- 5 months ago
For educational purposes
Modern and historic footage tells the story of the 'war horse of 12 Western air forces.
The Carrier-based Phantom II won its spurs in Vietnam where its extraordinary capabilities led to adaptation for land-based roles ranging from ground attack to defence suppression.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II features:
- Prototype roll-out and first flight Engine development and triais
- Walk round of an F-48
- Phantom joins the Fleet
- US Navy action in Vietnam
- US Marine Corps action in Vietnam
- US Air Force action in Vietnam and after
- The Phantom with other air forces Weaponry
- US display teams
- The 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000th Phantoms
And has a detailed script by leading aviation authority Christopher Chant.
Modern and historic footage tells the story of the 'war horse of 12 Western air forces.
The Carrier-based Phantom II won its spurs in Vietnam where its extraordinary capabilities led to adaptation for land-based roles ranging from ground attack to defence suppression.
McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II features:
- Prototype roll-out and first flight Engine development and triais
- Walk round of an F-48
- Phantom joins the Fleet
- US Navy action in Vietnam
- US Marine Corps action in Vietnam
- US Air Force action in Vietnam and after
- The Phantom with other air forces Weaponry
- US display teams
- The 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000 and 5000th Phantoms
And has a detailed script by leading aviation authority Christopher Chant.
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:00The
00:29Phantom began life in the early 1950s as the McDonnell AH-1 twin-engined supersonic
00:35attack aircraft. But from May 1955, the design was recast as the F-4H-1 two-seat fleet defense
00:44fighter with Mach 2 plus performance and primary armament revised from four 20-millimeter cannon
00:51to four Sparrow air-to-air missiles semi-recessed in the lower fuselage and supported by powerful
00:57search and fire control radar. As such, the F-4H was the world's first fighter with self-contained
01:04search and destroy capability.
01:06On May 27th, 1958, the XF-4H-1 prototype was rolled out at Lambert Field, St. Louis, and
01:26the first flight was entrusted to test pilot Bob Little.
01:29Our intention on that flight was to take the airplane supersonic on its first flight. We had
01:37done that four years before in the F-101, and it was certainly something to be accomplished in the
01:44F-4. It didn't work out that way. Landing gear didn't come all the way up. And on that flight,
01:50the hydraulic system failed on takeoff, so I had to bring the airplane in after about 20 minutes of
01:58learning how to fly it well enough so I could land it.
02:05As the XF-4H taxied into a position flanked by examples of McDonald's other major fighter program
02:11of the period, the F-101 Voodoo, it was clear that the company had a winner on its hands, despite the
02:19difficulties met in the maiden flight.
02:24The story of the Phantom belongs also to General Electric, which provided the J-79 turbojet. The
02:32company began work in 1951, aiming to produce a new axial flow engine possessing low weight and great
02:39fuel economy at Mach 0.9, but with the strength and thrust for Mach 2 performance. To achieve this,
02:47the J-79 used radical design features, the most important being this variable stator compressor with
02:54adjustable blades, and the after-burning exhaust nozzle needed for light weight and optimum performance
03:01under the conditions of very high-speed flight. This nozzle uses secondary air to control the expansion
03:09of the primary exhaust, the secondary air also serving to cool the engine and so remove the need for
03:16expensive metallurgical solutions. Two sets of nozzle fingers are interconnected mechanically, opening
03:23and closing, so that over the complete operating range of the engine, the exhaust is shaped to provide
03:28the best relationship between thrust and fuel consumption. The net effect is a two-thirds increase
03:35thrust, though only at the expense of horrendous fuel consumption.
03:47The full-scale variable stator compressor unit was tested for the first time in August 1953, returning figures so
03:56good that the test crew initially thought that the instrumentation was faulty.
04:06At much the same time, the afterburner was connected to a J-73 turbojet and tested with encouraging results.
04:12The afterburner was then married to the J-79, allowing the complete new engine to be put in the test cell in June 1954.
04:20Some 150 hours on the J-79 were complemented by 800 hours on the J-73 for additional testing.
04:32A significant moment in the test program came with the J-79's first running in the field.
04:38The engine fires and the test crew immediately checks the instrumentation.
04:42Now throttled to idling speed, it is inspected by ground and flight test engineers for fuel or oil leaks,
04:52and for any other obvious signs of failure.
