McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II

The F-4E answered the lesson of the early Vietnam air war that a fighter still needed a gun. A 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon was built into a lengthened nose under a more compact AN/APQ-120 radar and the aircraft received J79-GE-17 engines. A YF-4E prototype flew in August 1965 and the first production F-4E on 30 June 1967. From 1972 leading-edge slats were added to improve manoeuvrability, and later blocks gained AGM-65 Maverick capability.

With 1,370 built, the F-4E is the most numerous Phantom of all. It equipped the USAF's Thunderbirds team from 1969 to 1974 and was exported widely: Israel, Iran, Greece, Turkey, South Korea and Egypt bought it, and Australia leased 24 from 1970 to 1973. Greece upgraded 39 to the F-4E AUP (Peace Icarus 2000) standard, and Turkey flies the Israeli-upgraded F-4E 2020 Terminator.

Japan built the F-4EJ air-defence version under licence: 140 were acquired, 138 assembled by Mitsubishi, and the last of all 5,195 Phantoms — an F-4EJ — was delivered on 20 May 1981. Ninety-six were upgraded to F-4EJ Kai with an APG-66J radar. The JASDF marked the type's retirement with colourful farewell schemes before its last Phantoms were withdrawn on 17 March 2021; South Korea retired its last F-4Es on 7 June 2024.