Subject: Number 110 in the Series--McDonnell F-110A Spectre

From: [email-masked]
Date: 12 Mar 94 18:30:42 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The McDonnell F4H-1 Phantom II was originally devised for the Navy as a 
carrier-based fleet defense interceptor.  It made its first flight on 
May 27, 1958.  The impressive performance of the Phantom immediately 
caught the attention of the USAF, which ordinarily would have been 
quite reluctant even to consider any aircraft originally designed for 
the Navy.  However, under pressure from Secretary of Defense Robert 
McNamara, who wanted to reduce defense expenditures by achieving 
greater commonality between the aircraft flown by the various 
services, the Air Force agreed in 1961 to undertake an evaluation of 
the Phantom II.  

At first, the Air Force considered the Phantom as a potential 
successor to the F-106A Delta Dart interceptor.  The F4H-1 could carry 
heavier loads than the F-106A over longer distances and had a 25 
percent greater radar range.  Later, the Air Force also looked into 
the possibility of using the Phantom as a tactical fighter and as a 
tactical reconnaissance aircraft.  The F4H-1 was much more versatile 
than the Air Force's F-105 Thunderchief, since it could not only carry 
similar external loads but was potentially a much better air 
superiority fighter due to its more favorable wing and power loadings.  
In the reconnaissance role, the Phantom offered a much better performance 
than the RF-101A/C, and unlike the Voodoo, could be fitted for night 
photographic missions.  

Since the Phantom had so much going for it, in January 1962, President 
Kennedy requested Congressional approval for the procurement of F4H-1 
derivatives for the Air Force under the designation F-110.  The F-110A 
was to be the tactical fighter version, with RF-110A being the 
tactical reconnaissance version.  The name *Spectre* was assigned
to the aircraft.

The Defense Department instructed that McDonnell deliver two Navy 
F4H-1s to the Air Force for evaluation.  On January 24, 1962, the two 
Navy F4H-1s (BuNos 149405 and 149406) were delivered to the Air Force 
at Langley AFB in Virginia.  They were painted in USAF markings, but 
initially retained their Navy BuNos.  They were later given Air Force 
serials 62-12168 and 62-12169 respectively.  

The results of the trials were impressive.  The Phantom met or 
exceeded all the Air Force's expectations.  In March of 1962, the 
Defense Department announced that land-based versions of the Phantom 
were to be the standard tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance 
aircraft of the USAF.  On March 30, McDonnell received a letter of 
intent for one F-110A (serial number 62-12199), and on May 29, another 
letter was received for a pair of YRF-110A reconnaissance aircraft 
(62-12200 and 62-12201).  

On September 18, 1962, the Defense Department ordered that all Air 
Force, Army, and Navy aircraft be designated under a common, universal 
system.  This was done because Secretary McNamara was interested in 
achieving greater commonality between the services, and supposedly had 
gotten hopelessly confused when he discovered that the Navy and the 
Air Force had completely different designation schemes, often for what 
was basically the same aircraft.  The separate naval designation 
system which had been around since 1922 was eliminated.  The F4H naval 
designation for the Phantom was abolished and replaced by F-4.  At the 
same time, the F-110 Air Force designation for the Phantom was also 
abolished and replaced by F-4.  Henceforth, both Navy and Air Force 
Phantoms were designated F-4, with Air Force and Navy Phantoms being 
distinguished from each other only by series letters.  The Navy F4H-1 
Phantom was redesignated F-4B, whereas the Air Force F-110A became 
known as F-4C and the YRF-110A became YRF-4C.  At the same time,
the separate name *Spectre* for the USAF's version was eliminated,
and from that moment on both Air Force and Navy F-4s were named *Phantom*. 

The story of the Phantom will be reviewed in much more detail when I 
get to the F-4 in the series.  

Sources: 

  McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920: Volume II, Rene J. Francillon, 
  Naval Institute Press, 1990.  

  McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies, Jon Lake, Aerospace 
  Publishing, 1992.  

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033