McDonnell Douglas
Crew: 2
Power: 2 - Rolls-Royce Spey 202 turbofans
9,313 kg / 20,515 lb afterburning thrust
Max. Speed: 2,230 kph / 1,386 mph
Ceiling: 18,300 m / 60,000 ft
Range: 2,815 km / 1,750 miles
Climb: 9,760 m / 32,000 ft minute
Weight -
Empty: 14,074 kg / 31,000 lb
Max. Take Off: 26,332 kg / 58,000 lb
Size -
Wingspan: 11.68 m / 38 ft 4 in
Wing Area: 49.25 sq m / 530 sq ft
Length: 17.73 m / 58 ft 2 in
Height: 4.95 m / 16 ft 3 in
Armament:
1 - 20 mm / 0.78 cannon
11 - 454 kg / 1,000 lb free-fall bombs
or
4 - AIM-7 Sparrow
4 - AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles
Air combat experience over North Vietnam revealed the weakness of a missiles-only armament package and in 1968 the Phantom F-4E entered service with a 20 mm Vulcan cannon mounted in an undernose fairing. Adding to the initial design oversight was the Rules of Engagement for American pilots requiring them to identify aircraft targets visually. This removed the option of long range missiles to fend off approaching MiGs. The primary problem with naval aviators, in particular, had to do with their lack of air combat training provided by the US Navy. None of this takes from the fact that the MiG pilots did well.
The fact that a Phantom is using a parachute to shorten its landing distance emphasizes the controlled crash nature of carrier deck landings where jets are grabbed by wires and yanked to a halt. It takes a very rugged undercarriage to handle the punishment.
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