The F-4 was the dominant Air Force fighter of the 1960s and early 1970s and was also the tactical workhorse in Vietnam. It was another Air Force aircraft that began its life as a Navy fighter. The Air Force made the decision to adopt the F-4 in March 1962—at the time an unprecedented action. The Phantom II was originally designated F-110 under the 1948 designation system. The first Air Force Phantom flew on May 27, 1963, and the type became operational in early 1964 with the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing. On July 10, 1965, Capts. Thomas S. Roberts and Ronald C. Anderson, along with Capts. Kenneth Holcombe and Arthur C. Clarke, in F-4Cs, shot down two MiG-17s, the first Air Force air-to-air victories of the Vietnam War. On January 2, 1967, Col. Robin Olds shot down a MiG-21, becoming the first and only Air Force ace with victories in World War II and Vietnam. The RF-4C photoreconnaissance variant was designed to replace the RF-101. The RF-4C was deployed to Vietnam at the end of 1965. The F-4D was the Air Force's first true ground-attack version and could carry twice the normal bomb load of a World War II–era B-17. The F-4E addressed a serious pilot concern with the addition of an M61A1 20-mm cannon. All of the Air Force aces (Capts. Charles B. DeBellevue, Jeffrey S. Feinstein, and Richard "Steve" Ritchie) and Navy aces of the Vietnam War flew F-4s. The F-4G was modified for the "Wild Weasel" radar site–suppression role, first flew in December 1975, and saw action in Operation Desert Storm. In March 1996, the "Wild Weasels" were the last Air Force F-4s to be retired. The RF-4Cs also saw action in Desert Storm and were retired from the Air National Guard in 1995. The F-4 family picked up the nicknames "Rhino" and the "Double Ugly."
| Contractors: | McDonnell Aircraft Corp. (later McDonnell Aircraft Division of McDonnell Douglas Corp.) |
| Locations Built: | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Long Beach, Calif. | |
| Burbank, Calif. | |
| Number Built: (USAF) | 5,201, incl license- built aircraft (2,742) |
| First Flight: | May 27, 1958 |
| First Flight Model: | XF4H-1 |
| First Flight Location: | St. Louis, Mo. |
| First Flight Pilot: | Robert Little |
| Models/Variants: | F-110A. F-4C, D, E, G. RF-4C. QF-4 |
| Powerplant: | Two General Electric J79-GE-17 turbojets of 17,900 lb of thrust in afterburner. |
| Wingspan: | 38 ft 5 in. |
| Length: | 63 ft 0 in. |
| Height: | 16 ft 6 in. |
| Weight: | 61,651 lb gross |
| Armament: | One General Electric M61A1 Vulcan 20-mm cannon and up to four AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided missiles and up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder heat-seeking missiles or up to 16,000 lb of assorted external stores |
| Accommodation: | Crew of two (pilot and weapon system officer in tandem) |
| Cost: | $2.48 million |
| Max. Speed: | 1,500 mph |
| Range: | 1,050 mi. |
| Ceiling: | 57,200 ft. |
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