04:56With this hurdle passed, the engine is opened up to higher speed,
05:01and finally shut down.
05:04The radical new engine first took to the air in May 1955.
05:14The unit was installed in a nacelle that could be extended below the belly of a converted North American B-45 bomber.
05:21This historic film shows the modified B-45 taking to the air on May 20th, 1955.
05:49Once the B-45 was safely airborne, the J-79 nacelle was extended and initial test runs flown,
05:56confirming the J-79's basic capabilities in steady, level flight.
06:02This was followed by a series of air starts, a factor crucial for any aero engine.
06:08The performance envelope of the J-79 was then explored under a host of differing flight regimes,
06:18and the engine emerged with flying colors at after-burning thrust ratings up to some 13,000 pounds.
06:25The first flight qualified J-79 was then shipped across the U.S. to Edwards Air Force Base in California,
06:35where it was unpacked, ground tested, and installed for flight test.
06:40This went well, with the fuel, oil, and 100 or more electrical connections being made without major complications.
06:57The aircraft chosen for the flight trials was the XF-4D-1, prototype of the Skyray High Performance Naval Interceptor.
07:10Ground runs at dry and after-burning thrust were undertaken to prove the basic installation.
07:25The test aircraft with the J-79 was rolled out for its first flight on December 8, 1955,
07:44in the hands of test pilot Roy Pryor.
07:55The aircraft took off downwind to make full use of the runway.
08:02The takeoff thus needed about six miles of the famous dry lake bed at Edwards,
08:07which had been called Muroc up to 1950.
08:16The flight included a climb to 18,000 feet before Pryor returned for an evening landing.
08:25The whole flight had been a model of successful flight testing.
08:32The J-79 was soon cleared for operational service,
08:40and early examples of the type were installed right from the beginning of the Phantom's production run.
08:46This was in full flood by the late 1950s, after the placing of the first production contract in December 1956.
09:01This walk-round of an F-4B naval model on loan to the U.S. Air Force reveals the Phantom's major features.
09:08The pilot is seated at the front, with the radar officer behind him.
09:15The latter can darken his cockpit to provide optimum conditions for viewing the radar screen by using the blind here visible inside the rear canopy.
09:25The cockpits are comparatively large and conventional by the standards of the period, but well filled with displays and controls.
09:38The crew members sit on Martin Baker Mark V ejector seats.
09:48These are designed for safe ejections at zero feet and speeds down to 150 miles per hour.
09:53And are generally triggered by pulling the overhead handle for the blind that protects the fire's face during ejection.
10:07Mach 2 performance is aided by the two fully variable ramp inlets for the J-79 engines.
10:14A splitter plate diverts the boundary layer of slow-moving air close to the fuselage.
10:20And the inlet ramp jackknives out at speeds over Mach 1.4 to control the shock wave pattern,
10:27keeping these waves out of the inlet and maintaining an even flow of air at the face of the engine.
10:34This system is fully automatic, being controlled by the aircraft's air data computer.
10:39Navy and Air Force Phantoms generally have different tires.
10:45Both types are of the same diameter.
10:48But, pictured here on the left, is the broader Air Force tire, which offers greater touchdown area
10:55and is thus inflated to the lower pressures suitable for operations on the longer runways available to land-based aircraft.
11:02Located on the port side of the fuselage is a pneumatically extended RAM air turbine
11:10for the generation of emergency power to maintain essential systems in the event of engine failure.
11:17Down to a speed of 225 miles per hour, the turbine provides electrical power,
11:23thereafter switching to hydraulic power for the landing systems.
11:26The centerline hardpoint for Storrs carriage is supplemented by four substantial pylons under the wings.
11:35On the leading edges of the wings are three section slats to maintain an even flow of air over the wings and reduce stalling speed.
11:43The key to this feature is boundary layer control, using air tapped from the engine compressor
11:49and then vented through the slots, here being checked.
12:01This is one of the two trailing edge flaps, which are also fitted with boundary layer control.
12:08As on the leading edge system, these slots blow air tapped from the engines over the upper surface of the flap.
12:15The blowing of the flaps is designed to control the airflow and so maximize the effect of these fairly small surfaces.
12:24The flaps can be depressed a maximum of 60 degrees.
