McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II: Books - History

McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II - Air Superiority Legend

Since its first flight in May 1958, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II proved to be a tough, rugged and excellent all-weather, air superiority fighter/bomber.
From flying fleet defence missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis and performing as an air superiority fighter/bomber during the Vietnam War, to taking out Iraqi surface-to-air missile sites in the Wild Weasel role during Operation Desert Storm, the Phantom II did it all. Other nations have also benefited tremendously from the acquisition of export versions of this remarkable aircraft.

Here Mark A. Chambers recounts an illuminating history of this truly unique aircraft's design and development and relives its glorious record in the Vietnam War, various Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Cold War and Operation Desert Storm.

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McDonnell-Douglas F-4C / RF-4C Phantom II

This book is a concise, illustrated history of the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-4C and RF-4C Phantom II. Covered are its technical developments, markings, and use by Spanish forces.

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F-4 Phantom

When the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom first emerged towards the end of the 1950s, it represented a generational step from the first postwar jets and later 'Century Series' aircraft, to the modern high-tech fighters such as the F-16.
The Phantom was the most significant aircraft to serve with the US Navy and Marine Corps, and the US Air Force. It was also the most numerous and significant aircraft type to participate in the Vietnam War. Apart from being an iconic US aircraft it was also a hugely successful international design and was purchased by the UK, Australia, Egypt, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Spain and Turkey.

This detailed volume provides an in-depth, comprehensive study of the development of the F-4 Phantom, tracing its full service deployment from the USAF and RAF to the air forces of a host of countries around the globe.
The author also covers in detail the long and complicated story of the British Phantom. Purchased for both the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, it became a much-respected carrier-borne fighter-bomber. It provided the RAF with a nuclear strike aircraft and a ground attack/reconnaissance platform, and later became the RAF's standard interceptor.

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USAF McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II (Osprey)

In many respects the most successful, versatile and widely-used combat aircraft of the post-war era the F-4 Phantom II was quickly adopted by the USAF after its spectacular US Navy introduction.
Its introduction to USAF squadrons happened just in time for the Vietnam conflict where USAF F-4Cs took over MiG-fighting duties from the F-100 Super Sabre. Although the F-4 was never intended as a dog-fighter to tangle with light, nimble, gun-armed MiGs it was responsible for destroying 109 MiGs in aerial combat.
At the end of their careers many of the survivors from the 3,380 'land-based' Phantoms were converted into target drones for training purposes. New aircraft were also built for West Germany, Iran and Israel. The USAF's experience with the Phantom showed clearly that the air-to-air fighter was still a necessity and its decision to fund its successor, the McDonnell-Douglas F-15 Eagle (as well as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and F-22A Raptor) was heavily influenced by the lessons of US and other Phantom pilots in combat.

Contents: Introduction - Design and Development - Technical Specifications and Variants - Operational History - Conclusion - Bibliography and Further Reading.

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F-4 Phantom II - Pilot's Flight Operating Manual (Pilot's Flight Operation Instructions)

One of the great aircraft of the Cold War era, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the most heavily produced supersonic, all-weather fighter bomber. Capable of a top speed of Mach 2.23, it set sixteen world records including an absolute speed record of 1,606 mph and an altitude record of 98,557 feet.

The F-4 flew Vietnam, in the Arab-Israeli conflict, and the Gulf War and amassed a record of 393 aerial victories. F-4s also flew as part of the USAF Thunderbirds and the U.S. Navy Blue Angels flight demonstration teams.

Originally printed by McDonnell and the U.S. Navy in the 1960s, this flight operating handbook taught pilots everything they needed to know before entering the cockpit. Classified "restricted", the manual was recently declassified and is here reprinted in book form.

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F-4 Phantom

Many aviation enthusiasts consider the unmistakable F-4 Phantom to be one of the last real "jet fighters"! No sleek lines, no fiber composites or other high-tech features, just pure, functional fighter design from the height of the Cold War.
These were the ingredients for one of the most successful combat aircraft of the last decades.

The brutal-looking machine was in use by dozens of armed forces, including the German Luftwaffe, which only retired its last machines in 2013. A picture and technology book with all the details about this fighter aircraft legend!

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