DATAFILE

THE McDONNELL DOUGLAS

F-4 Phantom II
A COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE FOR THE MODELLER

Part 1: USAF Variants

by Andy Evans

SAM PU BL I CAT IONS

Cover:
'E's and 'D's combine for Modellers Datafile No.12
a raid (© via Glenn Sands) The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, Part 1: USAF Variants
by Andy Evans

First published in 2007 by SAM Publications

Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9BJ, United Kingdom

© 2007 SAM Publ ications

© Andy Evans - Text
© David Howley - Colou r artwork
© David Howley - Scale plans

All rights reserved. No part of this publicat ion may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
photocopy, recording, or any other information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

ISB 0-955 1858-3-0

Typeset by SAM Publications, Media House, 21 Kingsway, Bedford, MK42 9B), United Kingdom
Designed by Simon Sugarhood
Printed and bound in the United Kingdom by PrinthaUs, Un ited Kingdom

The Modellers Datafile Series

• No.1 - De Havilland Mosquito '
• No.2 - Hawker Hurrica ne'
• No.3 - Supermarine Spitfire (Part I: Merli n-Powered) '
• No.4 - Avro Lancaster (Inc Manchester & Lincoln)
• No.5 - Supermarine Spitfire (Part 2: Griffon-Powered)
• No.6 - Bristol Beaufighter
• No.7 - English Electric Lightning
• No.8 - Gloster (& Armstrong-Whitworth) Meteor
• No.9 - Messerschm itt Bf 109 (Part I Prototype to E Variants)
• No.IO - Messerschmitt Bf 109 (Part 2 F to KVariants)
• No.11 - British Aerospace Sea Harrier
• Out of print

Acknowledgments
Thanks are due to the following for their assistance with information and the loan of images and diagrams that populate this Datafile:
Glenn Sands, Richard L. Ward, Mark Smith, Don Gilham, Curtiss Knowles, Gary Chambers, Mark Carlisle, Dennis Robinson, Ken Withers, Ben Brown,
Larry McCarly, Gary Prettyman, Angelo Picardo, Phil Brandt, McDonnell Douglas Press Office, USAF Public Affairs and thanks are also due to
Neil Robinson, Gary Hatcher and David Francis of SAM Publications.

Authors Note: Whilst every care has been taken in the gathering of images for this book. either from original sources. via third party collections or the authors own archives.
every effort has been made to identify and credit photographers responsible for the photograph and where possible and obtain the necessary permissions for their use.
However the publishers cannot accept responsibility for any omissions beyond their control and should any persons feel their copyright has been inadvertent,," breached.
please contact the au thor via the publisher.

,An;)'! t.uanJ
September 2007

SAM PUBLICATIONS
Contents

Introduction 5
Glossary 7

The F-4C and F-4D - 8

Chapter1 The F-4C - 8
The EF-4C - 14
The F-4C In Detail - 16
The F-4 Ejector Seat - 21
The F-4D - 24
Deployment to Vietnam - 32

The RF-4C - 38
Chapter 2 The RF-4C - 38
Camera Nose Details - 48
RF-4C Cockpit - 53

Colour Side-views - 54

The F-4E - 62
Chapter 3 The F-4E - 62
The F-4E in Vietnam - 70
ADC F-4E Keflavik - 74
Sharksmouth F-4E - 76
F-4E In Detail - 79
TISEO F-4E - 84
ARN-l Ol F-4E - 86
F-4E Cockpit - 88

The F-4G - 92
Chapter 4 The F-4G - 92
Gulf War F-4 - 98
The F-4G In Detail - 100

USAF Thunderbirds Display Team - 104

Chapter 5 Thunderbirds - 104

QF-4 Drones - 106

Chapter 6 QF-4 Drones - 106
 Test and Evaluation Phantoms - 110
ChaPler 7 Test and Evaluation Phantoms - 110

Phantom Kit Builds - 112

ChaPler S F-4D in 1/32 - 112
F-4G in 1/48 - 116
RF-4C in 1172 - 120

Appendices

Appendix I Kit Listing - 122

A guide to Phantom kits

Appendix II Accessories and Conversions - 123

Add-ons and enhancements

Appendix III Decals - 124

Available liveries for the Phantom

Appendix IV USAF F-4 Main Differences - 125

Type comparison

Appendix V Biblography - 126

A concise list of books, journals and periodicals

Index 127

Fold-out Plans - 1/72nd scale

Introduction

The first of the USAF's many!

he F-4 Phantom is one of the most iconic and popular deployed from a carrier, armed with air-to-air missiles

T
(© McDonnell Doug/as)

aircraft ever produced, and in this Modellers Datafile
the USAF versions are those which command our
attention. As the history, development and prototypes of the
embryonic F-4 are beyond the scope of this book it is the
intention to concentrate of the on the USAF in service types
looking at each variant in turn. Within such a vast subject
area as the F-4 Phantom it is impossible to cover every single
aspect of the 'Spook' and its many makings options within
the pages afforded this Datafile, however, it is hoped that the
aircraft is given the fullest attention within these constraints
and that a the ubiquitous Phantom will be further revealed to
both modellers and enthusiasts. The versions covered in this
Datafile include the F-4C, F-4D, RF-4C, F-4E and F-4G, and it
will provide photographic and diagrammatic details as well
as modelling the F-4C, RF-4C and F-4G, with additional
resources on Kits, Decals and Accessories. In addition there is
an exclusive decal sheet only available with this publication.
instead of guns, that could cruise out to a radius of 250
nautical miles, stay on combat patrol, attack an intruder
when necessary, and return to the carrier deck within three
hours. McDonnell responded with a new design for a two-
place fighter/bomber to respond to the Navy's need for an all-
weather fleet air defence aircraft, yet retaining attack
capabilities. In mid-1955 the full-scale engineering mock-up
of this new twin-engine was available, and featured a swept
wing with no dihedral, and the horizontal tails drooped down
at an angle of 15 deg. Results of the first phase of tunnel tests
indicated that the aircraft exhibited serious deficiencies in
lateral-directional stability characteristics at supersonic
speeds, including unstable dihedral effect and marginal

A Brief History
Under its own financing and initiative, McDonnell began
developing an all-weather attack fighter in August 1953,
shortly after it lost a competitive bid to build a Navy
supersonic air-superiority fighter. The McDonnell FH-l
Phantom, which made its first flight on January 26, 1945, was
first operated from a carrier in the summer of 1946, and
entered squadron service in 1948. The aircraft was
conventional in design and employed an un swept wing with
simple high-lift devices; manual flight controls were provided
about all three axes. However, by now newer the Navy had
released details of a desired new mission: an aircraft to be

Preface ~
A very nice anniversary Phantom as displayed at the London International Airshow in Ontario Canada in 1988 (~ Author's Cotlection)

No rth American Sabre. Total US production was 5057, with

another 138 being built under license in Japan. The Phantom
was in co ntinuous production for 20 years (from 1959 until
1979) and during the Vietnam War, 72 Phantoms were
coming off the production line every month. Although
initially designed as an interceptor and later used primarily
in the air-to-ground strike role, th e Phantom proved to be
surprisingly successful in the air-to-air role when the correct
tactics were used . USAF, Navy, and Ma rin e Corps Phantom lIs
achieved 277 air-to-air co mbat vic tories in Vietnam . The
Phantom was th e first nava l fighter to dispense totally with
cannon armament and the first fighter that was able to
identify, intercept and destroy any target th at came into range
of its radar without hav ing to rely on groun d control and it
was first aircraft originally designed solely as a carrier-based

directional stab ility. To cure these problems, McDonnell

introduced 12 deg of geometric dihedral into th e outer wing
panels (which were foldable for carrier operations) and
increased the size of the ve rtical tail. First flown in May 1958,
the Navy awarded a production contract to McDonnell in
December 1958 and in July 1959, the aircraft was formally
christened the F-4 Phantom II in tribute to McDonnell's FH-l
Phantom. Thus a legend was created!
The McDonnell Phantom went on to be one of the most
successful post-war fighters, and the second most prolific
American jet fighter to be built, outnumbered only by the

fighter to be ordered by the USAF. It was also the first fighter

to have computer-controlled air inlets for optimum airflow to
the engines and finally, it was the first aircraft to be flown
simultaneously by both the Navy's Blue Angels and th e Air
Force's Thunderbirds flight demonstration teams.