12:36This full flap setting being used for landing and a half flap setting for takeoff.
12:41Lateral control is entrusted to a combination of spoilers and ailerons, the former being used at high air speeds and the latter at low air speeds.
12:57The underside of each wing sports a hydraulically operated speed brake.
13:14These are designed to provide rapid deceleration at speeds down from Mach 2.4 at any flight attitude without buffet or change in pitch trim.
13:27Landings can be made perfectly safely with the speed brakes extended, though at low speeds the effect of these surfaces is small.
13:37The vertical tail is long and low to ease the problem of headroom in the hangar deck of US carriers and has a powered rudder for yaw control.
13:53Under the powered rudder is the vent for the complex of six fuel tanks located in the fuselage.
14:00The slab tailplane halves ensure full pitch control under all flight conditions and are angled down at 23 degrees to improve directional control by increasing the effective side area of the rear fuselage.
14:17Between the J79 tailpipes is the arrestor hook, normally stowed under the rear fuselage fairing but lowered for carrier landings.
14:26The hook is retained on land-based phantoms and has proved valuable for short landings on runways fitted with the appropriate arrestor gear.
14:35The hook is made of a special high strength alloy to cater for the very high forces generated in an arrested landing.
14:43Heat resistance in the rear fuselage is promoted by use of stainless steel and titanium and the use of ram air cooling.
14:50At the extreme tail is the compartment for the 16 foot braking parachute required to shorten landings on ordinary runways.
15:00The hole in the tail provides an exit for the cooling air deliberately drawn into the rear fuselage structure above the exhaust of the engines.
15:08The phantom has always been noted for its singular appearance. One of these distinctive features is the power folding of the outer portion of each wing, normally angled up at 12 degrees.
15:22This folding system is designed to reduce the phantom's width for movement on carrier decks and elevators.
15:28The feature is retained on land-based phantoms and has proved useful in the field.
15:33With the wing folded, you can see the internal plumbing for the boundary layer control system.
15:39The large nose radome provides accommodation for the 32 inch diameter antenna of the APQ-72 main radar.
15:54Under the nose is the fairing for the infrared scanner, which was provided for backup target acquisition capability in the event of the main radar being jammed or otherwise failing.
16:05The phantom became operational with the US Navy in 1961, and squadrons were rapidly converted from older types to equip the Navy's powerful carrier force.
16:30This section shows the major elements of carrier-borne operations, the aircraft on the USS Forrestal being F-4Bs of Fighter Squadron 74,
16:59which was the Atlantic Fleet's first phantom unit, and otherwise known as the Bedevilers.
17:11Each mission is preceded by a careful briefing, and the flight crews then don survival equipment over their flight suits.
17:18On the command of flight operations, the crews then proceed to their aircraft.
17:34Meanwhile, the deck crews, each wearing different colored vests for identification, have been finishing their preparations for the launch of the mission.
17:42The pilot completes his walk-round check of the aircraft.
17:48Then he and his radar officer board the phantom.
17:51Launch weight is chalked up for the catapult officer's attention.
17:55The fleet defense role requires the pilot to fly the aircraft and control any combat,
18:09while the radar intercept officer operates the radar and controls the early stages of any interception.
18:16The two cockpit canopies are closed, and the deck crew brings up the catapult bridle.
18:28Let's have a look at this.
18:29Let's go to NASA.
18:30Let's go to NASA.
18:31Russia is research on the landing page for a beautiful, beautiful CADA guide to a beautiful
18:33adin.
18:34The flight deck director takes a long trek of the sailor has along the range of the ship.
18:35The flight decks are to complete the maritime landing page for the ship,
18:38and the ship is actually Brazil.
18:39The flight deck director, the flight commander, the ship is expected of the sailor's command of the ship.
18:40It's originally announced all the ship.
18:41It's the first-on-writes and he is now a power to fez and the ship.
18:42The flight deck director, the ship's police commander, the crew, the crew, the ship Имpocket Civil
18:42and the ship, and the ship's commander, the ship patrol.
18:47For the ship, the ship's commander, the captain, the ship is the ship.
18:48The flight deck director positions each aircraft over its designated catapult, and the aircraft
19:04is eased over the shuttle onto the rear section of the catapult.
