A combat history of the F-4 Phantom II, the most important fighter-bomber with all three American services during the Vietnam War, in the US Navy, pioneering the employment of long-range, radar guided missiles in combat.

The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous postwar fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its legend is owed to its naval origins and the immense contribution its original carrier-based versions made to the U.S. war effort in Vietnam.

This title examines the unique aspects of the Phantom that made it so crucial to U.S. Navy pilots during the Vietnam War: its massive engine power, long range, speed, the most powerful airborne search and fire-control radar installed in a fighter at the time, and, of course, its versatility as a ground attack and air-to-air platform. Packed with firsthand accounts, unique profile artwork, and rare photographs, this is the history of one of the most important aircraft to be stationed on carriers off Southeast Asia during the war.