U.S. Air Force

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A U.S. Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon takes off on a mission at dawn from Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, Feb. 11, 2014. The aircraft and crews at Bagram are prepared to fly 24 hours a day. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. Gary J. Rihn/Released) ** FILE **

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In this May 5, 2014 photo provided by the U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force HH-60G Pavehawk helicopter from the 55th Rescue Squadron hovers 600 nautical miles off the Pacific Coast of Mexico to hoist two badly burned Chinese fishermen. The two were among 17 Chinese crew members believed aboard a fishing vessel that caught fire and sank in the Pacific Ocean. Two died from burn injuries, seven were determined to be in good condition and six are believed missing, said Maj. Sarah Schwennesen of Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

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In this May 3, 2014, image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Franscisco Harper, left, and a pararescue Airman survey the area as U.S. Air Force pararescue forces parachute into the Pacific Ocean to aid to two critically injured sailors aboard a Venezuelan fishing boat. The Venezuelan fishing boat found the sailors floating in a raft Friday afternoon after their vessel sank off the coast of Mexico, said Sarah Schwennese, spokeswoman at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

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In this May 3, 2014, image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Airman 1st Class Franscisco Harper, left, and a pararescue Airman survey the area as U.S. Air Force pararescue forces parachute into the Pacific Ocean to aid to two critically injured sailors aboard a Venezuelan fishing boat. The Venezuelan fishing boat found the sailors floating in a raft Friday afternoon after their vessel sank off the coast of Mexico, said Sarah Schwennese, spokeswoman at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

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This May 3, 2014, image provided by the U.S. Air Force shows a Venezuelan fishing boat before U.S. Air Force Airmen parachuted into the Pacific Ocean to aid two critically injured sailors aboard a Venezuelan fishing boat. The Venezuelan fishing boat found the sailors floating in a raft Friday afternoon after their vessel sank off the coast of Mexico, said Sarah Schwennese, spokeswoman at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

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In this May 3, 2014, image provided by the U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force Airman parachutes into the Pacific Ocean to aid two critically injured sailors aboard a Venezuelan fishing boat. The Venezuelan fishing boat found the sailors floating in a raft Friday afternoon after their vessel sank off the coast of Mexico, said Sarah Schwennese, spokeswoman at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

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In this May 3, 2014, image provided by the U.S. Air Force, a U.S. Air Force Airman parachutes into the Pacific Ocean to aid two critically injured sailors aboard a Venezuelan fishing boat. The Venezuelan fishing boat found the sailors floating in a raft Friday afternoon after their vessel sank off the coast of Mexico, said Sarah Schwennese, spokeswoman at the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson. (AP Photo/U.S. Air Force, Staff Sgt. Adam Grant)

F-4_Phantom

10. F-4 PHANTOM The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.[1] It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their respective air wings. The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry over 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated a M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959 it set 15 world records for in-flight performance,[3] including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record. During the Vietnam War the F-4 was used extensively; it served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown to attain ace status in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War the USAF had one pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs),[5] and the US Navy one pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO), achieve five aerial kills against other enemy fighter aircraft and become aces in air-to-air combat.[6] The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the U.S. Air Force; the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (suppression of enemy air defenses) roles in the 1

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Two F-16 Fighting Falcons break out of formation and head to the “fight” April 27, 2011, during Green Flag West at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)

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U.S. Air Force Capt. Brandon Lavalley and Maj. Derrick Vincent, both assigned to the 4th Fighter Squadron, fly toward the Nevada Test and Training Range on day three of Red Flag 12-2 at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Coalition partners from South Korea and Saudi Arabia also participated in the joint training exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo by Master Sgt. Ben Bloker)