;411~'t t.0411$

September, 2007

~ Preface
 Glossary
ct
lIs
ge
:d
AAA .... . ... Anti-Aircraft Artillery
AAM . ... . ... Air to Air Missile
AB .......... Air Base (Non-US)
ADC ........ Air Defence Command
AFB . . . . . . . .. Air Force Base
AFRES . . . . .. Air Force Reserve
AGM ........ Ait to Ground Missile
AGM ........ Airborne Guided Missile
AIM ....... .Air Intercept Missile
ANG .... . ... Air National Guard
ARM ........ Anti-Radar Missile
CAP . . . . . . . . .Combat Air Patrol
Capt . . .. .. .. Captain
CO . .. ....... Commanding Officer
o CORDS . ... . .Coherent On Record Doppler System
CW ......... Continous Wave
ECM ........ Electronic Countermeasuers
EWACS ...... Electronic Wide Angle Camera System
EWO . ....... Electronic Warfare Officer
FIS . ......... Fighter Interceptor Squadron
FUR . . . .. . .. Forward Looking Infra-Red
FS . ... . . .... Fighter Squadron
FW . . . . ... . .Fighter Wing
GIB .. ... . . .. Guy In Back
HARM . . . . . .High Speed Anti-Radar Missile
HAWC . . . . . . .Homing Radar And Warning Computer
LORAN .... . .Long Range Navigation
LOROP . . . . .. Long Range Oblique Photography
NOLO . . . .... No Onboard Live Operator
NULLO ...... Not Utilising Local Live Operator
NVA ........ North Vietnamese Army
PPI ........ .Plan Position Indicator
PUP . . . . . . . .Performance Update Program
RHAW ..... .Radar Homing And Warning system
RTAFB ... . . .Royal Thai Air Force Base
SAM ..... . . .Surface to Air Missile
SEA ......... South East Asia
TAC . ........ Tactical Air Command
TACAN ...... Tactical Air Navigation
TEREC ...... Tactical Electronic Recconaisance
TFW ........ Tactical Fighter Wing
TISEO ....... Target Identification system electro Optical
TRG .. . .. ... Tactical Reconnaisance Group
TRTS ... . .... Tactical Reconnaissance Training Squadron
TRW ....... .Tactical Reconnaisance Wing
USAF ....... United States Air Force
USA FE ...... United Satates Air Forces Europe
USMC . . . . . .. United States Marine Corps
USN .. . ..... United States Navy
Wizzo . ... .. .weapons Systems Officer/Operator
WSO ..... . .. Weapons Systems Operator/Officer
Glossary ~
The F-4C
and F-4D
The F-4C

T
he impressive performance of the US Navy's F4H
Phantom immediately caught the attention of the USAF,
which under normal circumstances would have never
considered any aircraft that had originally been conceived for
the Navy. However, under pressure from Secretary of Defence
Robert McNama ra, who wanted to reduce defence expenditures
by achieving greater commonality between the aircraft flown by
the various services, in 1961 the Air Force agreed to undertake
an evaluation of the F4H -I Phantom II and a comparative
assessment between the F4H-I and the F- I06A Delta Dart
which took place under the code name Operation Highspeed.
The F4H-I had better overall speed, altitude and range
performance than the F-I06A and in addition, it could carry
heavier loads over longer distances and had a 25 percent greater
radar range. The F4H-l was also much more versatile than the

President Kennedy requested Congressional approval for the

119th FW 'Happy Hootigans'
were the proud owners of this
F-4C (© via Mark Smith)
63-596 wearing the colours of
the California Air Guard
(© Author's Collection)
Air Force's F-105 Thunderchief, since it could not only carry
similar external loads but was also potentially a much better air
superiority fighter due to its more favourable wing and power
loadings. Likewise in the reconnaissance role, the Phantom
offered a much better performance than the RF-IO IA/C, and
unl ike the Voodoo, could be fitted for night photographic
missions.
Since the Phantom had so much going for it, in January 1962,
procurement of F4H-l derivatives for the Air Force under the
designation F- ll O. The F-i l OA was to be the tactical fighter
version, with RF-I IOA being the tactical reconnaissance version
and the name 'Spectre' was assigned to the aircraft and in
support of this program, the Defence Department instructed
that McDonnell deliver two Navy F4H- Is to the Air Force for
evaluation. On January 24, 1962, the two Navy F4H-I s (BuNos
149405 and 149406) were delivered to the Air Force at Langley
AFB in Virginia. The results of the trials were impressive. The
Phantom met or exceeded all the Air Force's expectations and in
March of 1962, the Defence Department announced that land-
based versions of the Phantom were to become the standard
tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance aircraft of the USAF.

~ Chapter 1
 ---.
---- .-

t =
On March 30, McDonnell received a letter of intent for one
F-llOA (serial number 62-12199), and on May 29, another letter
was received for a pair ofYRF-IIOA reconnaissance aircraft (62-
In 12200 and 62-1 2201).
In order to formalise the F-11O project, the Air Force issued
Specific Operational Requirement 200 on August 29, 1962; this
called for an aircraft based on the F4H-I but with an added
ground attack capability. The folding wings, catapult attachment
points, and arrestor hooks of the naval version were to be
retained; however dual controls were to be provided for the
Looking pristine in its ADe
backs eater. The high tyre pressure of the Navy F-4B necessary grey and wearing the
for carrier operations were unnecessary for the Air Force, and miniature 'FM' tailcode of the
482nd TFW is 63-537
new wider ones with lower pressures were fitted, along with (© via Marl< Smith)
anti-skid brakes. On September 18 1962, the Defence
Department ordered that all Air Force, Army, and Navy aircraft
be designated under a common, universal system. In particular,
this meant that the F4H naval designation and the F-IIO Air
Force designation was abolished replaced by 'F-4' with different MiG Killer 63-589 based at
Keflavik in Iceland prepares
service types being identified by a following letter. Thereby the for a training sortie
F4H -I Phantom was redesignated F-4B, the F-IIOA became (© via Glenn Sands)

The F-4C and F-4D ---.!J


- - - - - = : -- -
63-576 snapped on the ramp at Tyndall AF8 in 1979 (© via Marl< Smith)
One of the most colourful F-4C units was the Michigan Air National Guard with its yellow and black colours
(© Author's Collection)
A rather strange hue is evident here aboard 63-689 of the Texas Air National Guard
known as the F-4C and the YRF- II OA became YRF-4C, and at
the same time both Ai r Force and Navy versions were christened
Phantom II.
The first production F-4C (62- 12199) took off on its maiden
flight on May 27, 1963. The F-4C was externally almost identical
to the naval F-4B, and came fitted with the same nosecone with
its associated AAA-4 infrared search and track fairing, which in
an effort to minimise production delays the Air Force accepted
but chose not to fi t any electronics within it. However, internally
it differed from the F-4B as it was fitted with dual controls, as
the Air Force intended to fly it as a two-pilot aircraft. As the need
for carrier landings was negated low-pressure tyres were fitted,
which required thicker wheels which in turn, required deeper
wheel wells which resulted in a slight bulge being added above
and below the inner wing panels. The probe-and-drogue aerial
refuelling system of the Navy version was replaced by the Air
Force's favoured boom system with a receptacle being mounted
on top of the fuselage behind the rear cockpit. The backseater
(who was now also a pilot) had new consoles, a lowered panel
fo r improved forward visibility, a relocated radar tracking
handle, attack switches, and other refinements. The F-4C also
had substantially different electronic equipment to its naval
counterpart, including a Westinghouse AN/ APQ- IOO radar
system with ground mapping capability, an AN/ APA-157 CW
illuminator fo r the AIM-7 Sparrow family of air- to-air missiles,
and an AN/AjB-7 all-altitude nuclear bomb control system with
low-altitude release capability. The aircraft also had a Litton
AN/ASN-48 (LNI2A/B ) inertial navigation system, and an
AN/ASN-46 navigation computer. Other systems included the
ASN-39 (later -46) dead-reckoning nav igation computer, the
ALR-17 electronic countermeasures radar warning receiver,
APR-25 radar homing and warning system, an APR-26 SAM
launch warning system, an APN-14 1 (later -1 59) radar altimeter,
an A24G central air data computer, a General Electric ASA-32A
analogue autopilot and flight-control system, an ASQ- 19
communications/navigation/identification package, and an
ARW-77 Bullpup missile control system. Some F-4Cs were
equipped with the SST- 18IX Combat Skyspot radar bombing
system. Furthermore the F-4C was powered by two General
Electric )79-GE- 15 turbojets and a built-in cartridge starting
system was provided, whilst the crew members sat on Martin-
Baker Mk H5 ejector seats. In the USAF F-4s, the rear seat
crewmember could perform virtually all of the flight
manoeuvres that the pilot could, with only a few exceptions. The
GIB or'Guy in Back', the Pilot Systems Officer (PSO) later called
(© Author's Cot/ection)
the Weapons Systems Officer or 'Wizzo" (WSO) in Air Force

