In the 1980s, United States Navy airmen make history. In two rare engagements, American crews face off against eastern bloc fighters off the shores of Libya. Flying the F-14, these engagements helped define aerial combat as it entered the modern era, and – coinciding with the popularity of Top Gun – help to turn the Tomcat into the unrivalled icon of 1980s air power.
How the F-102 became a night fighter in Vietnam adapted the Convair Delta Dagger's infrared search/track system for detecting heat sources on the Ho Chi Minh trail, arming it with AIM-4 Falcon missiles and 2.75-inch rockets for precision night strikes. Deployed from...
70 years of the Phantom commemorate the 1958 first flight of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, a supersonic multirole fighter that set multiple world records and excelled in air superiority, ground attack, and reconnaissance during Vietnam and the Cold War. With...
The F-4X Super Phantom, a proposed 1970s Mach 3 reconnaissance variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 developed by General Dynamics and Israel, featured water-injected J79 engines, enlarged inlets, and Mach 2.4 cruise for MiG-25 interception. Canceled amid USAF security...
Combat Tree, the system that made the F-4 the deadliest fighter in Vietnam, was a secretive APX-81 IFF interrogator deployed on select Phantoms from 1971-1973, querying Soviet SRO-2 transponders for long-range MiG identification without radar emissions. Enabling BVR...
The Phantom F-4E in Australian service bridged RAAF capabilities from 1970-1973 with 24 leased USAF aircraft equipping Nos. 1 and 6 Squadrons at Amberley. Featuring J79 engines, multirole strike/air defense with Sidewinders and Vulcan cannon, it introduced advanced...
![McDonnell Douglas F4-E Phantom II (RAAF )[A69]](https://militaryaviationvideos.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/F-4E_Phantom_out_of_RAAF_Amberly_at_Pearce_ADEX_March_1971-400x250.jpg)
The RAAF F-4E Phantom served as an interim leased fighter-bomber from 1970-1973, bridging the gap to the F-111C with 24 advanced McDonnell Douglas aircraft operated by Nos. 1 and 6 Squadrons at Amberley. Featuring J79 engines, multirole capabilities including dive...