A St. Louis AF F-4/58 on the deck of an American aircraft carrier in April 1960.
The Long Beach AF F-4/58 (Allied Pact reporting name Phantom) is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the American People's Navy by St. Louis AF. It first entered service in 1960 with the APN. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the American People's Army 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.