One of the European bases that operated the F-4C was Spangdahlem in Germany (© Wa Marl< Smith)

~ Chapter 1
at
!ned

n
ical
~th
lin
ed
ally
s
leed
!d,

l'e
ial

:ed
63-426 in colourful garb
(© via Mark Smith)

'!S,
ith

Caught at the 1977 William

1er,
A speak could even drop bombs if need be, but he could not fire
the gun and could not launch missiles. Furthermore the GIB
could not raise either the landing gear or the flaps, but he could
lower them both in an emergency by using a pneumatic charge
stored in a high-pressure bottle.
The F-4C was built at a time where the internal gun was
considered obsolete and the aircraft relied on an all-missile
armament consisting offour AIM-7D or 7E Sparrow missiles
mounted in recesses underneath the fuselage along with four
AIM-4D Falcon or AIM-9B or 9D Sidewinder infrared air-to-air
he missiles carried in pairs on the inboard underwing pylon. Air-
!d to-ground missiles included the AGM-12 Bullpup, the AGM-45
Shrike, and the AGM-65 Maverick. Unguided rocket launchers
Tell meet at Tyndal AFB (note
the apple on the drop tank) is
this Kellavik based bird 63-
685 (<:l via Mark Smith)
could also be carried, and a load of retarded and unretarded
bombs (conventional, cluster, fire, chemical, or leaflet).
Furthermore the Mk.28 'special store' could be carried, although
the F-4C did not have a nuclear mission as one of its primary
goals. In later years, the lack of an internal gun came to be a
problem, and a centreline SUU-16/A pod containing an M61AI
gun and 1200 rounds of ammunition was fitted to overcome this
problem. The F-4C could also carry a single 600-gallon drop
tank on the centreline rack and a 370-gallon drop tank
underneath each wing
In order to give the Air Force an early start in getting the
Phantom into service, the Navy temporarily loaned 27 more 63-559 sporting a plethora of
F-4Bs to the USAF which were assigned the USAF serials 62- stencil data (<:l via Mark Smith)

The F-4C and F-4D ---.!!J

63-576 from the 'Black
Knights' prepares for another
William Tell sortie in 1976
(© via Glenn Sands)

64-915 looking rather weary.

Note the derivation of the
serial number (<I> via Glenn Sands)

12170/12196. In November of 1963, these aircraft were delivered scheme with Air Force codes and markings, with later aircraft
mainly to the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing at MacDill sporting the tactical camouflage schemes of the day.
AFB in Florida and were soon followed by production F-4Cs.
Some of these borrowed aircraft later went to the 12th TFW, also F-4C Operators
based at MacDill and which became the first operational user of The following USAF Wings operated the F-4C:
the F-4C, receiving its first machines in January 1964, replacing 8th Tactical Fighter Wing
the unit's F-84F Thunderstreaks. The 12th TFW achieved initial 12th Tactical Fighter Wing
operational capability in October of 1964.0n December 2,1964, 15th Tactical Fighter Wing
four F-4Cs set an unofficial endurance record for jet fighters. 18th Tactical Fighter Wing (44th TFS, 67th TFS), Kadena AB,
They landed at MacDill after an 18-hour flight of nearly 10,000 Okinawa with detachments to Korat RTAFB.
miles during which they were refuelled by KC-135 tankers. A 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing
total of 583 F-4Cs were built and the last F-4C rolled off the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing
production line on May 4, 1966. The initial in-service Phantoms 52nd Tactical Fighter Wing
wore the traditional Gull Grey and White US Navy colour 57th Fighter Weapons Wing
63-829, the Commander's
aircraft from the 482nd TFW
AFRES and a double MiG-
Killer (<I> via Mark Smith)

~ Chaptet1
 63-776, a superb Bi-
57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron Guard in 1972. First to get the F-4C was the 170th TFS of the Centennial F-4C (IJ:! via Mark Smith)
58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing 183rd TFG of the Illinois ANG, which began to receive the type
81 st Tactical Fighter Wing in January of 1972. F-4Cs ended up serving with seven ANG
86th Tactical Fighter Wing units in the tactical role. In addition, they served in the air
347th Tactical Fighter Wing defence role from 1978 with seven ANG fighter interceptor
355th Tactical Fighter Wing squadrons and with an air defence training squadron
366th Tactical Fighter Wing
401 st Tactical Fighter Wing Air National Guard Units
405th Fighter Wing 110th TFS, 131st TFW, Missouri ANG
475th Tactical Fighter Wing III th FIS, 147th FIG, Texas ANG
479th Tactical Fighter Wing 113th TFS, 181st TFG, Indiana ANG
3247th Test Squadron 114th TFTS, 142nd FIG, Oregon ANG
4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing 122nd TFS, 159th TFG, Louisiana ANG
4525th Fighter Weapons Wing 123rd FIS, 142nd FIG, Oregon ANG
4531st Tactical Fighter Wing 136th FIS, 107th FIG, New York ANG
6512th Test Squadron 163rd TFS, 122nd TFW, Indiana ANG
170th TFS, 183rd TFG, Illinois ANG
As F-4Cs were superseded in front-line service by later marks l7lst FIS, 191st FIG, Michigan ANG
of the Phantom, they were transferred to Air Force Reserve units 182nd TFS, 149th TFG, Texas ANG
or to units of the Air National Guard. The first F-4Cs began to 184th TFS, 188th TFG, Arkansas ANG
reach Air Force Reserve units in 1978, initially equipping the 196th TFS, 163rd TFG, California ANG
93rd TFS of the 915th Tactical Fighter Group based at 199th TFS, 154th CB, Hawaii ANG
Homestead AFB in Florida. In 1981, the 93rd TFS of the 482nd Most of the ANG's F-4Cs were replaced in service by later-
TFW (also based at Homestead) received F-4Cs. These were the model F-4Ds and Es (as well as by F-15s and F-16s) during the
only Air Force Reserve units to get the F-4C version of the mid- to late-1980s, The last ANG squadron to fly the F-4C, the
Phantom, with most of the other Phantom-equipped AF Reserve 123rd FIS of the Oregon ANG, exchanged its F-4Cs for F-16s in
Ul, units getting later F-4Ds and Es. These units operated the F-4C the spring of 1989.
for only a brief time, converting during the early 1980s to F-4Ds.
64-816 in colourful markings
Ex-USAF F-4Cs first began to reach units of the Air National (IJ:! Author's Collection)

