McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. . , The First Modern Strike Fighter As the direct descendent of the disappointing F3H Demon, the F-4's success was anything but assured. But, with over 5000 F-4s of various versions ultimately delivered to the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and 11 foreign countries as well, the F-4 proved to be its era's premier strike fighter. A huge payload gave the F-4 a formidable attack capability, and the two-man crew, powerful engines, and advanced radar made the F-4 a potent fighter as well. The F-4J version, an example of which is before you, was the world's first fighter able to detect and attack low-flying aircraft. In the Vietnam War, Navy Phantoms claimed 40 air-air victories, against a loss of seven F-4s to enemy fighters. Of note is that Navy and Marine Corps F-4s lacked guns, relying solely on AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles., Our Display Aircraft F-4J Bureau Number 153071 spent its career at NAS Patuxent River. It first flew on 28 June 1966 and was transferred to the Naval Air Test Center in February 1967. It served primarily as the carrier suitability and Automatic Carrier Landing System test aircraft. Over its life, our Phantom logged 4,256.1 flight hours, 447 catapult launches, 533 arrested landings, and 8,655 total landings. It was retired in October 1986 and transferred to PRNAM in March 1987.,

. Primary Mission: Fighter/attack , . Crew: Pilot and Radar Intercept Officer , . U.S. Service Timeline (F-4 Series): 1960 - 1992 , . Max. Gross Weight: 56,000 lb , . Dimensions: 58.3 ft length, 38.4 ft wing span , . Propulsion: Two General Electric J79-GE-10 Turbojet engines , . Max. Operating Speed: 725 MPH (sea level); Mach 2.1 (above 30,000 ft) , . Armament: AIM-7, AIM-9 air-to-air missiles; up to 16,000 lb air-to-surface bombs, rockets, missiles

, This aircraft is on loan from the National Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola, Florida .