The Mighty F-4 Phantom. Final Days In Service With The U.S. Air Force. #phantom #phoon #usaf #drone

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is probably the most iconic fast jet, combat aircraft in the history of military aviation! Over 5,000 aircraft were built at the St.Louis factory, and went on to serve with the air arms of 12 countries, with the USA being the biggest operator. In its early days of service with the USA, the Phantom set a total of 16 world records including various time-to-height & endurance records. The last aircraft operated by the USAF were the modified QF-4 Phantoms of the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron, based at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico. While the Phantom II officially retired from US front line squadron use in 1996, more than 300 examples underwent conversion into QF-4 full-scale aerial target drones over the following years. These aircraft performed an essential service, both in testing the effectiveness of munitions in realistic situations, as well as providing training for fighter pilots in the art of air-to-air combat against live targets. The last QF-4 conversion, formerly RF-4C 68-0599, rolled off the modifications line at AMARG in Tucson, Arizona during April, 2013. The QF-16 will take over where the QF-4 left off. This video is an eclectic look at the history of the F-4, and also takes a look at the final days with the USAF. It includes interviews with some of the pilots who flew the last Phantom sorties, as well as some stunning air-to-air footage. Pharewell Phoon…. Thank You For Watching PLEASE 'Like', 'Share' & 'Subscribe'. Please check out our ever growing range of merchandise here; https://teespring.com/en-GB/stores/mi... You can follow us on Facebook:   / milairtv   Instagram:   / militaryavtv   You can support us at Patreon:   / militaryaviat.  .