The F·4C and F-4D ~

63·564 carrying the 'WW'
logo on its fin cap F-4C Wild Weasel
(10 via Glenn Sands)

he F·4C Wild Weasel IV was a development of the

T already in·service Phantom, unofficially called the

EF·4C, and designed in parallel with the F· 105 Wild
Weasel lII program. This aircraft, like the modified F· IOOF
and F· IOsF, was inte nded to detect and attack North
Vietnamese surface· to·air missile sites. These 'EF·4C' aircraft
were modified F·4Cs fitted with electronic equipment that
was des igned to detect, identify, and locate enemy surface· to·
air missile radar installations. The aircraft carried an
AN/APR·2s Radar Homing and Warning System (RHAWS)
with an antenna mounted on the top of the vertical fin as well
The aircraft carried an AN/APR·25 Radar Homing and Warning System
as inside the empty infrared seeker fairing mounted (RHAWS) with an antenna mounted on the top of the vertical fin as well
underneath the nose. This system could give the direction of as inside the empty infrared seeker fairing mounted underneath the nose.
Seen here as part of a restoration project (© Author's Cottection)
threats and could ass ign priority to them. An ANI APR·26
SAM launch wa rning system was also fitted, with a blade·like
omn idirectional antenna installed underneath the nose just Wild Weasel aircraft, pending the availability of the F·4C
behind the infrared seeker fa iring. Also an ER· 142 electronic Phantom. However, the entrance of the Wild Weasel F·4C into
co untermeas ures receiver was installed and frequently the combat in Vietnam was delayed by numerous problems.
aircraft carried a Westinghouse ANI ALQ·1 19 noise and Among these were insufficient internal space to house the
deception active electronic countermeasures pod underneath electronic equipment, electronic interference between the
the fo rwa rd fuselage. vari ous components of the system, and mechanical
63·423 'First of the Weasels'
(© Author's Collection) The F· l OOF and F· lOsF had always been viewed as interim vibrations of the panoramic receiver pod that was mounted

~ Chapter t
 An AN/APR-26 SAM launch
in the starboard rear Sparrow, recess and it was not until warning system was also
1969 that these problems were fully resolved. The first Wild fitted (© Author"s Collection)
Weasel F-4Cs entered service in June 1968 with the 4537th
Fighter Weapons Squadron, an operational conversion and
tac tic development unit based at Nellis AFB in Nevada. At
that time, this squadron was part of the 4525th Fighter
Weapons Wing and the 4525th was redesignated the 57th
Fighter Weapons Wing in October of 1969, at the same time
the 4537th FWS became the 66th FWS. Overseas deployment
of the Weasels began in March of 1969 and with the 80th
TFS, 347th TFW at Yokota AB in Japan, however these aircraft
were transferred in March 1971 to the 67th TFS, 18th TFW
based at Kadena AFB on Okinawa. The 67th TFS relocated to
Korat RTAFB in Thailand in 1972-72 to take part in the Weasel configuration.
Linebacker raids. Serials were 63-7423, 7433, 7437, 7440, 7443, 7447, 7452,
The Wild Weasel F-4Cs were intended to detect and attack 7459,7462,7467,7470,7474, 7478,7481,7508, 7512, 7564,
the Fan Song track-while- scan radar that was used to guide 7565,7567,7574,7594, 7596,7607,7615, 7623 and 64-0675,
SA-2 Guideline surface-to-air missiles. The primary 0741, 0757, 0781,0787, 0790, 0791 , 0815, 0840, 0844, and
armament of the aircraft therefore consisted of the Texas 0847.
Instruments AGM-45 Shrike anti-radiation missile, (the

111
ell
ose.

nto

64-847 of the 35th TFW

aircraft could not carry or launch the AGM-78 Standard anti- (© via Mark Smith)

radiation missile) plus an array of cluster and conventional

d iron bombs. The Shrike missile proved to be rather unreliable
in service, since it had to be preset before takeoff in order to
home in on a particular frequency. In December of 1969,
Wild Weasel F-4Cs were issued to the 81st TFS of the 50th
TFW, stationed at Hahn AFB in Germany which later
transferred to the 86th TFW at Zweibrucken AB in January of
1972. By 1973, the surviving aircraft were retrofitted with the
[tek ANI ALR-46 electronic countermeasures receiver which
provided fast digital processing in a bandwidth ranging from
2 to 18 GHz. Antennae for this system were placed on the
Strike Camera
ta ilcone at the base of the vertical fin as well as on the lower (© Author's Collection)

fuselage immediately aft of the nose radar. It interfaced with

a cockpit display and provided automatic control of jamming
assets. In addition, an ANI ALR-53 long-range homing
receiver was mounted which could guide aircraft toward
surface threats.
After being replaced by later Wild Weasel Phantoms, many
of the aircraft were returned to F-4C status and then turned
over to the 113th TFS of the 181st TFG and the 163rd TFS of
the 122nd TFW, both with the Indiana Air National Guard,
which received these planes in 1979.
Thirty-six F-4Cs were ultimately modified to the Wild

The F-4C and F-4D ~

F-4C/D in Detail

Looking at the arrestor hook and adjacent heat resistant panels (© Author's Collection) The open brake chute housing (IC> Author's Collection)

Cockpit air-intake on the fuselage side (IC> Author's Cottection) Vents atop the engine intake (IC> Author's Collection)

,f'

l J

-
Wingtip detail (IC> Author's Collection) Sparrow missil~ actuating mechanism (© Author's Collection)

~ Chapter 1
F-4C/D in Detail

Soot stained panels behind the engines (© Author's Collecffon) looking into the underwing braking flap (© Author's Collection)

Nosewheel oleo detai (© Author's Collection)

looking upwards and forwards into the nosewheel bay The mainwheel strut (© Autho,'s Collection)
(© Author's Collection)

PUSH TO
OPEN 000

Canopy jettison panel (© Author's Collection)

looking upward into the rear

port Sparrow recess (© Author's
Instruction panel on the main wheel strut (© Autho,'s Collection) Collection)

The F-4C and F-4D ~

F-4C/D in Detail

+ R[f U EL ING
NAtO NO ' . 40

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EXHR H AL u,£ClRI C AL
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~
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X PNEUMATIC SYSTEM

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<>

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Information panel attached to the inside of the nosewheel door (© AUlhor's Cotteclion)

T.O. lF~4C~ 1

/ AIHPI.IIlIll.QAIJllld 7

I AllcaA" '110. TOU.IU(aLOa: m WITHOUT T.O. ".4C.JI7 111C0IlI"QaATIO•

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,.., ......... . ... . .......•.........
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29.Ul,...~.

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,...., .................... j •••••••••
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• I.AUJIICIIIGfonl£SESTATlt*JII)TA/JTMOalZ£O'fMIW!OaIl'UTIOIOffIJOHTUrTl
Al.~e Cho~ 1 April 1967

Aircraft Loading chart (© McDonnell Doug/as) Aircraft Loading chart (@McDonn'"Doug/as)

~ Chapter 1
F-4C/D in Detail

AIRCRAFT MARKINGS NOTES

§ PNEUMATIC DRAIN
1. NUMBERS FOLLOWING DR PRECEDING DRAIN
DESCRIPTION INDICATE ACCESS DOOR ON
WHICH DRAIN IS LOCATED •

• OIL AND HYDRAULI C DRAIN _ INFRARED DOME ON

62-12199, 63-H07 THRU 64_817.

~ FUEL COMPARTMENT DRAIN _ 62_12199, 63-7407 THRU 64-928 .

• FUEL DRAIN

LEG~ND

o MARKED DRAIN S OR VENT S

.UNMAR KED MOISTURE DRAINS EXCEPT AS NOTE

ri6~TW~~~LNW~CLA~P_:.E_D):....._ _-II!~.y-k) \ 16 LIQUID OXYGEN VENT

STATIC DRAIN (CAPPED)

(TOP WHEELWELL)

.UTlLlT Y RESERVOIR DRAIN 24R 24L LANDING GEAR DUMP •

VALVE VENT (AIR AND OIL)
MOI ST URE SEPARATOR BLOW DOWN
VAL VE VEN T (AIR AND WATER) 22

xX CANOP I ES NORMAL
PNEUMAT IC BOTTLE
r
DRAIN (MANUAL) 30R~ L
.ENGINE CLEAR BOX DRAIN 7.R..... / ~o
• GENERATOR , CONSTANT SPEED DRIVEl
AND NOSE DOME DRAIN HR / / 22 AIR COMPRESSOR BLEED X
ENGINE SUMP VENT VALVE VENT (AIR AND OIL)X

• PC II RESERVOIR DRAIN l>(1

75R~/ HL ENGINE GEAR BOX DRAIN.
75L PC I RESERVOIR DRA IN .

