 In 1984 , the F @-@ 4Ns had been retired , and by 1987 the last F @-@ 4Ss were retired in the US Navy deployable squadrons . On 25 March 1986 , an F @-@ 4S belonging to the VF @-@ 151 " Vigilantes , " became the last active duty U.S. Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier , in this case , Midway . On 18 October 1986 , an F @-@ 4S from the VF @-@ 202 " Superheats " , a Naval Reserve fighter squadron , made the last @-@ ever Phantom carrier landing while operating aboard America . In 1987 , the last of the Naval Reserve @-@ operated F @-@ 4S aircraft were replaced by F @-@ 14As . The last Phantoms in service with the Navy were QF @-@ 4 target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Center at NAS Point Mugu , California . These airframes were subsequently retired in 2004 . 
