McDonnell Douglas Phantom II

McDonnell Douglas Corporation — manufacturer/type patch for the F-4 Phantom II ("Rhino," "Double Ugly," mascot "Spook") · Other · 1967-1979

This is not a squadron insignia but a maker's patch, worn by the factory hands, test crews, and aircrew who built and flew the F-4 Phantom II — the twin-engine, Mach 2 interceptor-turned-everything that came off the St. Louis line in greater numbers than any other American supersonic fighter. The 'McDonnell Douglas' wording dates the design to after 28 April 1967, when James McDonnell's defense house absorbed the financially strained Douglas Aircraft Company to form the McDonnell Douglas Corporation; earlier Phantom patches read simply 'McDonnell.' The stark white planform on midnight blue shows the type's signature silhouette — dogtoothed outer wings cranked upward, stabilators drooped in anhedral — a shape that flew with the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and eleven allied air arms. St. Louis production closed on 26 October 1979 after 5,057 aircraft, with 138 more built under license by Mitsubishi in Japan, for a total of 5,195.