The F-4 Phantom was a record-breaking aircraft that served with the U.S. military.
The F-4 Phantom was a fighter jet that entered service with the U.S. Navy in 1961 and eventually found its way to the Air Force two years later only for the Marine Corps to adopt it too. Four decades in service saw it become one of the best-selling fighter jets in U.S. history. Unfortunately, all things must come to an end, even top-performing twin-engine multi-role fighter jets.
The military officially retired the Phantom in 1996. There are still a number around the world as other countries use them, though some have expressed interest in replacing their Phantoms with up-to-date fighters. As well as the Phantom performed, it’s gradually become a relic. The Phantom had a number of flaws. The airframe struggled in dogfights because of the Gs and early iterations lacked a gun.
However, some pilots loved the fighter, and it proved itself over and over again in combat zones. The Navy gradually replaced the Phantom with the F-14 Tomcat while the Air Force phased it out in favor of the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Falcon.
