Thijs Postma - Poster - McDonnell F-4B Phantom Taking Off Aircraft Carrier USS RangerA McDonnell F 4B Phantom II is about to be launched by the steam catapult of the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CVA 61). The Phantom was the most important and successful Western fighter in the 1960s. Designed for the Navy, it became the standard fighter for the US Air Force in 1962. It was used on a large scale in the Vietnam war.