The last McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II supersonic fighters that symbolized U.S. airpower during the Vietnam War took their  last flight as part of the U.S. Air Force on Dec. 21 at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico.

This legendary fighter jet that began its career with the U.S. Navy in 1960 as a supersonic jet interceptor later morphed into a fighter bomber during the Vietnam War and a potent air superiority fighter that produced the last "aces" (pilots or weapon systems operators with five or more enemy aircraft shot down) for the Air Force and the U.S. Navy.

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Its front line combat role with the U.S. armed forces ended in 1996 when it was replaced by newer, fourth generation aircraft such as the Grumman F-14 Tomcat and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon. Production of the Phantom II ended in 1979.

Despite no longer considered survivable in the modern battlespace, the F-4 soldiered on with the Air Force as a remote controlled target drone designed to be shot down to test new air-to-air missiles and surface-to-air missiles. It ended its service in this role.

The target drone Phantom IIs operated by the Air Force are designated QRF-4C, QF-4B, E, G, N and S.

The current variant of the Phantom II is the QF-4 unmanned aerial target. The remaining QF-4s are assigned to the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron, Detachment 1 at Holloman.

The QF-4 program attained initial operational capability in 1997. The aerial target fleet is owned and operated by the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron, 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group of the 53rd Wing.

The 82nd Aerial Target Squadron operates the only full scale aerial target in the Department of Defense.

To date, the QF-4 has flown 145 unmanned sorties, and about 70 jets have been destroyed through the FSAT program. The QF-4 will be replaced by the QF-16.

Originally developed for the Navy, the F-4 first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. It was later entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps and the Air Force, and by the mid-1960s became a major part of their combat strength.

The huge Phantom has a top speed of over Mach 2.2, and can carry more than 8,400 kg of weapons, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and bombs.

Holloman's 49th Wing and the Eglin Air Force Base's 53rd Wing, alongside veterans, retirees and Phantom community members bid farewell to the last active duty F-4 Phantom II jets in a historic retirement ceremony at Holloman.

Eglin's 53rd commander Col. Adrian Spain; Lt. Col. Lance Wilkins, commander of the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron and the last active duty F-4 pilot, Lt. Col. Ron "Elvis" King of the 82nd Aerial Target Squadron, were at the ceremony and praised the legendary F-4 Phantom II.

TagsMcDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, vietnam war, Holloman Air Force Base, QF-4 unmanned aerial target, 82nd Aerial Target Squadron