General Electric’s SUU-16/A and SUU-32/A gun-pods satisfied Phantom pilots’ desire for a weapon that would keep heads down ahead of an attack run or provide credible close-in air-to-air shooting power. Remotecontrol range testing of this SUU-16/A involved removal of the rear and lower sections of the pod’s casing, with plenty of restraining cables for the test Phantom. (USAF)
McNamara implemented “flexible response” by seeking a 50 percent increase in the USAF’s tactical airpower. The existing wide range of fighterbombers and light bombers was to be replaced with just two new types, the A-7 Corsair II and General Dynamics F-111, both of which would also be used by Navy squadrons. Because neither of these would be available until at least 1966, he sought a stop-gap fighter-bomber. To McNamara the Phantom II offered both superior performance (proven by the seven world height and speed records attained by F4H-1s by the end of 1961) and also fulfilled his aim of multimission, cost-saving “commonality.” However, despite its obvious qualities, overcoming Air Force preconceptions about buying an aircraft used by a rival service required considerable persuasion by both McNamara and McDonnell’s sales team. In August 1961, two F4H-1s were borrowed for tests at Edwards AFB and flown to Tactical Air Command (TAC) bases by Col Graham and charismatic F-100 wing commander Col George Laven so that USAF pilots could sample the goods. This was followed by an official fly-off competition against TAC’s premier strike fighter, the F-105D Thunderchief, in November 1961. Both types had projected reconnaissance versions in development, which the USAF also required, and both achieved similar results in the set tests, but McNamara’s purposes were best served by selecting the Phantom II. President Kennedy’s January 1962 budget requested funding for both fighter and reconnaissance versions of the Phantom II. To assuage USAF pride they were initially called F-110A and RF-110A (nicknamed “Spectre”), following the Air Force’s existing “Century Series” fighter designations. To hasten service introduction, 27 more Phantom IIs were reserialed 62-12170/12196 for USAF training and evaluation with the 4453rd CCTW at McDill AFB, Florida. The first aircraft was flown in by Col Stanton Smith on February 11, 1963, by which time McNamara’s September 18, 1962 universal 10 © Osprey Publishing • www.ospreypublishing.com