The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II[N 1] is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-

weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally

developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.[2] It first entered
service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted
by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a
major part of their air wings.[3]

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more
than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including
air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other
interceptors of its time, was designed without an internal cannon. Later models
incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world
records for in-flight performance,[4] including an absolute speed record, and an
absolute altitude record.[5]

The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air
superiority fighter for both the Navy and Air Force, and became important in the
ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. The Phantom has the
distinction of being the last U.S. fighter flown by pilots who attained ace status
in the 20th century. During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon
systems officers (WSOs),[6] one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer
(RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft.[7]
The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the
1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15
Eagle and F-16 in the U.S. Air Force, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and
the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild
Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally
leaving service in 1996.[8][9] It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S.
flight demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the US Navy Blue
Angels (F-4J).[3][10][11] The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other
nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab�Israeli conflicts,
while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms acquired before the fall of the Shah in
the Iran�Iraq War. Phantoms remain in frontline service with four countries.
Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it
the most produced American supersonic military aircraft.[3][12] As of 2017, nearly
60 years after its introduction, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South
Korea and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently seen service against the Islamic
State group in the Middle East.

Leading edge
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Leading edge (disambiguation).

Cross section of an aerodynamic surface with the leading edge emphasised

The leading edge of the Buran space shuttle transported to the Technik Museum
Speyer
The leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air;[1]
alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil section.[2] The first is an
aerodynamic definition, the second a structural one. As an example of the
distinction, during a tailslide, from an aerodynamic point of view, the trailing
edge becomes the leading edge and vice versa but from a structural point of view
the leading edge remains unchanged.

Overview
The structural leading edge may be equipped with one or more of the following:
Leading edge boots
Leading edge cuffs
Leading edge extensions
Leading edge slats
Leading edge slots
Krueger flaps
Stall strips
Vortex generators.
Associated terms are leading edge radius and leading edge stagnation point.[2]

Seen in plan the leading edge may be straight or curved. A straight leading edge
may be swept or unswept, the latter meaning that it is perpendicular to the
longitudinal axis of the aircraft. As wing sweep is conventionally measured at the
25% chord line[2] an unswept wing may have a swept or tapered leading edge. Some
aircraft, like the General Dynamics F-111, have swing-wings where the sweep of both
wing and leading edge can be varied.

In high-speed aircraft, compression heating of the air ahead of the wings can cause
extreme heating of the leading edge. Heating was a major contributor to the
destruction of the Space Shuttle Columbia during re-entry on February 1, 2003.

Sail boats
When sailing into the wind, the dynamics that propel a sailboat forward are the
same that create lift for an airplane. The term leading edge refers to the part of
the sail that first contacts the wind. A fine tapered leading edge that does not
disturb the flow is desirable since 90% of the drag on a sailboat owing to sails is
a result of vortex shedding from the edges of the sail.[3] Sailboats utilize a mast
to support the sail. To help reduce the drag and poor net sail performance,
designers have experimented with masts that are more aerodynamically shaped,
rotating masts, wing masts, or placed the mast behind the sails as in the mast aft
rig.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leading edge (aircraft wings).
Crane, Dale: Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition, page 305. Aviation
Supplies & Academics, 1997. ISBN 1-56027-287-2
Kumar, Bharat (2005). An Illustrated Dictionary of Aviation. New York: McGraw
Hill. ISBN 0-07-139606-3.
Collie,S.J.; M.G. Gerritsen; M.J. O'Sullivan. "Numerical simulation of the
turbulent flow past upwind yacht sails" (PDF). Retrieved December 10, 2011.
[show] v t e
Aircraft components and systems

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