F-4E Phantom II

F-4E Phantom II

F-4C Phantom II

F-15A

F-4E Phantom II

F-4C Phantom II

F-15A

USA

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.3	10.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:350 000

Purchase:950 000

Show in game

This page is about the American jet fighter F-4E Phantom II. For other versions, see F-4 Phantom II (Family).

Description

The F-4E Phantom II is a rank VII American jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.3 (AB/RB) and 10.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury". This twin-engine aircraft is powered by two General Electric J79-GE-17 jets, each producing an incredible 8,010 kgf on maximum afterburner. This multi-role vehicle is among the top fighter jets in the game and also a supremely capable ground attacker.

File:War Thunder Screenshot 2020.10.18 - 10.48.59.38.png

A ROKAF F-4E Phantom II from to 153th Combat Squadron deploying its drogue chute for landing

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2,097	2,074	16000	26.5	27.5	160.8	151.2	850
Upgraded	2,202	2,140		25.5	26.0	221.6	190.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1458	463	N/A	625	463	~11	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 810	< 750	< 700	N/A

Engine performance

Engine			Aircraft mass
Engine name		Number	Basic Mass		Wing loading (full fuel)
General Electric J79-GE-17		2	14,115 kg		406 kg/m2
Engine characteristics			Mass with fuel (no weapons load)			Max Takeoff Weight
Weight (each)	Type		8m fuel	20m fuel	26m fuel
1,750 kg	Afterburning axial-flow turbojet		15,919 kg	18,626 kg	19,979 kg	24,000 kg
Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB / SB)			Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP)
Condition	100%	WEP	8m fuel	20m fuel	26m fuel	MTOW
Stationary	5,200 kgf	8,008 kgf	1.01	0.86	0.80	0.67
Optimal	5,200 kgf (0 km/h)	9,610 kgf (1,200 km/h)	1.21	1.03	0.96	0.80

Survivability and armour

• 8.5 mm Steel - Armour plate under forward fuel tank
• Self-sealing fuel tanks (1 in each wing, 6 in the fuselage)

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F-4E Phantom II is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)

Due to this cannon's high rate of fire, trigger discipline is a must.

Suspended armament

The F-4E Phantom II can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 3 x 20 mm M61 cannons (1,200 rpg = 3,600 total)
• 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 16 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 11 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (11,000 lb total)
• 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs (6,000 lb total)
• 2 x AGM-12C Bullpup missiles
• 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
• 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (9,000 lb total)
• 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (9,000 lb total)
• 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (7,500 lb total)
• 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (7,500 lb total)
• 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (7,000 lb total)
• 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (7,000 lb total)
• 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (6,000 lb total)
• 3 x 2,000 lb LDGP Mk 84 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (6,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 1 x 20 mm M61 cannon (1,200 rpg)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 16 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 11 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (11,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (9,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 10 x 750 lb M117 cone 45 bombs (7,500 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (7,000 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-7E Sparrow missiles + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 7 x 1,000 lb LDGP Mk 83 bombs (7,000 lb total)

Usage in battles

The F-4E Phantom II is well-suited for any in-game situation. For attacking ground targets, the plane is armed with an assortment of bombs and rockets, and against air targets, players may employ the vehicle's deadly air-to-air missiles and frontal cannon. If desired, three externally-mounted gunpods may be equipped, but note that these may not be useful in certain situations. Although they will undoubtedly increase the vehicle's destructive capabilities, they also appreciably hinder flight performance through induced drag. In many situations, one front-facing cannon is all that is required to dispatch an opponent aircraft. As for the missiles, the ones used by this plane are among the best in the game, comparable to the R-60 missiles equipped by the MiG-21MF (Germany) and the MiG-21SMT. The AIM-9J missiles are most effective when fired from between 1 to 2 km away from the target. Any closer and they will struggle to track and likely veer off target for a miss.

The F-4E has one of the highest rates of climb out of any vehicle in the game, and is also one of the fastest, especially below 5,000 m altitude. It also has good to excellent acceleration at all speeds, unlike the MiG-21SMT, which only has above-average acceleration at speeds above 700 kph. This means that the Phantom is much more forgiving in dogfights since any lost speed can be regained fairly quickly.

Unlike the F-4C, this vehicle is equipped with leading-edge slats, which increase the aircraft's manoeuvrability. The plane has the best turning ability between 700 and 900 kph, although it has competitive turn rates at all speeds. However, as with all top-tier fighter jets, extended turn-fights should be avoided, since they bleed much speed out of this heavy aircraft and leave the pilot defenceless against nearby vultures. Specifically, watch out for the J35D Draken, which will beat any of its contemporaries in an extended turn, and also keep an eye on nearby Mitsubishi T-2 and MiG-21 pilots: although these aircraft don't do as well in extended turns, they can pull a significant angle of attack in the first few moments of a turn-fight.

