Like other later versions for the Navy and Air Force, this one was also modified for the target drone role. As the F/A-18s were introduced, the F-4Ns were either retired or modified for this function.
This version was a systems upgrade, an attempt to update the airframes of recently built units that were not as worn down by the Vietnam War. The F-4N, like its predecessor, served only as naval interceptors, leaving the ground attack role to other fighters.
The FVS project originated from an earlier study, still based on the F-4L for the UK Navy, as the idea was for a super-powerful fighter with variable-geometry wings to land on small British aircraft carriers.
During the trials for the new Navy interceptor fighter program, McDonnell, recently merged with Douglas, decided to stand out in the competition with several studies of structural upgrades, from wings to engines. One of the best-known was the FVS, with variable-geometry wings, which would become the F-14. The FVH was also intended for the Navy, but these studies served the F-15 program years later.
The British acquired 15 refurbished F-4J units from the desert stockpile at Davis-Monthan Air Base after the Falklands/Malvinas War until 1991.
Like the F-4B, the F-4J was a trainer for electronic warfare, being more advanced than its predecessor.
After several studies, the navy concluded that an upgrade of the F-4B was no longer viable, and with the cancellation of studies for an F-4L, the doors opened for an economically viable and reliable version. The F-4J was born as a new version full of innovations that would be a mainstay during the Vietnam War. This version updated the old J79 engines with a new version and a correction, as the old ones were known as "flying chimneys." The J79-GE-10 not only increased power but also eliminated this "flying chimney." The new radar, a "cut" variant of the AN/AWG-9, came with an innovation that would be applied to all subsequent fighters: the look-down/shoot-down capability, which allowed firing missiles at targets close to the ground. This was vital in air combat, as North Vietnamese fighters were known for their low flight and surgical strikes, since radars suffered interference due to the ground.
VF-143 Pukin Dogs
VF-151 Vigilantes
VF-111 Sundowners
The studies of the Model-98F served as a basis for the studies and introduction of the F-4J. And for a future F-4J+
VF-102 Diamondbacks
VF-103 Sluggers
VF-96 Marauders
In 1963, the United States Air Force was introducing the F-4C, and McDonnell, seeking to sell it to allied countries, offered a version of the F-4C with customized engines to Australia, which at the time operated the Mirage III. The idea was to save on both maintenance and operational costs by offering an attack and interceptor fighter with engines that the Australians already operated, the ATAR 9. However, it never went beyond the study phase because the F-4 would be underpowered, as the power of the French engines was unfeasible for a heavy fighter like the Phantom II. An attack version without radar-guided missiles and without the landing hook was proposed, but it was also discarded.
The Model-98DX was also offered to France before the Model-98FO and FH. However, as we know, both were rejected due to the problem of underpowered engines.