F-4 Phantom

McDonnell Douglas

F-4 Phantom II - Reference Photos

For many people, myself included, the Phantom represents the pinnacle of Western Cold War fighter aircraft. First flying in 1958 and entering service with the US Navy in 1960, it remains in front-line service with a number of air arms across the world in 2020, some 60 years later.

The Phantom II started life as a speculative private venture, intended as a supersonic (Mach 2.2) naval carrier-borne all-weather fleet-defence fighter. As well as US Navy, sercive as the F4H-1 Phantom it was quickly adopted by the USAF as the F-110 Spectre, but eventually reverted to a common F-4 Phantom designation.

Across the UK, a number of air museums have F-4s on display, although US State Department arms control regulations have limited the availability of aircraft after their retirement, requiring most to be scrapped - after all, even in 2020, an F-4 is still a potent weapon !

Other aircraft still appear regularly at UK airshows. Return to Phantoms Page

Phantom FG.1, Fleet Air Arm/RAF - RNAS Yeovilton, Somerset

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Phantom FG.1 XV 586 was transferred to the RAF when HMS ARK ROYAL paid off in 1979. It served with 43 Sqn until the early 2000s and was acquired by RNAS Yeovilton, where it was recently repainted in its original RN colours. Above is the aircraft at the 2019 RNAS Yeovilton Air Show, below is how it looked in 2013.