F-4 Phantom: The St. Louis Slugger

116 Pages·2015·25.992 MB·English

by  Tim McLelland (ed.)

ILLUSTRATED
F-4 PHANTOM
THE ST. LOUIS
SLUGGER
Icons No 17
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F-4 PHANTOM
T he Phantom’s story is a complicated would follow it. But history and circumstances Phantoms were exported across the globe, as
one that covers a diversity of roles, a saw the Phantom become a warplane that was far afi eld as Australia and Japan, and to Britain’s
long history of development, and a far more signifi cant. It was the United States Air Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. The Phantom
seemingly endless record of Force that changed the Phantom’s story when proved its capabilities in the skies over South
operational activity around the world. It is the Air Force realised just what a potent East Asia and went on to forge a second life in a
therefore, quite surprising to note that the machine the Navy’s new fi ghter had turned out variety of roles, both in the USA and with
Phantom came into being as a relatively to be. They reluctantly took an interest in the export customers thousands of miles away
low-key project that promised to deliver Phantom and ultimately embraced it, turning from the St. Louis factory from where the
nothing more than a simple successor to the the Phantom into a fi ghter, bomber, magnifi cent machine had fi rst emerged. By any
design that had preceded it. The Phantom was reconnaissance platform, electronic warfare standards the F-4 Phantom was a truly
to be a new jet for the United States Navy, machine, and more. The Phantom blossomed formidable machine.
representing a simple step in fi ghter into a multi-role warplane that had the
development, slotted between the sleek F-8 capability and performance to take-on the Tim McLelland
Crusader and the all-capable F-14 Tomcat that world, and the world duly took notice. Series Editor
For more than a century of aviation history
and for further titles in this series, visit
CONTENTS
4 BIRTH OF A LEGEND 40 THE SPECTRE OF SUCCESS 76 ON HER MAJESTY’S SERVICE
The United States Navy seeks a The United States Air Force The United Kingdom buys
new multi-role fi ghter for the 1960s adopts the Navy’s Phantom America’s new warplane
22 NAUTICAL NASCENCE 58 PHANTOM DESCRIBED 94 INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM
The Phantom enters service with The McDonnell F-4 The F-4 Phantom in service
the US Navy and Marine Corps explored in detail around the world
Aeroplane Icons: F-4 PHANTOM
Editor Tim McLelland. Design and Layout Paul Silk.
Publisher and Managing Director Adrian Cox. Executive Chairman Richard Cox. Commercial Director Ann Saundry.
Distribution Seymour Distribution Ltd [phone]. Printing Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH.
ISBN 978-1-909786-17-2
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Published by Key Publishing Ltd, PO Box 100, Stamford, Lincs PE19 1XQ.
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F-4 PHANTOM | 3
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Birth of a Legend
The United States Navy seeks a new multi-role
fighter for the 1960s
T he creation of the Phantom is than this and discussed the project with perform primarily as an attacker, rather than
undoubtedly due to the persistence everyone who was likely to be involved with a defender. This was in response to the
and determination of James Smith it, exploring the project with defence chiefs feedback that came from the US Navy that
McDonnell, founder of the McDonnell Aircraft and service men who would have to fly and had indicated a clear preference for
Corporation. With his design team led by maintain the aircraft, even talking to pilot’s something that was much more than just
Herman Barkey, Dave Freeburg and Davis wives to determine what they thought their another fast jet with a gun. Specifically, the
Lewis (a future President of the company), he husbands really wanted, rather than what Navy expressed a need for an aircraft more
embarked upon a completely new project to they merely professed to want whilst talking akin to the venerable Skyraider, a slow and
produce an aeroplane that would be ideally in front of their colleagues. The McDonnell outwardly unremarkable machine that was of
suited to the future needs of the US Navy and team slowly assembled a picture of what course immensely strong, powerful and
one that would therefore be irresistible to the their new project should aim to achieve and reliable, and capable of carrying a huge
Navy’s chiefs in Washington. Wisely, the by the end of 1953 they had drawn-up the amount of ordnance. The aeroplane that
design team chose to go directly to the men basics of a new design known as the F3H-G, a emerged was the F3H-C, a single-seat and
of the United States Navy and ask them what direct development of the Demon fighter. long-range fighter-bomber, equipped with
they needed. In fact, they even went further They opted to create an aircraft that could APQ-50 radar, four 20mm cannon and no less
Successor to the f2h Banshee, Mcdonnell’s f3h
demon swept-wing fighter is seen here in prototype
form after roll-out at the company’s St. Louis factory
in 1951. the demon was the aircraft for which the
Phantom ii was designed as a direct successor. not
surprisingly, the Phantom retained some of the
demon’s key design features. (Photo: Aeroplane)
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F-4 PHANTOM
BirTH OF A LegeNd
than 11 external hard point stations for USAF, but this new design was expected to aircraft capable of flying out to a maximum
ordnance. McDonnell proposed that up to be much more than a fighter. range of 250 miles in advance of the fleet,
seven different forward fuselage designs A formal development proposal for the maintaining a CAP (Combat Air patrol) for up
could be created to mate with the rest of the aircraft was submitted to the US Navy in two hours, engage in air-to-air combat and
aircraft, each designed to perform a specific August 1954 and this was translated into an then return to its carrier, all within a
role such as single-seat attack (with four order for two prototype aircraft and one three-hour cycle time. They also specified
20mm cannon), twin-seat all-weather static test airframe, issued in October of the that the aircraft would be an all-missile
interception, reconnaissance and more, and same year. The aircraft was provisionally machine, guns now being regarded as
although the concept seemed almost absurd designated as the AH-1, reflecting its primary old-fashioned and therefore unnecessary.