?f
~~~~~LDRAIN )/
RESER VOIR (lNBD) f"
DRAIN L~~~::;~~

ff.
(DUTBD) •./-11
,k-''---H-+--4-~

o MANUAL
BLEED
DRAIN
(INBD) RESERVOIR
DRA IN
(OUTBD)

ENGINE SUMP VENT.

92L ENGINE COMBUSTION.

SECTION DRAIN

ENGINE TURBINE AND 92L ENGINE TURBINE AND.

• AFTERBURNER DRAIN 92R AFTERBURNER DRAIN

ARRESTING GEAR SER_

VICING ACCESS DRAIN

BOTTOM VIEW 4C-2-1-!104-1I

External Drains and Vents (© McDonnell Doug/as)

The F·4C and F·4D ~

F-4C/D in Detail

_INfRARED DOME PROTECTIVE COVER

MDE32774-1 (62-12199 THRU 64-817)

ANGLE Of ATTACK
PROBE GUARD
MDE32S06- 303

Ground protective
devices (© McDonnell Dougtas)

F-4C Iront cockpit (© Author's Collection)

STRIKE CAMERA WINDOW COVER ASSEMBLY

67f299SI-l0

RAM AIR OUTlET COVER

MDE32S9-303 AND -304

F-4D Iront cockpit (© Author's Collection)

;',11,,:)1\1£
rill
'., C'%- rN
,-; <.~

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'~ .j~: . )"'-,®
/
..""
I, • •

:.. ' ZI

' :'j " L_-.!II~~-""ij.~~L.-'j~f!i==±Ji':

r , ~. ~~
VIEW LOOKING AFT I N AFT COCKPIT
WITH SEAT REMOVED

INDEX NO. NOMENClATURE ACCBS

22. IFFANTENN' OOC>a 19

23. UHF COMMUN ICATI ONS ANTENNA (UPPfI) FIN CAP AND DOOR 68
".
25.
HEADSET-MlCItOPHONE ADAPTER
EMERGENCY IFF SWITCH
AFT COCKPIT
AFT COCKPIT
a u.. EMERGENCY IFF SWrTCH FORWARD COCKPIT
'Il. COMM.,lNICATION5 COAX ltELAY AFT COCKPIT
F-4D rear cockpit (© Author's Cottection) 28.
29.
UHF ALTfl AFT COCK PIT
EXTERNAlINTEReOM RECEPTACLE LEFTWHEElWEU
JO. CNI GND PWlSwtTCH LEFT WHEflWEll
31. HEADSET_MlCIOPHONE ADAPTER LEFT WHEElWELl

Integrated Electronic Component Locations (© McDonnell Douglas)

~ Chapter 1
F-4C/D Ejector Seat Diagrams
Early Phantoms used the Martin Baker H5 seat, which was later replaced by the Mk 7

T.O.IF-4C-2-1
SUItVIVAlKIT
RH US£ HoVID U

1. DROGUE PARACHUTE PACK ASSEMBLY

2. FACE CURTAIN HANDLE
3. GAS POWERED INERTIA REEL
4. EMERGENCY OXYGEN CYLINDER
5. SEAT BUCKET POSITIONING SWITCH
6. EMERGENCY OXYGEN MANUAL RELEASE CONTROL HANDLE
7. FINGER TAB
8. LEG RESTRAINT CORD
9. LOWER EJECTION HANDLE
10. EMERGENCY HARNESS RELEASE HANDLE
11. SEAT BUCKET
12. PERSONNEL PARACHUTE
13. LUMBAR PAD
14. ROCKET MOTOR FIRING MECHANISM
15. ROCKET MOTOR
16. ROCKET MOTOR FIRING LANYARD AND DISPENSER
17. ROCKET MOTOR F IRI NG MECHANI SM PROTECTIVE BOOT
18. O-RING AND PLATE
19. CANOPY INTERLOCK BLOCK
20. CANOPY INTERLOCK BLOCK AND CATAPULT
GUN FIRING MECHANISM (INTERDICTOR) SAFETY
PI N ASSEMBLY
FIRING MECHANISM GUARD (AFT SEAn

NOTES
D BEFORE T.O. IF-4-832
I» AFTER T.O. IF-4-832
DAFTER T.0. IF-4-926 AND T .0. 15X11-19-504
D BEFORE T.O. IF-4-898
II» AFTER T.O. IF-4-898

Rocket mechanism
(© McDonnell Douglas)

4C-2-1-U06-1l

Figure 3-4. Rocket Assist Ejection Seats (Sheet 1 of 2)

The F-4C and F-40 ~

F-4C/D Ejector Seat Diagrams

The Phantom Crew sit on a pair of Martin-Baker Mk 7 zero-zero ejector seats (© Au/hor's Collection)

' £Qa/OIt . ,
Utno~ ....."10

WARNING
WHEN REMOVING FACE CUITAIN
SAFETY PIN, INSPECT SAFETY
PI N HOLE ON SEAr TO ENSUlE ALL
PORTIONS OF SAFETY PIN HAVE
BEEN lEMOVEO FROM SEAT.
' /
TO ~PREVENT INADVERTENT fiRING OF SEAT,
DO NOT RfMOVE CANOPY INTERLOCK !LOCK
AND CATAPULT GUN FiliNG MECHANISM
.. (INTERD ICTOR) SAFETY PIN ASSfMBl Y EXCEPT
~~;WHEN DEARMING CATAPULT GUN .
. CANOPY INTEUOCK 'LOCK
. ~::,,: . AND CATAPULT GUN filiNG-

r~::~~\ ~e::~~~MA~~.::~~aOlI
\~ /f }j 3. SEAT MOUNTED
INITIATOR
""'~ ~~
2. FACE CUITAIN D~aGUf GU~
SH.-.II'IN

CANO'Y
INITIATD ..

~
--~~
! IISOIl NU'UAtllun
,- STREAMER WHHOAAWA,lllNE

~'~CONNECT
OVlUDISCOIfII(CT
..:{ : Off·Whlte
. GUlLlOTINE AND W / BlackP\alZ,C
'Sr; , .) p ~ lOCKET PACK STREAMEIl
~ D~'S
CONNEa PI

"
5 ' \ GUILLOTINE FIRING
MECHANISM

8. LOWER

7 . EMERGENCY
OXYGEN
CYLINDER

DEPIIESS eunoNs ON HEAD OF SAFETY PINS

WARNING
ENSURE ROCKET PACK FIliNG MECHANISM SAFETY PIN
IS INSTALLED AND fULLY SEATEO. FAlWRE TO INSTALL
SAFETy PIN COULD LEAD TO ROCKET MOTOR ACTUATION
AND RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH TO PERSONNel ,
DDSAFETY PIN ASSEMBLY MDE32722 -J2 9
PIIIOR TO PULLING PINS FROM THE VAlIOUS
UNITS WHEN REMOVING SAFETY PIN ASSEMBLY ,
DO NOT PULL AITAC HING lANYARD WH EN
REMOVING SAFETY PINS FROM SEAT MOUNTED
ANO COCKPIT MOUNTED INITIATORS, GItASP
SAFETY PIN TO ENSUIIE PIN IS REMO VED .
R
4C-2-1~ 1l6_l)

Figure 1-21, Ground Safety Devices - Canopy , Cockpit. and Seat (Sheet 3 of 3)

Ground Safety Pin chart (~ McDonnell Douglas)

~ Chapter 1
F-4C/D Ejector Seat Diagrams

r'~~E~TI'N,'--""""'"'-'"'~""'.
; PROCEDURES 7
AFTER EJECTION SEQUENCE

SEfO RE EJECTION

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lO WU HAND H METHOD fACE CURT AIN M ET HOD

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3-14
Figure 3-4 (Sheel 2 of 3)

Ejection Procedure (© McDonnell Douglas) Ejection Sequence (© McDonnell Douglas)

I MK #7 EJECTION SEIIT/
C==:J ALL NUST

~o n ' lfG
alOIC"'fO.
} IIEF LIJSH

TJIIE II ELEASEMECHlIUSU TII)PROD

ISECURfD TO RULKH(ADI

Ejector Seat detail diagram (© McDonnell Douglas)

The F-4C and F-4D ~

67-716 resplendent in its AOC
grey caplured at Eglin AFB in
1978 (© via Mark Smith)
One 01 the most eye catching
of the 'Hill Gray or Egypt 1'
coloured aircraft were the
markings of the Minnesota
ANG (© Author's Collection)
66-723 wearing the UP
tailcode taken at Clark AFB in
1974 (© via Mark Smith)
~ Chapter 1
F-4D
he F-4D was an improved version of the F-4C which was
T better suited to the specific requirements of the Tactical
Air Command. Although it was externally almost identical
to the F-4C it was very different internally. The F-4D was
authorised in March 1964, and the first example flew on
December 7, 1965 with deliveries beginning in March 1966. The
first aircraft arrived with the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing based at
Bitburg in Germany followed by the 4th TFW based at Seymour
johnson AFB in North Carolina in January of 1967, and an
impressive total of 793 F-4Ds were built. The F-4D had the same
engines and basic airframe as the F-4C, and had the same
internal fuel capacity as that of the RF-4C, the major difference
being in the avionics. The most significant change was the
replacement of the APQ-I00 radar of the F-4C by the smaller
and lighter partly solid-state AN/APQ- I09A which introduced
an air-to-ground ranging mode using movable cursors. The
F-4Ds fitted with the AN/APQ-I09A radar set could be
externally distinguished from the F-4C by the presence of a
larger radome, however, some F-4Ds were fitted with the
AN/APA-157 radar similar to that fitted to the F-4C and were
hence externally identical to the F-4C, also the undernose fairing
for the AAA-4 infrared search and track system was removed on
earlier models, but later reinstated. The Collins ASQ-19
miniaturized communication/navigation/identification suite
became standard and the Litton ASN-48 inertial navigation
