May 15, 200917 yr From Flight Global DATE:15/05/09 SOURCE:Flight International Comment: Phantom menace fading away I'm gonna be a re-con ranger! I'm gonna live a life of danger! I'm gonna fly an F-4 jet! I'm gonna waste a So-vee-yet! Well, since the collapse of the Empire so memorably dubbed Evil by Ronald Reagan, we don't hear that old marching song much any more, and that is surely a very good thing. But it's hard not to feel a little nostalgia for the days of nuclear stand-off as the operational end draws nearer for what, alongside the Boeing B-52 bomber, is the iconic piece of Cold War machinery. In service since 1960, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 may sport the most-recognised shape in military aircraft, after the Spitfire. With more than 5,000 built, it ranks numerically behind only the F-86 Sabre among Western jet fighters and was a crucial weapon for the US Navy, Marines and Air Force and for many allied nations, and even fought on TV in the Iran-Iraq war. Nostalgia plays no role in defence planning, so one of the last users, Turkey, can't be faulted for retiring its F-4s to make way for the fifth-generation Lockheed Martin Joint Strike Fighter. Still, it will be a shame when the last F-4 stops flying. F-35 Lightnings sound fine but there will be no better name ever for a supersonic fighter than Phantom. Farewell Phantom - will there ever be a better name?
May 15, 200917 yr Farewell Phantom - will there ever be a better name? Probably not, but since it already was the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-35 is the Lightning II, why not a Phantom III
May 15, 200917 yr Author Probably not, but since it already was the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-35 is the Lightning II, why not a Phantom III The only 'III' fighter in recent memory (mine, away) is the Mirage III. (There's the Q-5 III too, but hardly classifies as a 'fighter'). Maybe there's an unwritten rule.
May 15, 200917 yr Probably not, but since it already was the F-4 Phantom II, and the F-35 is the Lightning II, why not a Phantom III And Thunderbolt II. Perhaps we're missing some more?
May 16, 200917 yr A-7 Corsair II, F-5 Tiger II,AC-130 Spooky II, MC-130H Combat Talon II, T-6a Texan II, Only III and IV I can think of are transport Globemaster and and the Gulfstreams. Forgot some rebuilds are also II's the A-4's Skyhawks II and Harrier II's, EP-3E Aries II
May 16, 200917 yr The exotic XF8U-3 Crusader III: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XF8U-3_Crusader_III http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f8_19.html Also, updated F-5E called as Tiger III in chilean service: http://home.att.net/~jbaugher1/f5_46.html http://www.airliners.net/photo/Chile---Air...5c17d410948bc5f Also, the F-5E Tiger IV ill-fated update program: http://www.janes.com/articles/Janes-Aircra...ted-States.html
May 16, 200917 yr I knew there was another F8 somewhere but could not remember, good find. Yeah the talons/tigers/sharks seem to be the fighter by a million names and variations, especially the export versions. I guess similar to what the F-16 is more known for now since at one time they did compete to be "the" export fighter. F-5's seem to be the poor mans f-16, always funny also is in how many 80's/90's movies it was used as the bad guy plane.
May 16, 200917 yr A-7 Corsair II namesake of F-4U Corsair A-10 Thunderbolt II namesake of P-47 Thunderbolt Phantom II namesake of...
May 16, 200917 yr Phantom II namesake of... FD/FH Phantom. Ah the venerable FD/FH Phantom Note the open cockpit and dangling arrestor hook.
May 16, 200917 yr I knew there was another F8 somewhere but could not remember, good find. Yeah the talons/tigers/sharks seem to be the fighter by a million names and variations, especially the export versions. I guess similar to what the F-16 is more known for now since at one time they did compete to be "the" export fighter. F-5's seem to be the poor mans f-16, always funny also is in how many 80's/90's movies it was used as the bad guy plane. That's because of its OPFOR role. Plus they all used clips from Top Gun .
Create an account or sign in to comment