The plane "Phantom" (McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II): description, technical characteristics, photo

Many combat aircraft, as a result of their application, were either forgotten for their low quality, or they became real legends, even those people who know nothing about aviation know about it. The latter can be attributed, for example, our IL-2, and much later American plane "Phantom".

Perhaps this is the most famous of all American cars of the 1960-1980 period, and its name for many years has become a household name for all fighters of the US Air Force. Its highlight was the multifunctionality that our aircraft designers could achieve later. In general, the plane "Phantom" - no less vivid symbol of the Cold War than, for example, the B-52 bomber.

The peculiarity of this technique was the fact that medium-range intercept missiles could be placed in the bombs. It is interesting that their domestic counterparts, later used for weapons of the MiG-23, they strongly resembled the design and TTX. The Chinese, in fact, did "create a JH-7" for their "carbon paper". The similarity is not only in appearance, but also in almost identical engines and even radar. Not surprisingly, the "Phantom" is a plane, a photo of which can still be seen in many magazines devoted to the subject of armaments.

Start of development

Initial work began in 1953, when the US Air Force was acutely concerned about the lack of the slightest developments in the field of creating a supersonic deck fighter. The first was the company McDonnell, but that project did not fully meet the requirements of the military. However, on the basis of a prototype, a fighter-bomber AN-1 was subsequently created.

However, the failure of the "pioneer" was associated not with the failure of the concept, but in the completely revised in 1955, the technical assignment for the new aircraft: the fact is that the admirals had by that time revealed a desire to have on the aircraft carriers a purely deck interceptor fighter capable of accelerating to M = 2, armed only with missiles.

By the way, who created the plane "Phantom"? The already mentioned "McDonnell". Having gained experience, her engineers were able to create a machine that fully meets all the customer's requirements. And the latter came out so successful that it still stands on the arsenal of many countries of the world.

First prototypes

Already in the middle of the summer of the same year, the first prototype was created, which received the designation F4H-1F, and three years later it flew. At the helm sat test pilot R. Little. The aircraft used the J79-3A engines (2x6715 kgf), but after the first fifty flights it was decided to change them to the J79-GE-2. After a little more time, the latter also gave way to the model J79-GE-2A (2х7325 kgf). So the plane "Phantom" of the second model appeared.

In 1960, it already achieved an absolute record speed of 2583 km / h. But then the Americans went for a little technical trick: a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol was injected into the compressor chamber under pressure, which allowed to effectively cool the turbine blades and prevent their thermal destruction. This modification received the designation F-4A, only 23 aircraft of this model were produced.

All of them were used exclusively for flight tests, the US Air Force did not receive weapons. In general, the "Phantom" is a plane (the photo is in the article), in the history of which there were at least a dozen modifications. Considering that it was relatively short-lived in the arsenal of the US directly, this can be considered a record! If you do not know what the "Phantom" looks like (an airplane), then you can satisfy your curiosity by reading this article!

Beginning of production, modification

Production of these machines was started in December 1960. By 1967, the US Air Force had about 637 aircraft of this model. Subsequently, based on these species, a scout was created. Subsequently, no less than 500 "pure" "Phantoms" were produced, a number of old aircraft (other than experimental lots) were altered into new modifications.

It is interesting that the decision to take the "Phantom" into service as a multipurpose fighter was made only in 1962. In many ways, such a haggling was associated with discussions at that time about the role of the future machine. Some designers suggested immediately making it an analog of a stormtrooper with the makings of a fighter, while others insisted on the option of creating purely fighter equipment, which at that time was most in demand by the US Air Force.

Technical equipment and armament

The aerodynamic scheme is normal, the wing is low-lying, trapezoidal, the feature of it was the presence of folding consoles. The tail tail is made swept to maximize airflow resistance and increase maneuverability of the aircraft.

Unlike the main fighters of those years, the "Phantom" aircraft was distinguished by the developed mechanization, a number of modifications had onboard the UTS system. In order for the aircraft to land on the deck of an aircraft carrier, a brake hook is used. He can withstand a car weighing up to 17 tons. Of course, such planting is only available to the most experienced pilots, who ideally feel their aircraft.

The AN / APQ-120 radar was used in the design of the car, the AN / ASQ-26 complex was responsible for the sighting, the AN / AJB-7 system was responsible for navigating and accurately leaving the aircraft to the bombing point. To drop bombs, the F-4 phantom was using AN / ASQ-9L equipment. Radar radiation from enemy radars was detected by the receiving equipment AN / APR-36/37, the AN / ALQ-71/72/87 complex responded to the detection of REB jamming.

The F-4E flight-navigation system includes INS AN / ASN-63, AN / ASN-46 counting device and AN / APN-155 low altitude radio altimeter. For communication, radio navigation and identification, there is a complex system AN / ASQ-19, including the TACAN transceiver.

Armament. At nine points of external suspension, the F-4 phantom aircraft can carry a variety of weapons, including four SD-medium-range AIM-7 Sparrow. It is possible to carry armament in the niches of the fuselage, the aircraft can also use the M61A1 air guns (ammunition of 1200 cartridges per gun). On board there are units with NAR, standard bombs, pouring aircraft devices (VAP) on wing suspension.

The plane "Phantom" (characteristics, photo of which is in the article) has the ability to carry two nuclear bombs of the model: Mk43, Mk.57, Mk.61 or Mk.28. The total mass of possible weapons is about seven tons, but with such a load the car can take off only if the fuel tanks have not been completely refueled. This is one of the key drawbacks of this model, which most clearly manifested itself in Vietnam, where the Americans met with the Soviet MiGs. Our aircraft traction in relation to weight and armament were significantly higher.

Production Information

The release of "Phantoms" to cover the needs of the US military was going on until 1976 (in all, about 4000 aircraft were delivered, and about 1,300 went to the needs of the Navy). In addition, about 1,500 more cars were exported. But here it should be noted that some of the exported vehicles were transferred directly from the US Navy / Air Force.

Not surprisingly, the F4 "Phantom" aircraft became one of the most massive in the sector of jet fighters of that time, since only more than five thousand pieces were produced. Finally, from 1971 to 1980, 138 aircraft were built in Japan, which were a licensed copy of the American "Phantom", differing from the basic version with some changes in the composition of weapons and airborne equipment.

Specifications

The total wing span was 11.7 meters, the fuselage length was 19.2 meters, the maximum height of the hull was 5 meters, the wing area was 49.2 square meters. The maximum take-off mass ranged from 25 to 26 tons. The empty F4 Phantom aircraft (without fuel and suspended arms) weighed 13,760 kg, in internal fuel tanks six tons of fuel were placed, and four tons could be poured into suspension tanks.

Motors and flight characteristics

As powerplant used two TRDF GE. There were also two models: J79-GE-8 (with a maximum thrust of 7780 kgf), J79-GE-17 (the highest traction characteristic was 8120 kgf).

At one time the plane "Phantom", the technical characteristics of which are in the article, became a true legend of the US Air Force precisely because its flight data was very good. The aircraft could accelerate to 2300 km / h, the maximum reach in practice was 16,600 meters, the acceleration acceleration was 220 m / s, and the flight range was 2,300 km.

The length of take-off before takeoff was 1340 meters, with a braking parachute the car completely stopped for 950 meters. On aircraft carriers, where the hook was used, the American Phantom plane stopped about 30-40 meters. The maximum speed overload achieved during the practical operation was 6.0G.

Significance and combat use

Americans were very fond of the plane "Phantom" (the characteristics of which we have already described), since the devices of this model for a long time remained the main means of winning air superiority in the Air Force and the Navy. The first known episode of combat employment took place on April 2, 1965, during the fighting in Vietnam. There the aircraft of this model collided with the MiG-17F fighters that were delivered to North Vietnam by our country.

Since 1966, MiG-21F, also supplied by the USSR, participated in the episodes of confrontation. The Air Force and the US Navy assumed that the "Phantoms" would quickly begin to gain air superiority, as they had powerful on-board weapons, a high-quality radar on their side, and good acceleration and cruising speed characteristics. All these circumstances gave hope for good results of air battles.

Advantages and disadvantages

But in practice it turned out that in the collision with more maneuverable cars, the characteristics of American aircraft were not very much in demand. They had a lower speed, the wing had a large operational load, its role was also made by the restrictions on overload (6.0 versus 8.0 for MiGs). It was also found out that American cars have a smaller angle of turn with slightly worse practical controllability. The thrust per unit of armament weight for Soviet aircraft was also better.

The advantages were rapid acceleration (the difference with MiG - about seven seconds in favor of the American), the car was gaining ground faster, our pilots appreciated the visibility from the cockpit of captured "Phantoms", as well as the presence of a second crew member. The latter considerably unloaded the pilot himself, as he constantly monitored the region of the rear hemisphere and could warn the commander about the threat that arose there.

Other places of combat use

It is believed that the most productive crew of the Vietnam War was the pilot S. Ritchie and navigator C. Bellevue, on the combat account of which, according to the Americans themselves, there were five Vietnamese MiGs. Since the late 60s of the last century, the aircraft of this model began to be massively transferred to the Israeli allies of America. As part of the Israeli Air Force, the machines proved themselves very well.

But even there when colliding with the Egyptian MiG-21, at the helm of which Soviet pilots were sitting, all the same shortcomings were revealed. The problems turned out to be so great that the Israelis established on their territory the release of the French fighters "Mirage", and for this they did not disdain to even steal some of the technical documentation. In the future, the "Phantoms" were reoriented to solve the assault tasks with which the aircraft of this model coped without any complaints.

However, the pilots themselves were not delighted with this, as the "Phantoms", used as assault vehicles, suffered noticeable losses (up to 70% of the fleet of these vehicles). Again, this fact was explained not by the high professional qualities of the Egyptian pilots, but by the good skills of Soviet calculations of the Soviet ZRK.

Later, the planes were used during the Iran-Iraq conflict (1980-1988), but at least some details of their combat use in those years still remain unknown. However, by that time the first air battle between the aircraft and the helicopter, when the Mi-24 Iraqi Air Force was able to beat the "air-to-air" missiles that attacked it, belongs to the "Phantom".

It is also known that in 2012 the Syrian Air Force shot down the "Phantom" of Turkey, which the latter used as a scout.

Some experts in the field of technology and weapons believe that the plane "Phantom" - US fighter-bomber "third generation", at the time of its creation seriously able to overtake its time. Some prerequisites for such an opinion are, since the model has turned out to be very successful, and some of its characteristics remain in demand even now.

Today aircraft of this type remain in service with the Air Force: Egypt (about two dozen cars), the Greeks have about fifty modernized "Phantoms", they also have Iran, but all Iranian aircraft belong to the 60th years of construction, and the number of serviceable vehicles Is unknown. It uses an aircraft of this type Turkey, which has at least one hundred and a half hundred modernized "Phantoms", South Korea (about fifty), Japan (one hundred aircraft). Let's notice, that Japanese apply samples of own construction about which we already mentioned above.

Modern perspectives

Today, the remaining vehicles of the US Air Force are massively converted to heavy shock UAVs, as well as to radio-controlled targets designed for training the Air Force and air defense crews. The Americans themselves write that the last episode of the flight of the "human" "Phantom" occurred in mid-April 2013 (meaning flying over the US territory). Until then, "the last of the Mohicans" was the car with the onboard number 68-0599, which made its flight to the base in the Mojave Desert on January 18, 1989, and has not been flying since.

But at present, the US Department of Defense predicts that in the near future all Phantoms, currently in storage, will be removed from conservation and massly converted. It is known that, as of today, at least 316 machines of this type have already been removed from storage.

What will they do with Phantoms?

The American corporation BAE Systems is engaged in major overhaul of these aircraft with their subsequent conversion to the radio-controlled target QF-4C. It is known that eventually all cars will be transferred to the 82nd separate squadron of radio-controlled targets (Aerial Targets Squadron - ATRS). It is based in the state of Florida.

By external signs, "robotic" aircraft can be easily distinguished from conventional ones, as the tips of their wings and keel are painted in bright red color (you can see the photo of this type of "Phantom" aircraft in the article). We already know about a couple hundred ordered and in-built devices. Such re-equipment is valuable because machines can be used as combat vehicles.

To demonstrate the combat capabilities of the re-equipped "Phantoms" in January 2008, an exemplary launch of an air-to-surface missile was carried out from one of them for the first time. It is believed that converted aircraft in UAV can be effectively used to suppress enemy air defenses. Even despite the effectiveness of the technology itself, the loss of pilots during their shooting down will not happen, which will save the lives of trained pilots.

Most likely, in the next decade the last "Phantoms" on the "human drive" will be finally decommissioned in all countries where such machines are still in service. And then to look at the legendary apparatus it will be possible either in museums, or when visiting private aviation collections. Finally, you can always see the photo of the Phantom plane on the pages of this article.

Our pilots had the opportunity to evaluate the trophy "Phantoms". It must be said that Soviet specialists spoke highly of this machine at once on several indicators, especially noting the general quality of manufacture, excellent electronics, the convenience of landing and the work of the pilot. Also in the airplanes of this model, "protection from a fool" was competently founded. So, in the landing mode it was impossible to launch the missile or use other weapons by mistake. Alas, but this sometimes happened with the pilots of our MiGs, who, being tired, could simply not press there ...