at the time, it did of course become a role as an attack platform, although the McDonnell’s designers were certainly
fundamental feature of the definitive design Navy’s requirements were still shifting and by frustrated by the Navy’s attitude, as this new
that McDonnell eventually manufactured. the middle of 1955 far more official interest concept was far removed from the one that
The aircraft was to be powered by two Wright was being expressed in the possibility of had been adopted to create the AH-1, but the
J-65 7,800lb turbojet engines and although creating a new fleet defence fighter that team went back to the proverbial drawing
the new design was undoubtedly derived would be capable of maintaining long CAP board and carefully re-designed the AH-1
from the earlier Demon fighter (hence its (Combat Air Patrol) missions of three hours or into a twin-seat all-weather interceptor, now
similar designation), it had a mixed more, armed with new, sophisticated known as the F4H-1. The planned J-65
configuration of swept wings and straight air-to-air missiles and equipped with a engines were soon abandoned in favour of
tailplane surfaces (albeit with a swept leading secondary attack capability. It was the more promising General Electric J-79 that
edge), combined with a fuselage that was Commander Francis Timmes (Project Officer had been developed for the USAF’s mighty
designed to conform to area rule principles in for the AH-1) who steered the project and B-58 bomber. The proposed AN/APQ-50 radar
order to decrease drag and improve worked closely with the Chief of Naval was retained however, and provision for
performance, resulting in the then- Operations to define a clear role for the AAM-N-6 Sparrow missiles was built into the
fashionable “Coke Bottle” shape. McDonnell aircraft, and when Timmes (together with aircraft. Promising to achieve Mach 2
accepted that this new derivative of the other USN officials) visited the McDonnell performance, the aircraft still retained a
Demon would not be as fast or agile as the plant at St.Louis, they briefly outlined a “Fleet very respectable load-carrying capability
F-101 Voodoo that was being built for the Air Defense Mission” that would call for an but in all other respects the F4H-1 was
F-4 PHANTOM | 5 †††
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McDonnell’s first Phantom was the FH-1, the US
Navy’s first operational jet, and the first American
jet aircraft to launch and land on an aircraft
carrier. This particular example is from VMF-122.
The FH-1 led to the F2H Banshee, and F3H Demon
(Photo: Aeroplane)
Forerunner to the Demon, and developed
directly from McDonnell’s FH-1 Phantom, the
F2H Banshee was a larger and more powerful
carrier-borne fighter. The second prototype
(99259) is illustrated here on an early test
flight. (Photo: Aeroplane)
6
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F-4 PHANTOM
McDonnell’s original wooden mock-up of the F3H-G.
McDonnell submitted both the single-engine F3H-E
and the twin-engine F3H-G proposals to the US Navy,
with Grumman and North American submitting
proposals as well. The F3H-G was duly selected, and a
‘letter of intent’ for two prototypes of the type, now to
be designated AH-1, was issued on 18th October 1954.
During May 1954 McDonnell released pictures of its
F3H-G fighter mock-up. Although the aircraft retained
the basic overall configuration of the Demon, it had
already been developed quite considerably, and now
looked much closer to an enlarged A-4 Skyhawk. By
December 1955 the aircraft had become a twin-seat
design, and already exhibited many features of the
production-standard aircraft that would follow.
(Photos: Tim McLelland collection)
F-4 PHANTOM | 7 †††
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During 1955 Vought started design of the XF8U-3 Crusader
III, a high performance all-weather interceptor/fighter.
Although it carried the same F-8 designation as its
predecessor, it was an entirely new aircraft that was larger
and had a more powerful engine. Vought didn’t designate it
as the XF9U-1 (which would have been a logical choice)
and it emerged as the XF8U-3 Crusader III. The F8U-2 (the
F-8C) had been considered such a major upgrade on the
original design that it was initially referred-to as the
Crusader II. Although the XF8U-3 shared a broad similarity
with the basic F-8 Crusader design, it was in effect a very
different aircraft. The general configuration of the airframe
remained unchanged but the vertical tail was changed both
in shape and size, and two extendable ventral fins were
attached to the lower fuselage. The Crusader’s unique
‘hinged wing’ design was retained.
