McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

 McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Photo: US Goverment, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Make	McDonnell Douglas
Model	McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
Type	Interceptor, fighter-bomber
Country	United States
First flight	27 May 1958
Built	1958–1981
Status	In limited service
Number built	5,195
Registered in the US	2 (FAA register, October 30, 2026)
Seats	2
Engine	2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A, 11,905 lbf thrust
Cruise speed	940 km/h (F-4E)
Service ceiling	60,000 ft (F-4E)
Max weight	61,795 lb (F-4E)
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The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American two-seat, twin-engine supersonic fighter-bomber, first built for the U.S. Navy and soon adopted by the Marine Corps and Air Force. In all, 5,195 were built from 1958 to 1981, which makes it the most-produced American supersonic military airplane, and it is a signature combat airplane of the Cold War. In the U.S. there are 2 with a valid registration.

History

McDonnell began the design in 1953 as an update of its F3H Demon naval fighter. The Phantom first flew on May 27, 1958, and entered Navy service in 1960. It is big and fast, with a top speed over Mach 2.2, and it carries more than 18,000 lb of weapons on nine hardpoints. The first versions had no gun; some later ones got an internal M61 Vulcan cannon. From 1959 it set 15 world records, including absolute speed and altitude records.

Vietnam and beyond

In the Vietnam War the F-4 was the main American air superiority fighter and later a ground-attack and reconnaissance airplane. All five Americans who became aces in that war did it in F-4s. The U.S. replaced it in the 1980s with the F-15, F-16, F-14 and F/A-18, but it served on with many other countries; Japan retired its last in 2021 and South Korea in 2024.

Registered in the United States

The FAA register lists 2 of these airplanes with a valid U.S. registration. Here they are by the model name the FAA uses.

FAA model name	Registered
F4D	1
F4H-1	1

Specifications (F-4E)

Item	F-4E
Crew	2
Length	19.2 m
Wingspan	11.7 m
Height	5 m
Empty weight	30,328 lb
Maximum takeoff weight	61,795 lb
Fuel	1994 USgal or 12961 lb internal, 3335 USgal or 21678 lb with 2x 370 USgal external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or tank for the center-line station.
Engine	2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A, 11,905 lbf thrust (after-burning turbojet engines)
Maximum speed	2,370 km/h
Cruise speed	940 km/h
Service ceiling	60,000 ft
Rate of climb	41,300 ft/min

Figures as given in the Wikipedia article and its sources.

Owner and mechanic notes: coming soon. What to check before you buy, common problems and what they cost to fix. Airplane Wiki is gathering this from owners and mechanics.

Photos

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  QF-4E Phantom 74-1626 at McGuire Air Force Base Air Show. Photo: Jon Hurd, CC BY-SA 3.0
• 
  McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Photo: John Collins, U.S. Navy, Public domain
• 
  An F-4D owned by the Collings Foundation taxis at Selfridge ANGB, Michigan in May 2005. Photo: Jacobst at English Wikipedia, Public domain
• 
  McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Photo: USAF, Public domain
• 
  A McDonnell F-4B Phantom II (BuNo. Photo: Original uploader was RGSchmitt at en.wikipedia, 2006-09-28 (original , CC BY-SA 2.5
• 
  McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Photo: USN, Public domain
• 
  McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. Photo: Photographer: TSgt Brad Fallin, USAF, Public domain
• 
  Two McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fighters on the catapults of the U.S. Photo: USN, Public domain

All photos are from Wikimedia Commons; click a photo for its full credit and license.

Buying a McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II

For sale listings: coming soon. Airplane Wiki will list McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs for sale here, with the facts on this page beside every listing.