The F4 Phantom by Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es The F4 Phantom

By Avi Heiligman

In the Cold War era, the world’s superpowers looked develop better and more capable aircraft to control the skies if there ever was a “hot” war. American aircraft manufacturers were constantly putting forth new ideas to the military in a bid to win lucrative government contracts. In the 1950s, McDonnell Douglas worked on improving a navy fighter. The F3H Demon was comparable to other modern fighters, but it lacked speed and power to be considered for use on the front lines. The new fighter that the engineers at McDonnell Douglas built was considered the Swiss-army knife of fighters for its capabilities. The F4 Phantom set many records and was a mainstay for both the American and Israeli air forces for many years as it proved itself many times while in combat. Designed to be a modern fleet defense fighter for the navy, the F4 soon became useful to other branches of the military. It was a twin engine, two-seat, all weather, supersonic fighter-bomber jet that could take on other roles like reconnaissance. Carrying a maximum of up to 18,650 pounds of weapons, the F4 could carry air-to-air missiles, air-toground missiles, conventional bombs, guided munitions and even nuclear bombs. Over 5,000 Phantoms were built and achieved an incredible 393 aerial victories – with most attributed to the American and Israeli armed forces. Both the Air Force’s Thunderbirds and the Navy’s Blue Angels flight demonstration units used the Phantom for several years starting in 1969. century conflicts, but when the North Vietnamese did take to the sky in Soviet built planes, it was the F4 that was sent to meet them in aerial battle. On April 16, 1972, Feinstein was with pilot Major Edward Cherry and shot down a MiG21 with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile. Six weeks later, he recorded his second kill

The F4 was flying at Mach 1.2 and is believed to be the fastest speed a fighter was going while attaining a gun aerial victory as opposed to using missiles.

Captain Jeffrey Epstein was one of the few Phantom fliers who achieved the incredible total of five enemy planes shot down to become an ace. He was a navigator and a weapons systems operator (WSO), aka the “backseater” in the F-4. His job was to shoot at enemy targets while the pilot flew the plane.

During the Vietnam War there were fewer aerial targets than in other 20th while providing fighter escort for bombers. Feinstein shot at a MiG-21 that was aiming for the lead bomber, and the AIM-9 Sidewinder brought down the enemy plane. In July 1972, Feinstein recorded his third and fourth kills while on an air superiority mission with pilot Lieutenant Colonel Carl Baily. His fifth aerial victory came a few months later while on a mission to protect attack planes. Feinstein shot down a MiG with an Aim-7 and became one of the few airmen to achieve the status of ace. For his heroic actions, he received the prestigious Navy Cross.

Four other airmen achieved the status of ace while in the Phantom during the Vietnam War. Charles DeBellevue shot down six MiGs while flying as a warrant system officer. Like Feinstein, he was a backseater in a F4 and achieved four of his kills with pilot Captain Steve Ritchie. Ritchie himself was an ace pilot and scored his aerial victories against five MiG 21 fighters with AIM-7 airto-air missiles. Navy airmen William Driscoll and Duke Cunningham also achieved ace status while flying together from the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV-64).

Some F4 Phantoms were equipped with a 20mm cannon. In an incredible aerial victory, Major Phil Handley shot down a MiG-19 with his cannon while flying at supersonic speeds. The F4 was flying at Mach 1.2 (Mach is the speed of sound and Mach 1.2 would approximately be 920 MPH) and is believed to be the fastest speed a fighter was going while attaining a gun aerial victory as opposed to using missiles.

Israel received their first F4 Phan-

Captains Steve Ritchie (left) and Charles DeBellevue Captain Jeffery Epstein Amir Nachumi

toms in 1969 as they replaced the slower French-built Mirage III. Previously, the United States had been very wary of selling military equipment to Israel, but in the aftermath of the Six Day War, the embargo had been lifted. Fifty F4 Phantoms were sold to Israel and paid for in cash and within a month of arrival had been used to attack an Egyptian surface-to-air battery.

Four years and several missions later, Phantoms played a vital role in the Yom Kippur War. Pilot Amir Nachumi with his backseater Yossi Yavin was in a F4 sitting next to another Phantom piloted by Daniel Shaki with David Regev as his navigator. Suddenly, radar detected Egyptian aircraft approaching. Despite being told to stay put, both Phantom jets took off and just then a large formation of MiGs began bombing the runway. Nachumi destroyed two aircraft with Sidewinder missiles and damaged two with his cannon before having engine trouble. After quickly resolving that issue, he went after the remaining MiGs and killed two more with Sidewinder missiles. Nachumi and Shaki, who shot down three enemy aircraft, both landed safely on the damaged runway at Ofir. Nachumi later became an ace with seven kills in the F4 before switching to the F16 Falcon and scoring another seven aerial victories.

The F4 was produced from 1958 to 1981 and remained in use by American forces until 1996. Israel purchased a total of 216 Phantoms and used them until their retirement 2004. Experienced pilots valued the Phantom for its thrust, which allowed pilots to enter and leave aerial combat when the timing was right. Today, around 70 Phantoms are still in operational use by five countries, making it one of the longest-serving fighter planes in the world. The battles that many heroic Phantom pilots have fought is history to be remembered.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.