The F-4A Phantom II displayed on Lexington's flight deck is an important part of the Museum's vintage aircraft collection. It is one of only four of the original eighteen prototypes and pre-production F-4s still in existence.
The F-4A Phantom II was developed for the Navy in the late 1950s as a carrier-borne, high-altitude interceptor, and by the mid-1960s, had been adopted by both the Marines and the Air Force.
When first presented to the military by the manufacturer, the 58-ft long, 14-ton Phantom was considered huge for a fighter and certainly not a pretty bird. Pilots called it "brutishly ugly" but the big plane proved to be very responsive and quite maneuverable. Its unequaled versatility took it to all corners of the globe as a fighter, bomber, interceptor and photo-reconnaissance plane.
In the first ten years of service, the F-4 set an unprecedented sixteen world records. The Phantom II was used in every conceivable military role, including both major U.S. precision flight demonstration teams - the Navy Blue Angels and the Air Force Thunderbirds.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Wingspan - 38' 5'
- Length - 58' 4"
- Empty Weight - 28,000 lbs
- Armament - Four AIM-7 Sparrow and four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles or 16,000 lbs of bombs and rockets
- Power Plant - Two General Electric J-79-GE-2 Afterburning Turbojets
- Max Speed - 1,485 mph (@ sea level)
- Range - 1,345 miles
- Initial Climb Rate - 62,000 ft
This A-4 is on loan from the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola, Florida.
Click on a plane to view it's description.
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