Military
4
Originally designed as a carrier-based fighter for the U.S. Navy, the McDonnell Douglas F4C "Phantom II" proved versatile and rugged during the Vietnam Conflict, with the ability to carry twice the bomb load of the Second World War B-17. It was a fighter bomber with a loaded weight of 58,000 pounds, an M61 "Vulcan" cannon in an external pod, up to 16,000 pounds of externally carried nuclear or conventional bombs, rockets, or missiles such as the "Sidewinder" and "Sparrow" air-to-air missiles, and two General Electric J-79-GE turbofans producing 17,900 pounds of thrust each with afterburner. Its maximum speed was 1,400 miles per hour, its range 1,750 miles, its service ceiling 59,600 feet, its crew 2, and 583 were built. The Louisiana Air National Guard flew the F4 from 1979-1985 as part of the US Air Defense Alert system.
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New Orleans, Louisiana · United States
