What was the F-4 Phantom designed for?
McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II McDonnell initially created the F-4 Phantom II for the US Navy in 1958 to provide defensive “top cover” for the fleet, however, the F-4 went on to serve with the Air Force, Marines, and 15 other nations around the world. The Phantom first took flight in 1958 and quickly set 25 world records in categories like speed (mach 2. Due to the impressive performance of the aircraft, the Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps all utilized the F-4.According John Chesire, F-4 US Navy combat pilot during the Vietnam War, the mighty Phantom was nearly a perfect machine. Nothing was “bad” about the F-4 Phantom! Only three things as I recall were regrettable… Its excessive engine smoke, its wide turning radius, and its lack of a gun.
Why were so many F-4 phantoms shot down in Vietnam?
An F-4B of VF-21 over Vietnam during 1965 USN The pilots also identified their own lack of training and the Phantom’s relatively poor agility compared to the nimbler MiGs. American missile technology proved less effective against small, fast manoeuvring targets at close range, like the MiGs early in the war. The MiG-21 was generally considered more maneuverable, while the Phantom was well-armed with missiles and more lethal with the addition of the cannon. The MiG-21 was designed as a short-range interceptor, and the Phantom was a long-range aircraft.An F-4B of VF-21 over Vietnam during 1965 USN The pilots also identified their own lack of training and the Phantom’s relatively poor agility compared to the nimbler MiGs. American missile technology proved less effective against small, fast manoeuvring targets at close range, like the MiGs early in the war.
Was the F-4 Phantom hard to fly?
Flight characteristics Although the F-4 was subject to irrecoverable spins during aileron rolls, pilots reported the aircraft to be very responsive and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope. The F-4’s biggest weakness, as it was initially designed, was its lack of an internal cannon. For a brief period, doctrine held that turning combat would be impossible at supersonic speeds and little effort was made to teach pilots air combat maneuvering. In reality, engagements quickly became subsonic.
How many F-4 phantoms were shot down by MiG 21?
Some reports break this down as follows: • USAF: 40–45 MiG-21s shot down • US Navy: 15–20 MiG-21s shot down Many of these kills were achieved using AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. MiG-21 Victories over F-4: North Vietnamese MiG-21s shot down between 56 and 78 F-4 Phantom IIs, depending on the sources. In 1965 the AIr Force sent its first F-4Cs to Southeast Asia, where they flew air-to-air missions against North Vietnamese fighters as well as attacking ground targets. The various incarnations of the F-4 scored more than 100 Mig kills in Vietnam.