19:15The bridle is then attached, and any slack in the bridle is taken up by edging the catapult
19:20shuttle forward a little.
19:24The companion Phantom on the second catapult goes through exactly the same preparation,
19:29and all is now ready for launch as the deck crew scrambles out of the way.
19:37Cockpit checks have also been completed, and the deck director signals the pilot to run
19:41his engines up to take-off power.
19:46Finally, the director signals the launch, and the Phantom is hurled down the catapult run,
19:53and over the bow of the carrier at a speed of 185 miles per hour.
19:59As the first two depart on their combat air patrol, another pair of Phantoms taxis up
20:14for launch.
20:18Once each reaches the launch spot, deflectors are raised to divert the exhaust gases away
20:23from the flight deck.
20:32Meanwhile the shuttle is returned, and the next Phantom designated for that catapult taxis
20:38its nose wheel unit over the shuttle and lines itself up with the catapult as the deck crew
20:43bring up the bridle.
20:51The launch sequence continues, with up to four aircraft dispatched almost simultaneously.
21:16Further aircraft are being brought up in the deck edge elevators,
21:24and launches continue, in this instance with a triple dispatch.
21:37With two crew, powerful radar, and a combination of Sparrow medium range and Sidewinder short-range missiles,
21:58the Phantom was the world's first fighter with search and destroy capability independent
22:03of ground control, and thus a great asset for the US Navy in the 1960s.
22:09Indications of its service capabilities were soon being given by a number of world records.
22:14In December 1959, the Phantom set a zoomed climb to altitude record of 98,556 feet.
22:24In September 1960, it took two closed circuit records at 1,217 and 1,390 miles per hour.
22:34Less than a year later, in August 1961, a low altitude speed record of 903 miles per hour
22:41was set, and this was swiftly followed in November by an absolute world speed record of 1,606 miles
22:49per hour.
22:50But perhaps the most spectacular of these early achievements came in May 1961
22:55to mark the 50th anniversary of naval aviation.
22:59Five prototype Phantoms flew west to east across the US in 2 hours 47 minutes, shattering the previous best.
23:06At the end of the patrol, the Phantoms returned to the carrier and come in to land.
23:23The
23:43family
23:48As it approaches at 150 miles per hour, each aircraft is checked visually to ensure that
24:06the landing gear and flaps are lowered, and then talked down by the landing signal officer
24:12once his assistant has reported a clear deck.
24:18As the pilot lines up for his approach, he is guided by an amber light called the meatball,
24:45seen here on the right of the flight deck.
24:47The pilot keeps this lined up with the row of green lights to ensure that he is in the
24:52groove, the correct glide slope to fly his aircraft onto the deck and catch the wire.
24:59There are different light angle approach settings for each type of aircraft on board.
25:06After each landing, the wire is disengaged from the arrestor hook and returned to its position,
25:19as the landed aircraft taxis out of the way so that the next can come in without delay.
25:32After landing, the aircraft are struck down to the hangar deck on the four deck edge elevators and begin the maintenance cycle before another mission.
25:47The four forestall class ships each have some three and a half acres of maintenance area below the flight deck.
26:02But even this allows only half of the carrier's 90 aircraft to be sheltered at any one time.
26:09Throughout the 1960s and early 70s, the Phantom, in F-4B and the upgraded more powerful F-4J versions, provided the U.S. Navy's first line of air defense.
26:24Out to a radius of 400 miles from the carrier, the Phantom remained unexcelled for combat air patrol until the advent of the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
26:39On occasion, during the Vietnam War, U.S. Navy Phantoms operated as attack aircraft from land bases on detachment from their parent carriers.
26:49These are F-4J aircraft evolved from the initial F-4B with more powerful engines and drooping ailerons to supplement the flaps,
26:58slotted and therefore more effective tail planes.
27:02Another major Phantom operator in Vietnam was the U.S. Marine Corps, and a key shore-based marine aviation component was Marine Aircraft Group 13, based at Chu Lai in 1968.
27:27Aircraft were kept in blast-proof revetments between missions as a way of reducing the effect of communist rocket and mortar attacks on airfields,
27:38and also to make more difficult any close attack by Viet Cong sappers.
27:43Before boarding the Phantom, the crew complete the standard walk-round check that the aircraft has no evident defects.
