Phifty Years of Phantom II Phighters
In
the waning days of World War II the air forces of the world stood up and
took dramatic notice of the Luftwaffe’s introduction of jet-powered
combat aircraft into the aerial combat arena. Most, if not all, of the
major American aircraft manufacturers began work on their own jet-powered
designs. Fledgling McDonnell Aircraft Company (McAir), of St. Louis,
Missouri, was first to field a jet-powered fighter type for the U.S. Navy.
The FH-1 Phantom was the first operational jet aircraft to operate from
aircraft carriers. Those 62 Phantoms were followed by 895 McAir F2H
Banshees and in turn by 521 McAir F3H Demons.
During the Demon production run the USN issued in
1952 a requirement for a new supersonic air superiority fighter. McAir
responded with a design advance of the F3H Demon. McAir lost that paper
competition to the Chance Vought F8U Crusader. Without a stated USN
requirement for another combat aircraft McAir took one of the biggest
financial gambles in corporate history. Herman D. Barkey, regarded by many
as the ‘father’ of the Phantom II, noted in 1972, "We were
determined to continue design and production of carrier-based aircraft,
...we canvassed numerous Navy personnel willing to listen and return
questionnaires to determine their desires for the next generation
carrier-based aircraft."
Barkey and his team of engineers sat down with
the results of their research and the newly released general Navy
Specification SD-24G paper, dated September 15, 1953, to begin drawing up
the design for what would eventually become the F-4 Phantom II. This was
an exciting and challenging time in the aeronautics fields - bigger and
better engines; stronger and lighter metals; advancements in understanding
aerodynamicsvia better testing equipment and techniques. More than any
other fighter type of the era, the work being done by Barkey’s team
incorporated all of this new technology and even challenged/pushed the
envelope of aerodynamics. These original designs were given progressive
designations of the F3H Demon, though the designs were not technically a
part of the Demon line. (John Harty, former F-4 Support Program Manager,
noted in his paper THE BUSINESS HISTORY OF THE F-4 PROGRAM, A READY
REFERENCE (undated), that the original development work was done under the
McAir Model 32 designation.)
On July 23, 1954, the Navy recommended the
procurement of two McAir prototype aircraft. In response to a request,
McAir submitted in August a formal development proposal. Procurement for
two then-designated F3H-G/H aircraft was initiated on September 3 and
assigned the Navy Bureau Numbers 142259 and 142260. The Effective Start of
Engineering date was October 1, 1954; the date McAir assigned a formal,
full-scale development team. McAir changed the Model designator from the
Model 32 (Demon) to the stand-alone Model 98, under which all subsequent
F-4 models would be developed.
An in-house mock-up was constructed. The Navy’s
Letter of Intent (worth $38 million) was let for two prototype aircraft . . .
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McDonnell F-110A, BuNo. 149405
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