system of the F-4C was replaced by an ASN-63 set, which was
also upgraded and made lighter. An AJB-7 all-altitude bomb
delivery system was provided, which was connected to an ASQ-
91 weapons release computer for delivery of laser-guided
bombs. The F-4D retained the AIM-7 Sparrow capability of the
F-4C, but it deleted the Sidewinder capability on the inboard
underwing pylon in favour of the Hughes AIM-4D Falcon
infrared-homing missile.
As already noted, and starting with Block 27, the infrared
search and track pod under the radome was reinstalled, but not
to house the AAA-4 infrared search and track system, but rather
to carry the forward amplifier and antenna of the ALR-25/26
radar warning system. Later, this system was replaced by APS-
107A with fin antennae and ALR-69(V)2 with its antennae
blistered around the chin pod and brake chute housing. The
aircraft could also carry externally hung jammer pods including
the ALQ-87 FM barrage jammer, the Westinghouse ALQ- l 01
noise/deception jammer, and the Westinghouse ALQ-1 19
noise/deception jammer capable of covering three bands, and a
multiple ejector rack was provided for the centreline pylon and
triple ejector racks were provided for the inboard underwing
stations, furthermo re the weapons system officer was often
given a TV display fed from the seeker of a homing bomb
system, initially for the GBU-8 and later for the GBU-15. For
 A fine in-flight study of F-4D
65-662 (<I:> v~ Mark Smith)

66-708 a double MiG Killer

seen in April 1989
(<I:> via Mark Smith)

:ing
on

Ie
66-587 showing an intriguing
camoullage paHern and
colour scheme (<I:> via Gtenn Sands)

01
ler

ng

65-764 caught on camera in

a 1972 (<I:> via Gtenn Sands)

The F-4C and F-4D ~

 Wearing wrap-around SEA
camouflage is 66-704 from its
home base at Tinker

Another Bentwaters based

'Spook' prepares for launch
(© via Glenn Sands)

The Commander's aircraft of

the 31 sl TTW (© via Mark Smith)

66-472 wearing black low-vis

insignia (© via Glenn Sands)

~ Chapter 1

=
-~--~
------
A Spangdahlem based bird
66-790 showing its LORAN
'towel rail' aerial on the spine
(© via Mark Smith)

Wearing 'Lizard' colours and

looking a bit tired 65-662 gets
some deserved attention for
its groundcrew (© via Glenn Sands)

The Alabama ANG also had a

unique nose marking on its
F-4D's as 66-610
demonstrates
(© Author's Collection)

Based at RAF Lakenheath in

the UK 65-777 taxies in with
braking chute bay open
(© via Glenn Sands)

The F·4C and F·4D ~

Two of the colour schemes
worn by the Texas AFRES unit
(© Author's Coffection)
Carrying a towed target dart
this F-4D was based at RAF
Bentwaters in the UK
(IC> v~ Glenn Sands)
~ Chapter 1
weapons aiming, the F-4C had relied on a fIxed sight and a
simple chart on which the image of the target was projected, and
the operation of this system made accurate bombing very
difficult, and therefore the F-4D had improved avionics to
increase the accuracy of its air-to-ground weapons. These
included an ANI ASQ-91 weapons release computer system
which measured various aircraft parameters such as speed,
attitude, and climbing rate, and combined it with radar data on
the slant range to the target to tell the bomb when to drop from
the aircraft. Also fItted was an AN/ASG-22 lead computing
optical sight with amplifIer and gyro designed to improve the
effectiveness of the Phantom in air-to-air combat.
The F-4D In Service
3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, Korea, 1971-1 974.
35th TFS, 36th TFS, 80th TFS.
4th Tactical Fighter Wing, Seymour Johnson AFB, NC, 1967-
1970. 334th TFS, 335th TFS, 336th TFS. Deployments to
Kunsan AB, Korea.
8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon RTAFB, Thailand. 433rd
TFS, 435th TFS, 497th TFS, 555th TFS(l967-1968)
12th Tactical Fighter Wing, Phu Cat AB, South Vietnam.
Assumed control of the fo rmer 37th TFW and its F-4Ds
flown by the 389th TFS,and 480th TFS. Inactivated Nov
1971.
18th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kadena AB, Okinawa. 25th TFS
(1975- 1979). Several detachments to Korat RTAFB, Thailand.
Inactivated Aug 1980.
31st Tactical Training Wing, Homestead AFB, FL, 198 1-1987.
306th TFTS, 307th TFTS, 309th TFTS.
33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, FL.
35th Tactical Fighter Wing, Phan Rang AB, Thailand.
36th Tactical Fighter Wing, Bitburg AB, Germany. Elements
of the 36th flew F-4Ds between 1966 and 1973.
48th Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, UK. Assets
reassigned to 474th TFW at Nellis AFB, NV
49th Tactical Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem, AB, Germany.
50th Tactical Fighter Wing, Hahn AB, Germany, lOth TFS,
496th TFS.
52nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AB, Germany.
480th TFS (1976-1980).
54th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, Korea. Activated Jun
1970, taking place of 354th TFW. Inactivated Oct 1970.
56th Tactical Fighter Wing, MacDill AFB, FL, 1978-1980.
57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Nellis AFB, NV414th FWS
(until 197\).
81st Tactical Fighter Wing, RAF Bentwaters, UK. 78th TFS
(1966-1979) 91th TFS (1973-1979), 92nd TFS (1973-1979).
354th Tactical Figher Wi ng, Kunsan AB, South Korea. 560th
TFS, 33rd TFS, 335th 16th TFS, 478th TFS. Wing assets
passed to 54th TFW Jun 1970, when wing transferred to
Myrtle Beach AFB, SC with A-7Ds.
366th Tactical Fighter Wing, Holloman AFB, NM. 389th TFS,
 The matt paint finish aboard
this Phantom from the Oregon
Air Guard was common
across its fleet
(It> Author's CoHection)

66-739 again, this time note

the 'Pave Spike' designator
pod (© Auttio", Col/eetion)

66-739 wearing the 'Cloud '

variation olthe Hill Grey
scheme (© Auttio", Col/eetion)

ld.

:7.

The F-4C and F-4D ~

66-768 of the 924 TFG on the
Nellis ramp at 'Gunsmoke'
(© Author's Collection)
A good view of the upper
pattern of the 'Cloud' scheme
(~ Author's Catteenan)
A brace of F-40's carrying
GBU-8 HOBOS munitions
(© via Tony Thomborough)
~ Chapter 1
390th TFS, 480th TFS. Operated F-4D from 1968 to 1972.
Deployments to Phu Cat AB, Vietnam, Takhli RTAFB,
Thailand.
388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Korat RTAFB, Thailand. 34th
TFS(l 974) 35th TFS (1972). Reassigned to Hill AFB, Utah
Dec 1975, and acquired 4th TFS, 34th TFS, and 421th TFS.
Convertd to F-16 Jan 1979.
40 1st Tactical Fighter Wing, Torrejon AB, Spain, 1978- 1983.
In the early 1980s, F-4Ds bega n to reach Air Force Reserve
units. The units obtaining the F-4Dincluded:
405th Fighter Wing, Clark AB, Philippines. 1st Test Squadron
(1970), 523rd TFS (l970-1 973(inactivated)), 90th TFS
(1 973- 1973) . 64th FIS and 509th FIS operated F-l02s.
Detachments to Taiwa in, Thailand, South Vietnam. Replaced