27:56The underwing pods are checked for full attachment, complete loading, and proper electrical connection,
28:07and the safing of the 2.75-inch rockets.
28:14The main landing gear wheel well is examined for any sign of hydraulic or fuel leaks.
28:21A quick look satisfies that the Mark IV 20-millimeter cannon pod is loaded with ammunition and revealing no obvious failings.
28:31The bomb load is completed with triplets of retarded high-explosive bombs loaded onto the wing pylons by the ordnance crew,
28:44using a special jack-up bomb trolley.
28:47Flagged safety pins are inserted before the trolley is removed.
29:12A safety wire is fitted on each bomb to prevent its arming until after it has been dropped.
29:31As it falls, the wire breaks, thus freeing the nose-mounted propeller to turn the requisite number of times and so arm the weapon.
29:44The two crew members complete the standard walk-round check and board the aircraft.
29:52With the aid of ground crew, they strap in and then put on their bone dome helmets and flame-resistant gloves.
30:09The next task is the cockpit check, achieved with the aid of a special list.
30:28All moving surfaces receive a final visual check and test as the ground crew remove flagged pins and safeties.
30:41The flags are then clearly shown to the pilot.
30:47Loaded with 12 bombs and a centerline drop tank, the F-4B of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 115 taxis out for takeoff.
31:02Other Phantoms slated for the mission join up on the runway.
31:06Before clearing for takeoff, the crew confirm that the outer wings have been locked down and then depart for another tactical sortie in support of Marine Corps ground forces.
31:35The steadily increasing scope of U.S. operations in Vietnam during the later 60s meant the steady expansion and improvement of bases used by aircraft such as the Phantom, which requires fully paved runways.
31:52Here, Marines lay a temporary extension to a paved runway.
31:56Then as now, ground operations required support at all times of the day and night and in all weather conditions.
32:15So the ability of Marine Aviation Phantom Squadrons to respond rapidly was a key feature in the success of Marine Corps ground forces in Vietnam.
32:24The Phantom pilots prided themselves on the accurate delivery of a wide variety of ordnance close to the friendly forces forward positions, and this too was of great significance in crisis situations.
32:47Constant pressure could thus be exerted on the enemy, whose precise location was radio relayed by the ground forces or a forward air controller.
33:12Successive waves of aircraft could be used to keep up the air pressure on the hostile ground forces and also permitted different types of ordnance to be called in as dictated by the circumstances of each tactical situation.
33:41Successive waves of each tactical situation.
34:11The major operator of the Phantom in Vietnam was the U.S. Air Force, starting with the F-4C land-based version of the F-4B, and then the modestly improved F-4D with enhanced ground attack capability.
34:25Although vulnerable to communist guerrilla attack, a centralized fueling system such as this at Cam Ranh Bay offered handy advantages for tactical operations and was therefore used in Vietnam.
34:43The Phantom's high fuel consumption militated against quick reaction units being held on the runway, but circumstances often meant that the Air Force had to do it, for only thus could maximum aerial firepower be brought to bear against the communist forces without delay.
35:07the Phantom of the Army
35:23.
35:57Heat fatigue to the crews waiting on the runway under the scorching tropical sun was another
36:05factor to be considered when fully manned and weaponed aircraft were kept on standby.
36:11But again, speed of reaction was the overriding factor so that the phantoms could be scrambled
36:16quickly.
36:27After the standard preparation and takeoff, sometimes with reduced fuel to allow the maximum
36:50possible war load to be uplifted, the Air Force's phantoms often linked up with a Boeing KC-135
36:57tanker to top up their tanks and thus increase combat radius with a war load of up to 16,000
37:03pounds of external stores.
37:04Here, the boomer in the tanker flies the boom into the phantom's dorsal receptacle for fuel
37:13transfer.
37:15The phantom was the attack aircraft par excellence in Vietnam, the type offering a good combination
37:33of war load and range with exceptional airframe strength and first-class avionics to ensure
37:40that the right target was attacked with considerable accuracy.
37:55This piece of film was shot during an attack and clearly shows the phantom's ability to
37:59tackle heavily defended outcountry targets in North Vietnam, just as effectively as less
38:06well-defended targets of opportunity in the in-country war over South Vietnam.
38:13Outcountry targets included vital communication links, power plants, and strategic stockpiles
38:19all ringed with anti-aircraft guns and missiles.
