An illuminating history of an aircraft that became an icon of American airpower. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II proved to be a tough, rugged, and excellent all-weather, air superiority fighter/bomber. From flying fleet defence missions during the Cuban Missile Crisis and performing as an air superiority fighter/bomber during the Vietnam War, to taking out Iraqi surface-to-air (SAM) sites in the Wild Weasel role during Operation Desert Storm, the Phantom II did it all. Other nations have also benefited tremendously from the acquisition of export versions of this remarkable aircraft. This book tells the fascinating story of this truly unique aircraft's design and development and relives its glorious record in the Vietnam War, various Arab-Israeli conflicts, the Cold War, and Operation Desert Storm. AUTHOR: Mark A. Chambers works as a contractor for the NASA Langley Research Center. He has previously written Building the Supermarine Spitfire and The SR-71 Blackbird Story for The History press, as well as texts for NASA Langley Research Center, and a number of as articles for Aviation Magazine. He lives in Virginia USA. 100 colour, 100 b/w illustrations