by the 3rd TFW in Sept 1974.
432 nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, Udorn RTAFB,
Thailand. 13th TFS equipped with F-4Ds in Oct 1967.
Redesignated 432nd Tactical Fighter Wing Nov 1974.
Inactivated Nov 1975.
474th Tactical Fighter Wing, Nellis AFB, NY. 428th TFS, 429th
TFS, 430th TFS. Acquired Lakenheath F-4Ds in 1977, and
flew them until converting to F-1 6s in 1982.
475th Tactical Fighter Wing, Misawa AB, Japan. Inactivated
when assets were used to reform the 3rd TFW in Mar 1972,
and 475th inactivated.
479th Tactical Fighter Wing, George AFB, CA. 1965-1972. Re-
equipped with F-4Es in 1972.
89th TFS, 906th TFG
93rd TFS, 482nd TFW
457th TFS, 301 st TFW
465th TFS, 507th TFG
704th TFS, 924th TFG
 By the late 1980s, most of the AF Reserve units had
exchanged their F-4Ds for F-16A /Bs. The last AF Reserve unit to
USe the F-4D, the 482nd TFW, converted to F-16A/Bs in
~o\'e mber of 1989. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, ex-USAF
F-4Ds began to reach the Air National Guard. The first ANG unit
:0 operate the F-4D was the 178th FIS of the I I9th FIG of the
~o rt h Dakota ANG, which got its planes in March of 1977. ANG
F-4Ds served both in the tactical fighter role and in the
interceptor role.

ANG units Operators

Illth FIS, 147th FIG, Texas ANG
121st FIS, 113th TFW, District of Columbia ANG
127th FIS, 184th TFG, Kansas ANG
128th FIS, 116th TFG, Georgia ANG
134th FIS, 158th TFG, Vermont ANG
136th FIS, i07th FIG, New York ANG
14 lth TFS, 108th TFW, New Jersey ANG
!ron 160th TFS, 187th TFG,AlabamaANG
I70th TFS, 18erd TFG, Illinois ANG
17 1st FIS, 19lst FIG, Michigan ANG
Matching one of the
ced I77th TFTS, 184th TFG, Kansas ANG withdrawn from service and replaced by F- 16s and by 1992, the Phantom's nicknames is this
178th FIS, 119th FIG, North Dakota ANG last F-4Ds had been withdrawn from the fighter interceptor 'Rhino' nose art aboard 66-
491 from the Niagra Falls Air
I79th FIS, 148th FG, Minnesota ANG groups of the Air National Guard. Guard (© Author's Collection)
194th FIS, 144th FIW, California ANG
During the early 19905, the F-4Ds in the ANG were all
An F-40 at Eglin AFB where
19th tests were carried out with
the 'Pave Knife' pod
(© via Tony Thornborough)

·d
'2,

Re-

/ One of the F-40's based at

Lakenheath in the UK
(© via Glenn Sands)

The F-4C and F-4D ~


A heavily laden F-4C at Cam
Rahn Bay in 1968, note the
underfuselage gun pack
(~ via Glenn Sands)
Taken early in the war, an
ADC grey Phantom takes on
gas from a KC-135 (© Boeing)
~ Chapter 1
-~-- --
Deployment to Vietnam
The F-4C
long with the US Navy versions, the USAF Phantoms
A became the mainstay of air combat operations in
South East Asia. The 15th TFW deployed its 45th
Tactical Fighter Squadron to Thailand in 1965 and on July 10,
scored their first kills of the Vietnam War when they
destroyed two MiG-1 7s ove r North Vietnam with Sidewinder
missiles. In time, the F-4C took over the bulk of the heavy
fighting over Nor th and South Vietnam. On a typical mission
over the North, an F-4C would carry four Sparrows, four
Sidewinders, an d a load of eight 75D-pound bombs. The
AIM-7D/E Sparrow gave th e Phantom a beyond visual range
capability at distances of up to 28 miles, however, such
launches were very rarely permitted under the terms of th e
rules of engagement. When it was fired , the Sparrow turned
out to be virtually useless against fighter-sized targets,
especially at low altitudes, wh ich made th e smaller AIM-9B/D
Sidewinder the weapon of choice and it scored more aerial
victories than any other weapon. On the other side of the coin
on July 24 1965, F-4C 63-7599 of the 47th Tactical Fighter
A gaggle of Phantoms drop their ordnance guided by an EB-66 Destroyer
(© USAF)
Squadron was the first Ameri can wa rplane to be dow ned by a
surface- to-air missile. In the first two years of combat in
Vietnam, the casualties among the first F-4C squ adrons had
reached almost 40 percent, for a total of 54 aircraft. Mos t
were lost to AAA, but a few were lost in stall/spin accidents at
low altitude. The F-4C lacked the gu ns of a complete fighter
system, which was found to be a serious deficiency in close-
in air-to-air combat. The addition of a SUU- 16A gun pod on
the under fuselage centerline compensated for the lack of a
gun, but it seriously degraded overall performance and in
addition made the aircraft somewhat unstable and difficu lt to
recover from a spin.
The early F-4Cs deployed to Vietnam had problems with
leaking wing tanks, these problems being so serious that they
needed to be carefully resealed after each flight. The radar
too had a tendency to malfunction far too easily, the humid
air of Southeast Asia being a persistent problem. Early F-4Cs
also suffered problems with cracked ribs and stringers on the
outer wing panels, and later aircraft we re equipped with a
heavier stringer and an additional wing rib, whilst the ea rlier
aircraft had this mod retrofitted. A number of F-4Cs were
equipped with a radar homing and wa rni ng (RHAW) system,
which enabled these fighters to act as killer pack leaders for
air strikes on radar and surface -to-air sites.
 Heavily laden Phantoms take
on gas from a KC-135 Tanker
before heading to target
(~ USAF)

Complete with LORAN 'towel

rail' 66-761 sits in a
revetment at Ubon RTAFB in
the August of 1971
(~ via Glenn Sands)

The F-4D

rom the spring of 1967, the F-4D gradually began to

F replace the earlier F-4C in combat in Vietnam. It

initially appeared over Vietnam with the 8th TFW,
co mmanded by Lt. Col. Robin Olds. The first F-4D MiG kill
took place on June 5, 1967, when crewmen Maj. Everett T.
Raspberry and Capt. Francis Gullick shot down a MiG- 17
near Hanoi and the F-4D went on to destroy 45 enemy
aircraft, and Captain Steve Ritchie of the 432nd TFW got his
lifth kill in F-4D number 66-0167 on August 18,1972.
However, the infrared Falcon proved relatively unsuccessful
in air-to-air combat in Vietnam, shooting down only four
~ liG- 1 7s and one MiG-21 between October 26,1967 and had a tendency to cause engine flameouts when fired!
February 5, 1968. The Falcon proved to be somewhat Perhaps the most significant problem with the AIM-4D was
rer Another heavily laden F-4D
temperamental in service, requiring a lot of careful setting up that its fire control system required 6-7 seconds to actually 67-707 seen at Da Nang in
and tweaking and had a limited manoeuvrability regime and launch the missile after the firing button was pushed, which 1968 (~ via Glenn Sands)
ya

at

to

ey

:5
he

~r

n,

The F-4C and F-4D ~

F-4D 67-696 'The Blue Max'
at Da Nang in March 1968
(© via Mark Smith)
F-4D, F65-683/DC, Of the
13TFS, 432TRW, based at
Udorn, Thailand and the
personal mount 01 Aircraft 01