38:30Even in conditions of cloud, the phantoms were able to get through and unload their weapons.
38:39The Vietnam War witnessed the use of the U.S.A.F.'s whole spectrum of tactical
39:09weapons, including all types of free fall and retarded high explosive bomb.
39:16Retarded bombs were designed to allow the attacking aircraft to drop accurately at low level yet
39:22get away before the force of the explosion.
39:31Phantoms also operated in tight patterns at medium altitudes, all dropping their bombs on
39:36the command of the leader to deliver ordnance with maximum concentration.
39:41Napalm was a particularly important weapon in the U.S. tactical effort during the Vietnam War.
39:57The initial F-4C was an effective machine, but was developed into the F-4D with improvements such
40:04as APQ-109A rather than APQ-100 radar and the ASG-22 sight.
40:13But both models lacked an internal gun, so the carriage of a cannon pod became frequent in both
40:19the air-to-air and air-to-surface rolls.
40:27This is an SUU-16A pod, being loaded with its 1200 rounds of 20mm ammunition.
40:43The pod features an external ram turbine to power the cannon, and this restricts the aircraft
40:51to speeds below 400 miles per hour during the firing pass.
40:57Thus, its use was confined mainly to the air-to-ground roll, as demonstrated in these sequences
41:02of typical ground-attack passes.
41:16The SUU-16A and the SUU-23A self-powered version for the high-speed air-to-air roll were a solution
41:25admittedly not ideal to the Phantom's lack of an internal gun.
41:38The End
41:56The Phantom
42:25Phantom also operated with air-to-surface missiles such as the 12,000-yard-range Bullpup.
42:36And as noted before, the main air-to-air fit was based on the medium-range Sparrow and
42:42short-range Sidewinder.
42:50Air combat was not a frequent occurrence in the Vietnam War.
42:54But MiG fighters were sometimes met and generally downed, as here with a Sparrow missile.
43:10And sometimes by cannon fire, as in this classic camera gun film.
43:17The
43:19U.S.A.F.
43:21The definitive USAF version was the F-4E,
43:49which introduced an M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon in the lower nose,
43:54together with the smaller diameter APQ-120 radar,
43:59uprated engines, a slotted tailplane,
44:01and maneuvering slats on the outer wing panels.
44:10As on earlier Phantom variants,
44:13provision was also made for podded electronic countermeasures,
44:16such as this jammer pod carried in the port-forward Sparrow missile recess.
44:24The Phantom soon secured large export orders
44:27and rapidly became the West's most important tactical fighter.
44:31There have been 11 overseas operators of the Phantom,
44:34namely Australia, Greece, West Germany,
44:41Turkey, South Korea,
44:45Japan, Iran,
44:50Egypt and its erstwhile opponent Israel,
44:54Spain, and the United Kingdom.
44:56Though only the third largest of the Phantom's overseas purchasers
45:03in terms of aircraft numbers,
45:05the UK opted for a much revised basic model
45:09derived from the US Navy's F-4J,
45:12but fitted with two Rolls-Royce Spey afterburning turbofans
45:16as the F-4K for the Royal Navy and F-4M for the RAF.
45:22This required a considerable revision of the fuselage,
45:26and the extra drag resulting from this modification
45:28obviated the advantages of the more powerful
45:31and fuel-efficient power plant.
45:39The Phantom FG Mark I naval variant
45:42has AWG-11 fire control radar
45:45and a number of British features.
45:47Among its weapons were the Sparrow missile
45:50and the 2-inch rocket,
45:52the latter carried in multiple pods under the wings.
45:58The FG Mark I remained in service with the fleet air arm
46:03until the Royal Navy was forced
46:05to phase out its fixed-wing carrier strength
46:07in the mid-1970s.
46:09The Royal Air Force was then allocated
46:11the survivors of the fleet air arm's 52 aircraft.
46:14The RAF's Phantom F-RG Mark II
46:18has AWG-12 fire control radar
46:22and a British nav attack system.
46:25The accompanying sequence
46:26shows typical peacetime ground attack training
46:29with rockets, cannon pods, and practice bombs.
46:33Surge about five degrees coming onto the attack heading now.
46:38Contact the target, master arm's going on,
46:40and the camera's going on.
