United States Legacy Boeing
F-4E Phantom II
Twin-engine, two-seat supersonic interceptor and fighter-bomber originally built by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) that served as a mainstay of Cold War-era air forces. The E model added an internal cannon and remains in limited service with a handful of upgraded operators.
In service since 1967 · 5 operator countries
Compiled from public sources ·primary reference ↗ ·last verified 2026-07-02
2,370
km/h
2,600
km range
18,300
m ceiling
8,480
kg payload
0.86
T/W
Pricing: Out of production; historical program cost only
Procurement snapshot
Availability & export
US ITAR-controlled
Export needs U.S. State Dept (DDTC) approval; end-use & re-transfer restrictions apply.
Channel: Foreign Military Sales (FMS) or Direct Commercial Sale
Fielded & proven
Established · 5 operators
In service since 1967. Status: legacy · ~5,195 built.
Lifecycle cost (est.)
No public unit price to model from.
Interoperability
Derived guidance from public data — export regime by country of origin, lifecycle from the GAO ~30% acquisition rule. Verify eligibility, pricing and offsets with the manufacturer and your acquisition authority.
Full specifications
Performance
Speed, range, altitude and engagement capability.
- Max speed
Maximum level speed. For aircraft this is at optimal altitude; for ground vehicles, top road speed. Higher means faster response and better kinematic performance.
- 2,370 km/h Stronger than 73% of fighters
- Max speed (Mach)
Maximum speed as a multiple of the speed of sound. Mach 2+ is typical for air-superiority fighters.
- 2.2 Mach Stronger than 71% of fighters
- Range
Maximum distance: ferry range for aircraft, operational range for vehicles, maximum engagement distance for missiles. Higher means more standoff or persistence.
- 2,600 km Stronger than 32% of fighters
- Combat radius
Distance an aircraft can fly, complete its mission and return without refueling. Roughly a third of ferry range.
- 680 km Stronger than 20% of fighters
- Service ceiling
Maximum operating altitude. Higher gives energy advantage and sensor horizon.
- 18,300 m Stronger than 81% of fighters
- Thrust-to-weight
Engine thrust divided by loaded weight. Above 1.0 the aircraft can accelerate going straight up.
- 0.86 Bottom 8% of fighters
Firepower
Armament, payload and guidance.
- Main armament
Primary weapon: main gun, cannon or missile type.
- 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon
- Hardpoints
External stations for weapons and pods. More means bigger and more flexible loadouts.
- 9 Stronger than 47% of fighters
- Weapons payload
Maximum ordnance weight the platform can carry. Higher means more strike capacity per sortie.
- 8,480 kg Stronger than 78% of fighters
Protection
Armor, countermeasures and survivability.
- Countermeasures
Self-protection: chaff, flares, DIRCM, towed decoys, smoke dischargers, jammers.
- chaff, flares
Physical
Dimensions, weight and crew.
- Length
Overall length including gun/probe where applicable.
- 19.2 m
- Wingspan
Wingtip-to-wingtip span.
- 11.7 m
- Height
Overall height. Lower profile is harder to spot and hit for ground vehicles.
- 5.02 m
- Empty weight
Weight without fuel, ammunition or crew.
- 13,800 kg
- Combat weight
Fully loaded weight. Lighter eases transport and bridging limits; heavier often means more armor.
- 20,800 kg
- Crew
Personnel required to operate. Fewer reduces exposure; autoloaders trade a loader for mechanical complexity.
- 2
Propulsion
Engine, power and fuel.
- Engine
Powerplant model and type.
- 2x General Electric J79-GE-17A afterburning turbojets
- Engines
Number of engines. Twin-engine gives redundancy at higher cost.
- 2
- Thrust
Total engine thrust (with afterburner where applicable).
- 79 kN Stronger than 20% of fighters
- Fuel capacity
Internal fuel volume.
- 7,500 L
- Propulsion type
Turbofan, turboshaft, diesel, gas turbine, solid-fuel rocket, ramjet…
- Turbojet
Sensors & avionics
Radar, sensor suite and datalinks.
- Radar
Primary radar. AESA (active electronically scanned array) is the current state of the art.
- AN/APQ-120 (upgraded to AN/APG-65 or similar on modernized aircraft)
Program
Cost, production scale and operators.
- Units built
Total production run. Higher means proven manufacturing, mature logistics and spares availability.
- 5,195 Top 1% of fighters
- Operator countries
Number of countries operating the system. More operators means broader support ecosystem.
- 5 Stronger than 75% of fighters
Specifications compiled from public Boeing and reference sources ↗. Published defense figures are approximations — treat comparisons as directional. Last verified 2026-07-02.
Compare with rivals
See how it stacks up
Dassault Aviation Rafale F4 Frequently asked questions
What is the top speed of the Boeing F-4E Phantom II? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II has a maximum speed of 2,370 km/h.
What is the range of the Boeing F-4E Phantom II? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II has a maximum range of 2,600 km.
What is the weapons payload of the Boeing F-4E Phantom II? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II can carry up to 8,480 kg of weapons payload.
How much does the Boeing F-4E Phantom II weigh? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II has a combat weight of 20,800 kg.
How many crew does the Boeing F-4E Phantom II require? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II requires a crew of 2.
What is the main armament of the Boeing F-4E Phantom II? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II's primary weapon is the 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan rotary cannon.
What engine does the Boeing F-4E Phantom II use? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II is powered by the 2x General Electric J79-GE-17A afterburning turbojets.
What is the Boeing F-4E Phantom II used for? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II is a fighter aircraft typically used for air superiority, close air support, deep strike.
How many countries operate the Boeing F-4E Phantom II? +
The Boeing F-4E Phantom II is operated by 5 countries.
How much does the Boeing F-4E Phantom II cost? +
Boeing F-4E Phantom II: Out of production; historical program cost only. Defense program costs are rarely fully public and vary by contract and configuration.
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