McDonnel Douglas F-4 Phantom Vol. 1

The US Navy and US Marine Corps versions of the iconic McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom were American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptors, fighter-bombers and reconnaissance aircraft originally developed by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation. Proving highly adaptable, it first entered service with the Navy in 1961 before it was adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s it had become a major part of their air arms. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981 with a total of 5,195 aircraft built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft in history, and cementing its position as an iconic combat aircraft of the Cold War.

The Phantom was a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set fifteen world records for in-flight performance, including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the US Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. During the Vietnam War, one US Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs), one US Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. The F-4 continued to form a major part of US 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 US Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the US Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the Navy and US Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom remained in use by the US in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel SAED (Suppression of Enemy Air Defences) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both US flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels (F-4J). As the series title ‘Real to Replica’ suggests, the book also contains colour profiles, walk arounds, and how to build plastic models of the F-4 in popular scales, making this an ideal reference for the enthusiast and modeller alike.