In air realistic battles, it is recommended to take a balanced fuel load of 20 minutes, allowing ample usage of afterburner but also reducing the mass of the aircraft to improve its performance. It is also recommended to take armoured-target belts for the internal 20 mm cannon, as well as 4 AIM-9J air-to-air missiles. This setup will maximize the vehicle's anti-air capabilities.

Modules

Tier	Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
I	Compressor	Fuselage repair	Offensive 20 mm	Mk82	AGM-12C Bullpup	Flares
II	New boosters	Airframe	New 20 mm cannons	M117	LAU-3/A	AIM-9E
III	Wings repair	G-suit	Gun pod SUU-23/A.	Mk83	LAU-10/A	AIM-9J
IV	Engine	Cover		Mk84		AIM-7E

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Leading-edge slats allow for an above-average turn rate
• AIM-9J air-to-air missiles are among the best in the game
• Gets 4 IR guided missiles as well as 4 SARH missiles in the same loadout (for 8 missiles total)
• Equipped with flares for evading enemy missiles
• A wide range of suspended armaments, suitable for any play-style
• Deadly frontal armament with high burst mass
• Makes use of a ballistic computer for assisting in the aim of cannons, rockets, and bombs
• Hard to rip the wings through G-overload

Cons:

• Limited ammunition in the frontally-mounted cannon
• Quite large and heavy compared to other fighters at its tier
• Rate of climb suffers immensely when carrying large amounts of ordinance.

History

The F-4E was initially designed as an incremental upgrade to the standard F-4C airframe used by the US Air Force. The aircraft carried a new radar in a redesigned radome, and more importantly, an internal M61 Cannon mounted in the mose. As well, later-production aircraft featured the Agile Eagle upgrade, which gave the Phantom leading edge slats which improved manuveruability at the expense of top speed. The addition of an internal cannon was a highly anticipated upgrade, as it fixed the problem that F-4C squadrons faced when operating over Vietnam.

The first F-4Es entered service in the 1960s and were dispatched to serve in Vietnam, where they complemented the existing inventories of F-4C and D variant aircraft. The aircraft type was credited with 21 kills in Vietnam, most of which were achieved using the AIM-7E-2 'Dogfight Sparrow'. Several pilots achieved Ace status while flying the F-4 in Vietnam, including Charles B. DeBellevue, who was the highest-scoring American ace in Vietnam. The F-4 went on to form the bulkbone of the US fighter force for the bulk of the 1960s and 70s. As well, F-4E was flown by the USAF Thunderbirds Demonstration Team between 1969 and 1974. The large, noisy Phantom performed around the world until 1974, when rising fuel costs forced the Thunderbirds to convert to the smaller T-38 Talon.

The F-4E was exported to a variety of countries. Israel was the largest foreign user of the F-4 Phantom, having purchased 124 F-4 Phantoms from the United States betwen 1971 and 1974; the Israelis were credited with at least 115 kills using the F-4 Phantom during various conflicts. As well, Germany and Japan both procured modified versions of the F-4E, being the F-4F and F-4EJ, respectively. Other notable foreign users of the F-4E include Australia (24 aircraft), Egypt (35 aircraft), Greece (34 aircraft), and Turkey (40 aircraft).

During service, the Phantom gained a number of nicknames, including "Rhino" (referencing it's titanium construction and long nose), "Double-Ugly", and even "The world's largest distributor of MiG Parts", referencing the 277 MiGs downed by the Phantom during various conflicts. The USAF retired the aircraft in 1996, and the aircraft was used as a target drone until 2016. The aircraft remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece and Turkey, 62 years after it's maiden flight.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the F-4E Phantom II from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #198 - Metal Beasts section at 00:33 discusses the F-4E Phantom II.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Jet Fighters	F2H-2 · F3H-2
	F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II
	F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E
Strike Aircraft	AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA)
Helicopters	AH-6M
Export/Licensed
Aircraft	◄F-4F Early · ◄F-4F · ◄F-4F KWS LV · Phantom FG.1 · Phantom FGR.2 · F-4J(UK) Phantom II · F-4EJ Phantom II · F-4EJ ADTW · Kurnass · Kurnass 2000
	F-15J · F-15J(M) · Baz · Baz Meshupar · F-15I Ra’am
	▄AV-8B Plus
Helicopters	Lahatut
	The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation merged with Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Later it was merged with The Boeing Company in 1997.
See Also	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries