McDonnell F-4C / F-4D Phantom II

Impressed by the Navy's Phantom, the US Air Force adopted it with only modest changes. The F-4C first flew on 27 May 1963 and was delivered from January 1964. It kept the folding wings and arrester hook but added a flying-boom refuelling receptacle, dual flight controls for the rear cockpit, J79-GE-15 engines and wider, low-pressure main tyres that required bulges in the wings. 583 were built.

The F-4D, first flown in June 1965, was an F-4C with avionics tailored to the Air Force's needs, including the AN/APQ-109 radar and improved weapon-delivery systems for guided bombs. Early F-4Ds were armed with the AIM-4 Falcon missile, but it proved disappointing and the aircraft were re-wired for the Sidewinder in 1968. 825 were built — the second-largest Phantom production run.

After front-line service both types passed to the Air National Guard, where some flew into the late 1980s and early 1990s. The F-4D was also exported: South Korea received 92 and Iran operated it alongside its F-4Es.