The McDonnell F-4 Phantom II was a supersonic jet designed to perform every classic fighter mission ever conceived: as a first-line interceptor, fighter bomboer, escort, and reconnaissance aircraft. It first flew May 27, 1958, and entered service in 1961. The Phantom set a speed record of 1,606 mph and an altitude record of 98,425 feet. In 1969, it was the only fighter to fly concurrently with both U.S. military aerobatics flight demonstration teams - the Air Force Thunderbirds and the Navy Blue Angels.