(Photo: Tim McLelland collection)
now very much a fighter, and the US Navy
agreed (in July 1955) to initially purchase two
prototypes of the re-designed aircraft (the
proposed static airframe order was now
dropped). However, an order was also placed
with Vought for two prototype specimens of
their proposed F8U-3 Crusader, designed to research and experimentation, a great deal of than 20 different arrangements, the best
directly compete with McDonnell’s aircraft. which was performed in wind tunnels. When solution was found to be a tailplane position
Vought’s new design eventually emerged as it was first designed, the AH-1 had a fairly at the base of the fin, with 23.25 degrees of
something that was considerably different to low-set horizontal tailplane but when anhedral that provided good stability whilst
the original Crusader fighter, with a new investigations into potential yaw stability still avoiding the main flow of air from the
fuselage design and huge ventral fins that were conducted, it became clear that a larger wings and engines, thereby ensuring that the
retracted to horizontal position for low speed vertical fin area was necessary. The fin tailplane surfaces would have good control
flight and landing. It was in effect a structure was already unusually broad so that authority under most conditions. The
completely different aircraft and certainly a the overall height of the fin could be kept aircraft’s swept-delta wing was designed as a
bizarre machine to behold, although short, in order to comfortably fit within the huge one-piece structure (albeit with a
McDonnell’s prototype also changed quite Navy’s carrier hangars. Enlarging the fin still manufacturing splice along the centre line)
drastically into a design that was almost as further seemed almost impossible, and so the that would be immensely strong and capable
unorthodox as Vought’s F8U-3. The up-turned concept of introducing dihedral or anhedral of withstanding severe manoeuvring stresses,
wing tips and down-turned tailplanes (or (a downward angle) into the tailplane was whilst also being able to carry very heavy
‘stabilators’) that gave the aircraft its striking investigated as a means of achieving the weapons loads. The outer wing tips were
appearance were the result of careful same result. After performing tests with more deigned to fold upwards in order to keep the
8
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F-4 PHANTOM
A classic McDonnell publicity photograph of the F4H-1 prototype inside the company’s St. Louis factory. Suitably placed for the cameraman, the aircraft’s J79 engine illustrates its
considerable length, mostly created by the afterburner cans attached to its rear portions. Numerous F-101 Voodoos can bee seen nearing completion in the background.
(Photo: Tim McLelland collection)
▲ The fi rst F4H-1 pictured outside the McDonnell plant at St. Louis,
shortly after completion. (Photo: Tim McLelland collection)
► McDonnell’s test pilot Bob Little, pictured in the cockpit of the
F4H-1 prototype at St. Louis. (Photo: Tim McLelland collection)
F-4 PHANTOM | 9 †††
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aircraft’s overall dimensions within an twelve degrees of dihedral to just the outer gallons in order to accommodate the second
acceptable limit for carrier deck operations, wing tips, giving the whole wing an “average” cockpit, although an external centerline fuel
but the rest of the structure was intended to dihedral of five degrees, and this also ensured tank would compensate for this. In the late
be as simple and rugged as possible. As the that the inner wing’s airflow would not 1950s radar design was still far from
design process progressed, a “dog tooth” interfere with the effectiveness of the advanced and interpreting the radar’s often
notch was incorporated into the wing tailplanes. confusing signals was a task that required a
leading edge to cause upper-surface vortices The decision to adopt a two-man crew for great deal of attention and skill. Conventional
at high angles-of-attack, thereby preserving the F4H-1 was a controversial issue that was wisdom at the time suggested that
lateral control and avoiding any risk of never properly settled. McDonnell based the sophisticated radar-equipped aircraft should
pitch-up. It also became clear that final choice on the preferences expressed by carry two crew members so that the pilot
incorporating a degree of dihedral (an the US Navy, although a significant number could concentrate on the task of flying and
upwards angle) into the wings would give of the Navy’s pilots were also convinced that fighting while the second crew member
the aircraft better stability, but nobody on a single-seat aircraft would be a better devoted most of his time to the radar’s
the design team wanted to destroy the solution. The final decision was actually taken operation. Of course, the typical US Navy
established layout of the immensely strong over a Friday afternoon meal during which fighter pilot (who was usually blessed with
main wing structure as this would have the US Navy’s George Duncan and Francis perfect weather conditions and plenty of
required a great deal of re-design and Timmes met with McDonnell’s Barkey and daylight) professed to be more than capable
engineering work if it was to remain as tough decided that a twin-seat configuration would of handling his aircraft alone, and that a
and durable as it already was. The be their preferred choice, necessitating a second crew member simply added
compromise solution adopted was to apply reduction in fuel capacity by some 150 unnecessary weight and drag to the aircraft’s
10
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