The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2. It can carry more than 18, pounds 8, kg of weapons on nine external hardpoints , including air-to-air missiles , air-to-ground missiles , and various bombs.
Beginning in , it set 15 world records for in-flight performance, [ 9 ] including an absolute speed record and an absolute altitude record. The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War , first as the principal air superiority fighter for the U. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps, and later as a ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance aircraft.
During the Vietnam War, all five American servicemen who became aces β one U. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer RIO β did so in F-4s. Air Force, the F Tomcat in the U. Navy and U. Marine Corps. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several ArabβIsraeli conflicts , while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah , in the IranβIraq War.
The F-4 remains in active service with the air forces of Iran , Greece , and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.
In , McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects, including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine, [ 19 ] and variants powered by two Wright J65 engines, or two General Electric J79 engines.
