~~~~~~~OPERATIONAL AT HIGHEST SETTINGS~~~~~~~

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force.

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 lbs of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon.

During the Vietnam War the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century.

Like my F/A-18 Super Hornet, I built this plane with performance as the top priority, and looks second. This is among the most agile aircraft of my recreations and my new favorite to fly. It goes straight as an arrow and turns on a dime.

This beauty is outfitted with four AIM-9 sidewinder missiles (detachers 2 & 3) and two external fuel tanks. She wears the common camouflage paint job used throughout the Vietnam Nam War. For ground clearance, I used extended landing gear that can be jettisoned (detacher 1).