"The winner [of an air battle] may have been determined by the amount of time, energy, thought and training an individual has previously accomplished in an effort to increase his ability as a fighter pilot."
- Lt. Randy "Duke" Cunningham

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 gorgeous 1:72 scale diecast replica of a F-4 Phantom fighter-bomber that was attached to VF-74 "Be-Devilers", and celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Phantom, "First In Phantoms". Sold Out!

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

Release Date: April 2019

Hstorical Account: "Be-Devilers" - VF-74, Fighter Squadron 74, "Be-Devilers" was an aviation unit of the United States Navy in service from 1944 to 1994. Originally established as VBF-20 on April 16th, 1945, it was redesignated as VF-10A on November 15th, 1946, redesignated as VF-92 on 12 August 1948, redesignated as VF-74 on January 15th, 1950, and disestablished on April 30th, 1994. It was the third US Navy squadron to be designated as VF-74.

On August 11th, 1988, VF-74 became the first squadron to receive the F-14A+ (now F-14B). By the end of the year they had finished the transition and VF-74 became the first squadron to launch an AIM-54 Phoenix from an F-14A+.

In 1990, VF-74 took part in Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm. VF-74 relieved the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, they took up station in the Red Sea and worked with the USS Saratoga. After eight months they returned to NAS Oceana on 29 March 1991. Within a year, VF-74 was back on cruise with the USS Saratoga on May 6th, 1992. Operations included taking part in support of the United Nations aid to the former republics of Yugoslavia in July. On September 14th, VF-74 F-14s flew 1,700 nautical miles (3,100 km) from the USS Saratoga operating in the Adriatic Sea, dropping ordnance on the Wadi Natrun target range in Egypt. The squadron returned home on 6 November.

As usual after returning from cruise, the squadron went straight to workups for the next deployment on board the USS Constellation after the carrier had returned from Service Life Extension Program, they also conducted carrier qualifications on USS Saratoga. However, in August 1993 the Navy decided to deploy only one F-14 squadron on board Saratoga, and as VF-74 was a non-TARPS squadron they were left back home and moved from CVW-17 to be under direct command of Fighter Wing Atlantic. Although they did not take part in any cruise VF-74 took up aggressor role with various Navy and Air Force squadrons. On January 20th, 1994, VF-74 took part in the last deployment, this time to Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in February where VF-74 launched seven air-to-air missiles with 100% success rate. On April 30th, 1994, VF-74 was disestablished after 50 years of service.