (CV-41)). On 18 October 1986, an F-4S from VF-202 Superheats made the last-ever Phantom carrier landing aboard USS America (CV-66). In 1987, the last of the Naval Reserve-operated F-4Ss were replaced by F-14s. The only Phantoms still in service with the Navy are the QF-4 target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Centers.[4]

United States Marine Corps

The Marines received their first F-4Bs in June 1962, with the VMFA-314 Black Knights becoming the first operational squadron. In addition to attack variants, the Marines also operated several tactical reconnaissance RF-4Bs. Marine Phantoms from VMFA-531 Gray Ghosts arrived in Vietnam on 10 April 1965, flying close air support missions from land bases as well as from USS America (CVA-66). The Marines claimed 3 enemy MiGs at the cost of 75 aircraft lost in combat, mostly to ground fire, and 4 in accidents. On 18 January 1992, the last Marine Phantom, an F-4S, was retired by VMFA-112 Cowboys. The squadron was re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets.

United States Air Force

At first reluctant to adopt a Navy fighter, the USAF quickly embraced the design and became the largest Phantom user. The first Air Force Phantoms in Vietnam were F-4Cs from 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron Triple Nickel which arrived in December 1964. Unlike the Navy, the Air Force initially flew its Phantoms with a pilot rather than a radar intercept officer (RIO), later called weapon systems officer (WSO), in the back seat and all aircraft retained dual flight controls. USAF F-4Cs scored their first victory against a Vietnamese MiG-17 on 10 July 1965 using AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. On 24 July 1965, an Air Force F-4C from the 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first American plane to be downed by an enemy SAM, and 54 F-4Cs were lost in combat by 1966. Early aircraft suffered from leaks in wing fuel tanks that required re-sealing after each flight and 85 aircraft were found to have cracks in outer wing ribs and stringers.[1] There were also problems with aileron control cylinders, electrical connectors, and engine compartment fires.

Reconnaissance RF-4Cs made their debut in Vietnam on 30 October 1965, flying the hazardous post-strike reconnaissance missions. Although the F-4C, being essentially identical to the Navy F-4B, carried the Navy-designed Sidewinder missiles, the USAF-tailored F-4Ds initially arrived with AIM-4 Falcons. However, the Falcon was designed to shoot down slow bombers and proved virtually useless in combat against agile fighters, and F-4Ds quickly reverted to using Sidewinders under the Rivet Haste program. Like other Vietnam War Phantoms, the F-4Ds were urgently fitted with radar homing and warning (RHAW) antennae to detect the Soviet-built SA-2 Guideline SAMs. The attrition resulted in a shortage of F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers and USAF pressed the Phantoms into the hazardous ground attack role. As the result, by 1972 the F-4 was second only to the F-105 in combat losses with 362 downed aircraft. On 28 August 1972, Steve Ritchie became the first USAF ace of the war. On 9 September 1972, WSO Charles B. DeBellevue became the highest-scoring American ace of the war with six victories. WSO Jeffrey Feinstein became the last USAF ace of the war on 13 October 1972.

On 31 January 1972, the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron/183d Tactical Fighter Group of Illinois Air National Guard became the first Air National Guard unit to transition to Phantoms. The ANG service lasted until 31 March 1990, when the Phantom was replaced by the F-16 Fighting Falcon. Then, on 15 August 1990, 24 F-4G Wild Weasel Vs and 6 RF-4Cs were mobilized to the Middle East for Operation Desert Storm. The reason for this was that the F-4G was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory equipped for the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) role since the EF-111 Raven lacked the offensive capability of AGM-88 HARM missiles. The RF-4C was the only aircraft equipped with the ultra-long-range KS-127 LOROP (long-range oblique photography) camera. In spite of flying almost daily missions, only one RF-4C was lost in a fatal accident before the start of hostilities. One F-4G was lost when enemy fire damaged the fuel tanks and the aircraft ran out of fuel near a friendly airbase. The last USAF Phantoms, F-4G Wild Weasel Vs from 561st Fighter Squadron, were retired on 26 March 1996. The last operational flight of the F-4G Wild Weasel was from the 190th Fighter Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, in April 1996. The last operational USAF/ANG F-4 to land was flown by Maj. Mike Webb and Maj. Gary Leeder, Idaho ANG. Like the Navy, the Air Force continues to operate QF-4 target drones. In addition, the Collings Foundation operates a restored F-4D warbird which performs at airshows.[4]

Flying the Phantom

In air combat, the Phantom's greatest advantage was its thrust, which permitted a skilled pilot to engage and disengage from the fight at will.

The massive aircraft, designed to fire radar-guided missiles from beyond visual range, lacked the agility of its Soviet opponents. Although the F-4 could enter spins during high-G and high-angle-of-attack maneuvers, pilots reported the aircraft to be very communicative and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope. In 1972, the F-4E model was upgraded with leading edge slats on the wing, greatly improving high-angle-of-attack maneuverability at the expense of top speed.

The J79 engines produced copious amounts of black smoke at military power which made the Phantoms easy to spot from a distance. Pilots could eliminate the contrails by using afterburner, but at the cost of fuel efficiency.

The F-4's biggest weakness was its lack of a cannon. Because contemporary doctrine held that that turning combat would be impossible at supersonic speeds, no effort was made to teach pilots air combat maneuvering. In reality, engagements quickly became subsonic; moreover, early missiles were inaccurate and unreliable. To compound the problem, rules of engagement in Vietnam precluded long-range missile attacks. Many pilots found themselves on the tail of an enemy aircraft but too close to fire short-range Falcons or Sidewinders. It did not take long for USAF F-4Cs to begin carrying SUU-16 or SUU-23 external gunpods containing a 20-millimeter M61 Vulcan Gatling cannon. Some Marine aircraft carried two pods for strafing. Combat showed the externally mounted cannon to be inaccurate, yet far more cost-effective than missiles. The lack of cannon was definitively addressed with the F-4E.[7]

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