Book Review of
The F-4 Phantom
Images of War Series
Author: Martin W. Bowman
Pen & Sword Aviation
ISBN: 978-1-52-670576-1
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
Publication date: February 20, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-52-670576-1
By Ray Mehlberger
MSRP: $24.95
Publication date: February 20, 2020
HISTORY:
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the Navy.
Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their air arms.
The Phantom is 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 hard-points, 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 15 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs),[6] one U.S. 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 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, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels. The F-4 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, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft.
As of 2018, 60 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Interceptor, fighter-bomber
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation
First flight: 27 May 1958
Introduction to service: 30 December 1960
Retired: 1992 (United Kingdom), 1996 (U.S. combat use), 2013 (Germany), 2016 (U.S. target drone)
Primary users: U.S. Air Force (historical), U.S. Navy (historical), U.S. Marine Corps (historical), Iranian Air Force
Produced: 1958–1981
Number built: 5,195
Unit cost: U.S. $2.4 million (FY1965, new build F-4E)
Variants: McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG1/FGR2
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 133 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ½” page format.
It contains 141 mixed color and black and white photos.
The cover art shows a color photo of 2 Luftwaffe Phantoms flying over a forest.
Below them is 3 more color photos.
The first one shows 2 U.S. Marines Phantoms flying above the clouds. The photo in the center shows 2 Phantoms, head on landing at night. The third photo on the right shows a head on shot of a Phantom being refueled in air.
The back cover has 3 more color photos of Phantoms on it.
On the left is a British Phantom taking off from a carrier deck. In the middle is a Phantom dropping about a dozen bombs. It is too dark a photo to make out what country it is with. The third photo is of a flight of 4 Phantoms of the U.S. Air Force.
The book contains 53 photos of U.S. Navy Phantoms, 8 photos of U.S. Marine Phantoms, a photo of Phantoms being built in a factory, a photo of a Phantom that is marked as being the 5000th one built parked outside the McDonnell Douglas hangar, 4 photos of U.S. Navy Phantoms intercepting Soviet Tu-16 bombers, 2 photos of them intercepting Soviet Tu-95 “Bear” bombers and 1 photo of them intercepting a Soviet Tu-22 “Blinder” bomber.
There is a photo of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels aerobatic flight team, a photo of two U.S. Marines Phantoms having in-air refueling done by a KC-130R tanker, 3 photos of a U.S. Air Force phantom intercepting Soviet Tu-95 “Bears”.
There are 33 photos of U.S. Air Force Phantoms, 1 photo of one being refueled in air by a KC-135A tanker, there are 25 photos of British Air Force Phantoms, 1 being in-air re-fueled by a KC-135A tanker, one each photo of a Phantom with the Royal Australian Air Force, the Japanese JASDF, the Spanish Air Force, the Turkish Air Force, the Greek Air Force, the South Korean Air Force and the German Luftwaffe.
There are 2 photos each of Phantoms with the Egyptian Air Force and the Israeli Air Force.
This is a great picture book of phantoms. Unfortunately, the only color photo are on the front and back covers. I wish some had been included in the book. Surely, there must be a lot of color ones available.
Otherwise recommended to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publisher for this review sample. They are the North American distributor of Pen & Sword books. All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at:
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the Navy.
Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their air arms.
The Phantom is 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 hard-points, 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 15 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 U.S. 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 U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs),[6] one U.S. 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 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, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.
The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996. It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the United States Air Force Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the United States Navy Blue Angels. The F-4 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, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft.
As of 2018, 60 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Role: Interceptor, fighter-bomber
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation
First flight: 27 May 1958
Introduction to service: 30 December 1960
Retired: 1992 (United Kingdom), 1996 (U.S. combat use), 2013 (Germany), 2016 (U.S. target drone)
Primary users: U.S. Air Force (historical), U.S. Navy (historical), U.S. Marine Corps (historical), Iranian Air Force
Produced: 1958–1981
Number built: 5,195
Unit cost: U.S. $2.4 million (FY1965, new build F-4E)
Variants: McDonnell Douglas Phantom FG1/FGR2
THE BOOK:
Pen & Sword is based in the UK.
This book is soft-cover of 133 pages in 7 ¼” x 9 ½” page format.
It contains 141 mixed color and black and white photos.
The cover art shows a color photo of 2 Luftwaffe Phantoms flying over a forest.
Below them is 3 more color photos.
The first one shows 2 U.S. Marines Phantoms flying above the clouds. The photo in the center shows 2 Phantoms, head on landing at night. The third photo on the right shows a head on shot of a Phantom being refueled in air.
The back cover has 3 more color photos of Phantoms on it.
On the left is a British Phantom taking off from a carrier deck. In the middle is a Phantom dropping about a dozen bombs. It is too dark a photo to make out what country it is with. The third photo is of a flight of 4 Phantoms of the U.S. Air Force.
The book contains 53 photos of U.S. Navy Phantoms, 8 photos of U.S. Marine Phantoms, a photo of Phantoms being built in a factory, a photo of a Phantom that is marked as being the 5000th one built parked outside the McDonnell Douglas hangar, 4 photos of U.S. Navy Phantoms intercepting Soviet Tu-16 bombers, 2 photos of them intercepting Soviet Tu-95 “Bear” bombers and 1 photo of them intercepting a Soviet Tu-22 “Blinder” bomber.
There is a photo of the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels aerobatic flight team, a photo of two U.S. Marines Phantoms having in-air refueling done by a KC-130R tanker, 3 photos of a U.S. Air Force phantom intercepting Soviet Tu-95 “Bears”.
There are 33 photos of U.S. Air Force Phantoms, 1 photo of one being refueled in air by a KC-135A tanker, there are 25 photos of British Air Force Phantoms, 1 being in-air re-fueled by a KC-135A tanker, one each photo of a Phantom with the Royal Australian Air Force, the Japanese JASDF, the Spanish Air Force, the Turkish Air Force, the Greek Air Force, the South Korean Air Force and the German Luftwaffe.
There are 2 photos each of Phantoms with the Egyptian Air Force and the Israeli Air Force.
This is a great picture book of phantoms. Unfortunately, the only color photo are on the front and back covers. I wish some had been included in the book. Surely, there must be a lot of color ones available.
Otherwise recommended to modelers and aviation historians alike.
I want to thank Casemate Publisher for this review sample. They are the North American distributor of Pen & Sword books. All Pen & Sword book titles can be viewed on Casemate’s website at: