The USAF's Naval Fighter

摘要

When the USAF first ordered the F-4 Phantom in April 1962 it immediately attracted criticism for buying a 'Navy' aircraft rather than additional squadrons of its own expensively developed fighters such as the F-105 Thunderchief and F-106 Delta Dart. In fact, the US Air Force had been involved in the F-4 project before the first US Navy example (F4H-1F BuNo 142259) flew in May 1958. Eventually, it bought three times as many Phantoms as the US Navy (USN), which originated the aircraft, thereby effectively taking over the programme. In 1953 the McDonnell Aircraft Company had begun work on a company funded design to improve on its own under-powered, single engine F3H Demon naval interceptor, the first fighter with radar-guided missile armament. The F4H-1 began early in 1954 as the F3H-G/H, atwin-engine Demon derivative with four 20mm guns, eleven ordnance hard-points and two WrightJ65 (British Sapphire) engines fed via revolutionary variable-geometry air intakes.