Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-4>HA1929

General Background

The F-4 Phantom II first entered US Military service in 1960. It was designed as a fleet defense fighter for the US Navy but by 1963 it was adopted as the US Air Force primary fighter-bomber. Despite the size and weight of this Cold War icon the F-4 broke 15 world records and continued to hold five of them until 1975.

Produced from 1960 to 1981 there were 5,195 Phantom IIs manufactured. Eleven countries other than the USA had the Phantom II in their inventory.

The Aircraft

The 497th TFS spent eight years in SEA and was the only USAF unit in SEA that was dedicated to night combat operations. The 497th TFS was called the "Night Owls" and carried the tail code FP from December 1965 – September 1974. The "Night Owls" were assigned to the 8th TFW at Ubon, Thailand. F-105D 66-0279 c/n 1949 was withdrawn from use and on July 9, 1990 arrived at AMARC as FP0532 storage location 70308. As of 2008 the aircraft was still on located at AMARC.

Specifications :

Dimensions
Length:	17.7m
Height:	4.7m
Wingspan:	11.6m
Wingarea:	49.2 sq m
No. of Engines:	2
Powerplant :	General Electric J79-GE-10 (A/B 17,900Lb/8,119Kg)
Performance
Range:	2,222 km
Cruise Speed:	908 km/h
Max Speed:	2,299 km/h
Climb:	12,572 m/min
Ceiling:	16,672 m