by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization (Washington DC) The F-4 Phantom II aircraft built its fame in Vietnam [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/03/was-the-vietnam-war-really-unwinnable/], bolstering it later in Iraq [https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/03/the-path-to-power-in-iraq-should-be-through-baghdad-not-washington/], in 1991, during Operation Desert Storm. During these wars, the aircraft notched as many as 280 air-to-air victories [http://www.silverwingsofidaho.org/The_F-4E.html] and eliminated more than 200 anti-aircraft sites [https://warriormaven.com/air/stealth-air-attack-what-f-35-weapons-enable-massive-beast-mode]. Before it was retired from U.S. military service in 1996, the aircraft proved itself combat-worthy over a period of many decades. It first took to the sky as far back as 1958, according to an essay from Boeing [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629053417/http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/f4/]. Into the late 1990s, the aircraft continued to support allied countries including Australia, Egypt, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Spain, and Turkey. The Phantom II [https://warriormaven.com/air/how-dangerous-is-russias-new-5th-gen-checkmate-stealth-fighter] began life as a Navy jet but evolved into key ground-attack roles supporting Marines [https://www.detailandscale.com/meetup/f-4-phantom-u-s-navy-marines] in firefights. “The aircraft flew every traditional military mission: air superiority, close air support, interception, air defense suppression, long-range strike, fleet defense, attack and reconnaissance,” according to Boeing. There were several variants and modernization efforts pursued with the F-4 Phantom over the years, according to Joe Baugher [http://www.joebaugher.com/]. The first variant was the F-4J [https://www.valiantaircommand.com/f-4j-phantom], a model powered by J79-GE-10 [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Electric_J79] engines able to generate 17,900 pounds of afterburning thrust. The engines, Baugher explains, were heavy and generated a need for stronger landing-gear with larger mainwheels. “In order to accommodate these larger mainwheels, the upper and lower surfaces of the inner wing had to be bulged outward like those on the USAF F-4C. An additional fuel cell was fitted in the rear fuselage to bring internal fuel capacity to 1998 gallons,” Baugher writes. Army Delivers New High-Speed Attack Networking Technology to Active Units As the aircraft further evolved, the F-4J was equipped with an upgraded bombing system, [https://warriormaven.com/air/is-the-f-35-fleet-alone-deterring-china-can-china-match-sensing-computing-air-combat-weapons-stealth-5th-gen-fleet-size-networking-of-f-35] which added key ground attack improvements and the ability to release nuclear weapons at all altitudes. “The F-4J was also equipped with the AN/AWG-10 fire control system housed in an enlarged radome. This set used an AN/APG-59 pulse-Doppler radar in place of the earlier APQ-72. This new radar was designed to detect and track low-lying aircraft and to distinguish them from sea/ground returns,” Baugher explains. Looking at its history, it seems likely the combat success of the F-4 influenced the emergence of the F-15 [https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/pdf/87906main_H-1073.pdf] and carrier-launched planes such as the F/A-18. Interestingly, the F-4 appears to have taken on a wide range of roles, including ground-attack, air-to-air combat, and carrier-launched bombing missions. Kris Osborn [https://warriormaven.com/author/krisosborn] is the Military Affairs Editor of 19FortyFive and President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
