F-4 Phantoms Phabulous 40th - 1978 Commemorative Book
U.S. Air Force Phantoms
The definitive version of the USAF Phantom was the F-4E, first delivered in 1967. Beginning in 1972, all production F-4Es were fitted with leading edge maneuvering slats, which were retrofitted to all earlier F-4Es.
The Phantom was designed for carrier operations, but proved to be equally effective for land based air-to-air and air-to-ground operations, and in March 1962 the Department of Defense approved its procurement for the U. S. Air Force Tactical Air Command.
Most Navy systems were adopted intact in the early Air Force Phantoms. One major change was the installation of flight controls in the rear cockpit.