46:42Going right a bit.
46:46Firing.
46:48Now,
46:49and for it.
46:49And for it.
46:52And for it.
46:54And for it.
46:56And for it.
47:01And for it.
47:02And for it.
47:06Tearing downwind now for a larger landing.
47:21Roger Red Leader, join.
47:27Gears down.
47:29Quicker up.
47:36On spade.
48:06The 150 British Phantoms are now tasked primarily with air defense of the UK and have a secondary responsibility for fighter ground attack.
48:22Number 41 squadron is typical of the seven British Phantom squadrons.
48:38Two of these fly ex-naval FG Mark 1s, and a third has ex-US Navy F-4Js required because of the Royal Air Force's increased commitment in the South Atlantic after the Falklands War of 1982.
48:53Modern developments have emphasized alternative roles such as reconnaissance and defense suppression.
49:22The most radical development has been the F-4E-S, high-altitude photo reconnaissance variant of the F-4E, used only by Israel.
49:33This has a completely modified nose section for the special HIAC-1 oblique photo equipment,
49:40which allows this high-altitude aircraft to see deep into enemy territory while the aircraft remains in the comparative safety of friendly airspace.
49:50Israel is also upgrading its fighter models.
49:54Japan, South Korea, and West Germany also see a future for their fighters after extensive upgrading by those countries' own aircraft industries.
50:02Over the years, the Phantom has shown extraordinary adaptability in a wide range of roles,
50:16and has thus operated with many weapon types on its five hard points.
50:21Some of the most important are illustrated in the next few sequences.
50:24Unguided rockets have been especially significant for area ground attack.
50:32The types most commonly used are the 2.75-inch and, more rarely, 5-inch types fired from launchers of varying sizes
50:41against soft battlefield targets such as troop concentrations, unarmored vehicles, and artillery positions.
50:48For the air-to-air role, the short-range infrared guided sidewinder has proved more successful than the medium-range Sparrow,
51:16which homes onto the reflections of the launch aircraft's radar bouncing from the target.
51:23The Phantom can carry four Sparrows under the fuselage
51:27and two or four sidewinders on underwing hard points for maximum flexibility in the air-to-air role.
51:34This sequence shows a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger pilotless drone taking off as target.
51:46The Lake model sidewinder scores a hit in the tailpipe.
52:13The Lake model sidewinder scores a hit in the tailpipe.
52:16This leads to the successive breakup of the drone as it tumbles out of control.
52:25Saturation and precision bombing against point and area targets have both been undertaken with the gamut of U.S. bomb types.
52:54Cannon pods have also proved highly successful in the air-to-ground role,
53:07the 20-millimeter types being the more common, though 30-millimeter pods can be carried.
53:13Multiple pods have proved devastating in the air-to-surface role.
53:17As the most important type in U.S. Navy and U.S. Air Force service during the 1960s and early 70s,
53:30the Phantom was used by the aerobatic display team of each service.
53:34The Navy team is the Blue Angels, which used the F-4J until the rising price of fuel forced to change to the McDonnell Douglas A-4F Skyhawk in 1974.
53:46The Air Force team is the Thunderbirds, which used the F-4E until it, too, switched to a smaller and more economical type.
54:16In this instance, the Northrop T-38A Talon.
54:46That's coming up to you.
55:04As the Phantom has been the Western world's most widely built
55:32and extensively used combat aircraft since World War II,
55:36production milestones for this great aircraft are worth reviewing.
55:40The 1,000th Phantom was an F-4B for the U.S. Navy
55:45and was delivered on July 7, 1965.
55:50Two years later, the 2,000th Phantom followed as an F-4D for the U.S. Air Force.
55:58This was handed over on February 21, 1967.
56:02Just 17 months later, the 3,000th Phantom came off the line.
56:09This F-4J went to the U.S. Navy on August 28, 1968.
56:15An F-4E for the U.S. Air Force became the 4,000th Phantom
56:20when it emerged on February 1, 1971.
56:24Finally, on May 24, 1978, the 5,000th Phantom was an F-4E
56:37delivered to the Turkish Air Force.
56:39The 6,000th Phantom was an F-4E for the U.S. Navy on August 28,
57:03the 4,000th Phantom was an F-4E for the U.S. Army on August 28,
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