The J79 engine started life as a U.S. Air Froce program, but the mating of the engine with a U.S. Navy airplane provided GE with the powerplant's greatest and longest production.

The Navy and Grumman had selected the J79 to power an advanced version of their F11F fighter, the F11F-1F. The program was terminated when a consortium selected the F-104. But the Navy had been exposed to the J79, and GE designers began to work with McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis (now The Boeing Company) to match the new supersonic powerplant with the F-4H Phantom II, latest in a long line of McDonnell high performance airplanes for the Navy's air arm.

Two J79s installed in the new Phantom gave that airplane Mach 2 capability and, together with the F-4H's aerodynamic design, made that airframe/engine combination (later designated the F-4) the "hottest" military weapon system in the sky.

The U.S. Navy selected the J79-powered F-4 as its primary fleet air defense airplane; the U.S. Marine Corps adopted it for both air combat and ground attack missions; The Air Force chose the F-4 for both tactical and air defense roles. McDonnell built and delivered more than 5,000 F-4s.