The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and U.S. Air Force. It was used extensively by all three of these services during the Vietnam War, serving as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, as well as being important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles by the close of U.S. involvement in the war.

First entering service in 1960, the Phantom continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force and the F-14 Tomcat and F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy. It remained in service in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. The Phantom was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab-Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms in the Iran-Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with seven countries, and in use as an unmanned target in the U.S. Air Force.

Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built. This extensive run makes it the second most-produced Western jet fighter, behind the famous F-86 Sabre at just under 10,000 examples.

The F-4 Phantom was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the U.S. Navy, and first entered service in 1960. By 1963, it had been adopted by the U.S. Air Force for the fighter-bomber role. When production ended in 1981, 5,195 Phantom IIs had been built, making it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft. Until the advent of the F-15 Eagle, the F-4 also held a record for the longest continuous production for a fighter with a run of 24 years. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.

Despite the imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 pounds (27,000 kg), the F-4 had a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb of over 41,000 ft per minute (210 m/s). Shortly after its introduction, the Phantom set 15 world records, including an absolute speed record of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h), and an absolute altitude record of 98,557 ft (30,040 m). Although set in 1959-1962, five of the speed records were not broken until 1975 when the F-15 Eagle came into service.

The F-4 could carry up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, and unguided, guided, and nuclear bombs. Since the F-8 Crusader was to be used for close combat, the F-4 was designed, like other interceptors of the day, without an internal cannon. In a dogfight, the RIO or WSO (commonly called "backseater" or "pitter") assisted in spotting opposing fighters, visually as well as on radar. It became the primary fighter-bomber of both the Navy and Air Force by the end of the Vietnam War.

Due to its distinctive appearance and widespread service with United States military and its allies, the F-4 is one of the best-known icons of the Cold War. It served in the Vietnam War and Arab-Israeli conflicts, with American F-4 crews achieving 277 aerial victories in Southeast Asia and completing countless ground attack sorties.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a US Navy McDonnell F-4J Phantom II fighter-bomber that was attached to VF-194 during 1977 and wearing a "Ferris Camouflage". Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/4-inches
Length: 10-1/2-inches

Release Date: December 2012

Historical Account: "Ferris" - Although scientific techniques are used in developing and evaluating camouflage paint schemes for aircraft and other weapons, military artists also play a role. Among them is Keith Ferris, a leading painter of aviation subjects who often flies with Air Force missions to gain perspective for his paintings. He holds five patents for military camouflage patterns and has been a part-time adviser to the Air Force and Navy on camouflage for the past 15 years.

Among Mr. Ferris's contributions was to bring about the elimination of color from the national insignia carried by most combat planes. Formerly a white star superimposed on a blue disk flanked by red white and blue bars, the United States insignia is now painted in outline using gray or black, thereby avoiding conspicuous Insignia.

''The irony is that it was during the bicentennial year that I persuaded the authorities to start eliminating red, white and blue from the national insignia,'' Mr. Ferris said. ''But if you're going to camouflage a plane in the first place, it makes sense to avoid conspicuous insignia and unit emblems.''

Partly as a result of Mr. Ferris's urging, most Air Force and Navy fighters are now painted in several shades of gray, eliminating the more colorful patterns of the past.

''One of the great mistakes of the past,'' he said, ''was the use of dark colors in camouflage patterns. These included the dark green, medium green and tan pattern that came into use during the Vietnam war. From a slight distance away, that paint scheme made a plane look black. Viewed against a typical sky background, the aircraft was in sharp silhouette, visible and conspicuous from a great distance away. A light gray tone that matches the typical color of the sky has a much better chance of avoiding detection.''

Mr. Ferris noted that in World War I, American combat planes were painted in green and brown camouflage patterns, but in World War II, the Korean War and the early part of the Vietnam war, the gleaming aluminum skin of the majority of American airplanes was left unpainted. A much better choice of camouflage than the one eventually used in Southeast Asia, he maintains, would have been a non-reflective coat of light gray paint.