The F-4 Phantom II is perhaps the most famous postwar fighter. Primarily used as a land-based fighter-bomber and reconnaissance platform, its legend is owed to its naval origins and the immense contribution its original carrier-based versions made to the U.S. war effort in Vietnam.

This title examines the unique aspects of the Phantom that made it so crucial to U.S. Navy pilots during the Vietnam War: its massive engine power, long range, speed, the most powerful airborne search and fire-control radar installed in a fighter at the time, and, of course, its versatility as a ground attack and air-to-air platform. Packed with firsthand accounts, unique profile artwork, and rare photographs, this is the history of one of the most important aircraft to be stationed on carriers off Southeast Asia during the war.

Peter E. Davies has published twenty-six books on modern combat aircraft and the Vietnam War. His books on the U.S. Navy's use of the F-4 Phantom II utilize extensive interviews with more than one hundred former U.S. Navy Phantom II aircrew, maintainers, and mission planners. He lives in Bristol, UK.

Jim Laurier, a New England native, has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000. He has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes and specializes in aircraft of the Vietnam War.