F-4EJ Phantom II

F-4EJ Phantom II

F-104J

F-4EJ Kai Phantom II

F-4EJ Phantom II

F-104J

F-4EJ Kai Phantom II

Japan

VII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
11.3	11.0	10.7

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:300 000

Purchase:830 000

This page is about the jet fighter F-4EJ Phantom II. For other versions, see F-4 Phantom II (Family).

Description

The F-4EJ Phantom II is a rank VII Japanese jet fighter with a battle rating of 11.3 (AB), 11.0 (RB), and 10.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.97 "Viking Fury".

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 12,192 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	2269	2236	16000	26.5	27.7	142.2	132.6	850
Upgraded	2419	2340		25.6	26.0	204.3	170.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute
X	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
1458	463	N/A	625	463	~11	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 810	< 750	< 700	N/A

Survivability and armour

8.5mm of Steel below the cockpit.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The F-4EJ Phantom II is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm JM61A1 cannon, chin-mounted (640 rpg)

Due to this cannon's high rate of fire (only 6.60 seconds of continuous fire), trigger discipline is a must.

Suspended armament

The F-4EJ Phantom II can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 3 x 20 mm M61 cannons
• 24 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 16 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs (12,000 lb total)
• 285 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 60 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles
• 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (9,000 lb total)
• 18 x 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (9,000 lb total)
• 10 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs + 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles (7,500 lb total)
• 10 x 750 lb JM117 cone 45 bombs + 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles (7,500 lb total)
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 171 x FFAR Mighty Mouse rockets
• 4 x AIM-9E Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets
• 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles + 36 x Zuni Mk32 Mod 0 ATAP rockets

Usage in battles

The F-4EJ Phantom is well-suited for any in-game situation. For attacking ground targets, the plane is armed with an assortment of bombs and rockets, and against air targets, players may employ the vehicle's deadly air-to-air missiles and frontal cannon. If desired, three externally-mounted gunpods may be equipped, but note that these may not be useful in all situations. Although they will undoubtedly increase the vehicle's destructive capabilities, they also appreciably hinder flight performance. In many situations, one front-facing cannon is all that is required to dispatch an opponent aircraft. As for the missiles, the ones used by this plane are among the best in the game, comparable to the R-60 missiles equipped by the MiG-21MF (Germany) and the MiG-21SMT.

The F-4EJ is more maneuverable than the F-4C Phantom II, thanks to its leading-edge flaps. Because of this, it can calmly deal with more intense dogfight situations than its predecessor. As with all top-tier fighter jets, extended turn fights should be avoided, since they bleed much speed out of this heavy aircraft and leave the pilot defenseless against nearby vultures. Specifically, watch out for the J35D Draken, which will beat any of its contemporaries in an extended turn, and also keep an eye on nearby Mitsubishi T-2 pilots: although the T-2 doesn't do well in extended turns, it can pull a significant angle of attack in the first few moments of a turn fight. The F-4E Phantom II can also be considered a threat as it includes leading-edge slats not found on the F-4EJ.

It is advised to side climb up to at least 8000 meters before engaging the enemy to ensure a favorable position at the start of the battle.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Fairly maneuverable thanks to leading-edge flaps, especially when low on fuel
• AIM-9J air-to-air missiles are among the best in the game
• Equipped with flares for evading enemy missiles
• A wide range of suspended armaments, suitable for any play-style
• Deadly frontal armament with high burst mass
• Makes use of a ballistic computer for assisting in the aim of cannons, rockets, and bombs against ground targets

Cons:

• Unlike the F-4E Phantom II, the F-4EJ does not have the Agile Eagle upgrade
• Limited ammunition in the frontally-mounted cannon
• Quite large and heavy compared to other fighters at its rank

History

F-4EJ "Samurai Phantom" was a jet fighter aircraft that saw service in the JASDF (Japanese Air Self Defense Force) from 1971 until 2020. At the end of 2020 the F-4EJ will be replaced by the F-35A Lightning II.

In 1968 Japan made it public that they would update their JASDF with the F-4 phantom. Being one of the only countries to acquire the permissions to build the plane in their own Factories Japan started to develop the F-4EJ at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. Due to post WW2 sanctions and restrictions, Japan was not allowed to equip any air-to-surface capabilities to the aircraft, as such the F-4EJ would be made without the AN/AJB-7 bombing computer system. 

McDonnell Douglas built the first 2, F-4EJ prototypes with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries building the remaining Phantoms. They did, however, import RF-4EJ from McDonnell Douglas over the 10-year span of production. Japan's Mitsubishi Heavy Industries would build the very last F-4 in the world, nicknamed "The Finale Phantom" on 20th of May, 1981, it served with the 306th and 301st Tactical Fighter Squadrons. 127 EJ variant Phantoms were built. 

The first squadron equipped with the new F-4EJ would be the 301^st Hikotai, in August 1^st 1972. In October 1973 the 301^st would be deemed operational with the Phantom, having 14 Phantoms in their squadron. On October 30^th 1978, five years after the squadron was equipped and trained in the Phantom: the 301^st was designated as JASDF Quick Ready Alert force. In 1979 they would be the first F-4Ej to intercept another aircraft when a Soviet T-95 was deemed a threat in February 21st of that year. Ironically the same day of the intercept is when Japan launched the Hakucho X-ray satellite & Corsa-B.

In July of 1984, after the post-war sanctions were dropped, Japan put together plans to upgrade its F-4EJ Phantoms. In 1989 their F-4EJ Phantoms were updated starting with the 306^th Hikotai. The new Phantoms were equipped with APG-66J pulse-Doppler radar, which allowed the Phantoms to carry out air-to-ground and Air-to-Ship capabilities while being lighter, smaller, and more efficient than the old radar. A new computer and heads up display was added to Phantom allowing them to bring the Phantom into the 21^st century. Additional upgrades to the pylons allowed the new Phantoms to be equipped with the F-15 fuel tanks, which could sustain more G forces than the current fuel tanks being used. And with the adoption of the Westinghouse AN/ALQ-131 countermeasures, it allowed the pilot to quickly adapt and counter any threats on the modern battlefield. These upgrades were desperately needed for the JASDF as their Mitsubishi F-1 and F-2 did not have the range needed to adequately defend their countries territory if war ever arose. 96 Phantoms were upgraded and designated as F-4EJ Kai (Kai means "Modified" in Japanese).

The F-4EJ Phantoms were equipped with 3 different colour schemes. Blue Camo, Green Camo, and Grey. 127 aircraft were built, with 8 squadrons adopting the plane. The F-4EJ was decommissioned in 2020 to adapt the F-35A Lightning II.

Media

The Shooting Range #198 - Metal Beasts section at 05:01 discusses the F-4EJ Phantom II.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.

McDonnell Aircraft Corporation
Jet Fighters	F2H-2 · F3H-2
	F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II
	F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E
Strike Aircraft	AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA)
Helicopters	AH-6M
Export/Licensed
Aircraft	◄F-4F Early · ◄F-4F · ◄F-4F KWS LV · Phantom FG.1 · Phantom FGR.2 · F-4J(UK) Phantom II · F-4EJ Phantom II · F-4EJ ADTW · Kurnass · Kurnass 2000
	F-15J · F-15J(M) · Baz · Baz Meshupar · F-15I Ra’am
	▄AV-8B Plus
Helicopters	Lahatut
	The McDonnell Aircraft Corporation merged with Douglas Aircraft Company in 1967 to form McDonnell Douglas Corporation. Later it was merged with The Boeing Company in 1997.
See Also	Mitsubishi Heavy Industries

Japan jet aircraft
IJNAS
Experimental	Kikka
Reconnaissance	R2Y2 Kai V1 · R2Y2 Kai V2 · R2Y2 Kai V3
IJAAS
Fighters	Ki-200
JASDF
Fighters	F-86F-30 ▅ · F-86F-40 ▅ · F-86F-40 JASDF▅
	F-104J
	F-4EJ Phantom II · F-4EJ ADTW · F-4EJ Kai Phantom II
	F-15J · F-15J(M)
	F-16AJ
	F-1
Trainers	T-2 Early · T-2
Foreign
Thailand	▄AV-8S · ▄F-5E FCU