F4C

F4C most commonly refers to the F-4C Phantom II, the United States Air Force variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II multirole fighter aircraft. Produced in the mid-1960s, the F-4C was the first widely deployed Phantom II version for the USAF and established the baseline for later variants in the family. The aircraft is a two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather fighter designed for air superiority and ground-attack missions. It integrated a more capable avionics and radar suite than earlier prototypes and featured structural and systems upgrades to support greater range and payload.

In service, the F-4C saw extensive use during the Vietnam War in both air-to-air and air-to-ground roles, contributing to aerial combat and interdiction campaigns. While it demonstrated the Phantom’s versatility and survivability, it also highlighted maintenance demands and flight-hour utilization typical of early Phantom models. The F-4C remained in service through the late 1960s and into the 1970s, gradually being superseded by later USAF variants such as the F-4D and F-4E, which offered further avionics upgrades and improved reliability and weapons integration.

The F-4 Phantom II family includes several variants used by the United States and allied forces, with the F-4C representing the USAF’s first major production standard of the type. In historical texts and museum documentation, the designation F-4C is commonly used to distinguish this specific variant from later models. See also F-4 Phantom II.