This led to the development of the Model 98, which would eventually become the F-4. The first flight of the Phantom took place on May 27, 1958. It quickly demonstrated remarkable performance, powered ...

Warrior of the Vietnam War: The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was a highly versatile and successful third-generation fighter jet used extensively by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.

The F-4 Phantom II began flying fleet defense for the U.S. Navy in 1958 but wasn't used by the Air Force until 1963 (as the F-4C). The two-seat, twin-engine tactical jet fighter bomber was built by ...

The F-4 Phantom II was an icon of mid-twentieth century aviation. Nicknamed the “Lead Sled” and affectionately described as a “triumph of thrust over aerodynamics,” the F-4 Phantom II is widely ...

Looking more like a killer than a speedster, the large twin-engine jet built to sweep skies clear of enemy MiGs and deliver large payloads of bombs would also record many “firsts.” Out of a ...

“The Phantom still can carry a punch as a bomber,” noted Business Insider in 2014, referencing an aircraft that took to the skies for the first time in 1958. But in 2025, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 ...

Charlie Hall is Polygon’s tabletop editor. In 12-plus years as a journalist & photographer, he has covered simulation, strategy, and spacefaring games, as well as public policy. I’ll admit that I’m a ...

SEOUL, South Korea — Some of the last F-4 Phantom IIs still flying released their final ordnance during live-fire drills this month, three weeks before South Korea retires the fighters after 55 years ...