One of the most famous and easily recognized fighter aircraft of the post-WWII era was the
McDonnell F-4 Phantom II. This aircraft was developed as a private venture by the aircraft
company but was soon ordered by the USN as a carrier-based attack aircraft. Its first flight took
place on May 27, 1958 and it entered active service in December 1960. It wasn’t long after the
F-4B appeared that a fly-off was set up with USAF front-line fighters. It was no contest, the F-4
performed so well that the USAF ordered their own variant, the F-4C. As time went on, the F-4
evolved into well over a dozen variants.

McDonnell Douglas F-4 15232 was produced as a “B” variant originally serving as the VF-14
“Top Hatters” CAG aircraft. Prior to transferring to the VMFA-531 “Grey Ghosts” in 1976
152323 was upgraded to an “N” variant. In November 1979 VMFA-531 deployed to the Indian
Ocean for a 102 day deployment on board the USS Coral Sea. After supporting the Iranian
Crisis VMFA-531 returned to El Toro in June 1980. On May 29, 1984 the “Grey Ghosts”
received new F/A-18 Hornets and the last Marine F-4N was retired in 1985.

F-4N Upgrades Applied To F-4B
Structurally Upgraded
Complete New Wiring
New Electrical System
F-4J Slotted Stabilator
Inboard Leading-Edge Flaps Locked Shut
New Counter-Measures Equipment
Long Antenna Fairings On Upper Air Intake

Specification of the F-4B Phantom II
Number of “B” variant built for USN and USMC - 649
Engines – 2 x General Electric J79-GE-8A/-8B/-8C turbojets, 10,900 lb.s.t. dry, 17,000 lb.s.t.
with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed
@ Sea level - 845 mph
@ 48,000 ft - 1,485 mph
Initial climb rate - 28,000 fpm
Service ceiling - 62,000 ft
Combat ceiling - 56,850 ft.
Combat range
Normal - 400 miles
Maximum range – 2,300 miles with maximum fuel load
Weights
Empty - 28,000 pounds
Gross - 44,600 pounds
Combat - 38,500 pounds
Maximum take-off - 54,600 pounds
Dimensions
Wingspan - 38 ft 5 in
Wing area - 530 sq. ft
Length - 58 ft 3.75 in
Height - 16 ft 3 in
Fuel
Maximum fuel load
Internal in fuselage – 1,358 U.S. Gallons
Internal in wings – 630 U.S. Gallons
Total external fuel load – 1,988 U.S. Gallons
Maximum external fuel load
In center-line tank under the fuselage - 600 U.S. Gallons
In 2 x under-wing tanks - 740 U.S. Gallons
Combined fuel load – 3,328 U.S. Gallons
Armament
4 x AIM-7D or -7E Sparrow semi-active radar homing missiles in under-fuselage recesses
Inner under-wing pylons could each accommodate an additional Sparrow or a pair of AIM-9
Sidewinder infrared homing missiles
In ground attack mode, could carry up to 16,000 pounds of ordnance on centerline pylon
underneath the fuselage and on four under-wing hard-points

This new site is being updated regularly and it will be much improved before too long. Please be patient, give it time, and check back regularly. Opportunities for community collaboration are in the works for a little further down the road.