Col. W.E. Bevan (© APiccirillo)
'Triple Nickel' MiG Killer 01
Captain Steve Ritchie, with
live Kill-Stars (© via Glenn Sands)
~ Chapter 1
is an eternity in a dogfight. Plus the Falcon required a direct
hit to explode, since there was no proximity fuse and the
explosive warhead was quite small, only about 4 pounds. In
later years, the absence of an internal cannon was seen as a
liability in close- in air-to-air combat. The F-4D could carry
an external centreline SUU-23 pod containing an M-6IAI
cannon, but it was bulky, provided lots of drag which
seriously compromised perfo rmance, and was rather
inaccurate. The Westinghouse ANI ASQ-152(V) -2 Pave Spike
laser target designator was fitted to several F-4Ds. The
cylindrical Pave Spike laser designator pod was mounted
inside one of the Sparrow missile wells on the fuselage
unders ide. The system used television optics, which made it
daylight-capable only. Alternatively the ANI AVQ-I 0 Pave
Knife laser target des ignator could be carried on the inboa rd
underwing pylon of specially modified F-4Ds. This pod had a
stabilised head housing a boresighted TV camera and laser;
attem pts were made to slave the pod's optics to the aircraft
radar, but these were not successful. The system operated by
hav ing the pod look in the same direction as the pilot's bomb
sight, with the weapons system offi cer then findin g the target
on his monitor screen as the pilot pointed his aircraft at it.
Combat missions with the Pave Knife began on May 23, 1968,
initially in conjunction with the GBU-IO/B laser-guided
bomb and all aircraft so equipped were ass igned to the 433rd
TFS of the 8th TFW. Perh aps the most spectacular use of Pave
Knife was the dropping of a span of the Paul Doumer Bridge
near Hanoi on May 10, 1972 which had survived literally
hundreds of previous attacks .
Two F-4Ds (66-8738 and 66-88 12) were fitted with the
AVQ-II Pave Sword precision attack sensor which consisted
of a modified AIM-9 Sidewinder seeker head as a lase r spot
tracker for targets designated by AVQ-12 Pave Spot laser
designators carried by 0 -2As. The system was mounted
inside a modified SUU- II gunpod suspended from the right-
forwa rd Sparrow well or from the right inboard underwing
pylon. F-4D 66-8700 received the Pave Fire system mounted
in a centreline pod. This system used low-light level
television and laser ranging equipment to perform dive- toss
bombing missions at night. However, the designation of the
target was found to be trickier than expected, and the Pave
Fire system was never very successful , and only one Phantom
was so modified.
Some aircraft assigned to the 8th TFW were fitted with the
AVQ-9 Pave Light laser designator, namely to 65-0597, 0609,
0612, 0642, 0677, 0706, 0786,and 66-88 14,88 15,88 17,and
8823. This designator was mounted on the left side of the
rear canopy frame of the F-4D. In order to use the system, the
pilot had to fl y in a left turn around the ta rget and shine the
lase r while other aircraft attacked it. If an emergency escape
proved to be necessary, the WSO first had to remove and store
the designator before he could safely eject. AN/ARN-92
LORAN- D navigation equipment was fitted to 72 Pave
Phantom F-4Ds and these aircraft could be readily be
identified by a rather prominent 'towel-rail' antenna on the
upper rear fuselage behind the rear cockpit, and the primary
mission of these aircraft was seeding of the Ho Chi Minh trail
with sensors, which required the precise night-time
navigational capability provided by LORAN. The primary
 An F-4D is prepared lor Ilight (© via USAF)

1t-

67-457 01 the 497 TFS, 8th TFW 'Wallpack' during 'Rolling Thunder' operations. Note the F-4D 68-782/FD with intakes shrouded (IC> J. W Boyce)
black undersides (© via Richard L Ward)

.e

il
F-4D 'The SainI' 01 Colonel Paul C Watson 01 the 366th TFW at Da Nang (© A Piccirillo) F-4D ollhe 8th TFW 'Wollpack' and 'Old Eagle Eye' (© A Piccirillo)

The F-4C and F-4D ~

67-554 an F-4D and double
MiG-Killer (© J. II( Boyce)

Vietnam WSO Charles DeBelievue who partnered Captain 'Steve' Richie

in downing a MiG on the 10th May 1972 (© USAF)

countermeasures gear. It did this by adding an attachment

point for a countermeasures pod on the inboard pylon, which
Vietnam Ace Colonel Robin could now carry two more AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles on
OIds (e USAF) each side. Under the Pave Arrow program, two F-4Ds were
equipped with a Sidewinder infrared seeker mounted in a
operators of the towel-rail F-4Ds were the 25th and 497th fixed pod for locating heat sources from ground targets. The
TFS of the 8th TFW and the 555th TFS of the 432nd TFW. Phantom's exploits in Vietnam are well documented in other
Subsequently, these aircraft were passed along to the 457th publications and space precludes detailing their actions
TFS of the 30 1st TFW, the 23rd TFS of the 52nd TFW, and the within the pages of this Dataflle.
704th TFS of the 924th TFG.
The Combat Tree modification of 1968-69 permitted the
retention of a full missile load while carrying electronic
The results of a mortar aHack
on this Phantom are pretty
clear! (e via Glenn Sands)

~ Chapter 1
 loaded with 'Sticks' and
taking on gas (© via Glenn Sands)

ie

ich

'Snoopy' on an unidentified F·4 (© J.W Boyce) 66·371 , 34th TFS, 388th TFW 'Arizona Chicken' (© J.W Boyce)

F·40 68· 782/FA of the 25th TFS, 8th TFW, based at Ubon, November 1968. Yellow air intets
65·459 an RF·4C of the 11th IRS 'Night Owl' (© J.W Boyce) on lower nose, canopy trim, dragon and placard all oullined black. Name 'Flave' on nose air
intake is in purple (© A Piccinllo)

The He and HD ~
The RF-4C

65-907 Irom the Kentucky Air

he RF-4C was the unarmed photographic reconnaissance

T
Guard wearing a variation 01
the SEA colour scheme version of the USAF's F-4C where the armament and
(© Glenn Sands)
radar of the fighter version was removed and replaced
with specialised photo-reconnaissance equipment. Perhaps the
most distinctive difference between the F-4C and the RF-4C
was the presence of a new, longer, more pointed nose in which
the fire control radar of the fighter version was replaced by
cameras, mapping radar, and infrared imaging eq uipment for
its reconnaissance role. McDonnell had studied a number
reconnaissa nce versions for the USAF and in January 1961 this
led to the Specific Operational Req uirement 196, wh ich by
December 31 1962 had evolved in parallel with the
development of the RF-4B Photo-Phantom for the Marin e
Corps. The first YRF-4C, 62-1 2200, took its maiden flight on
August 9, 1963, fitted with the now familiar extended glazed
nose associated with the RF-4C, but not fitted with cameras or
other reconnaissance systems. It was followed on September
30, 1963 by the second YF-4C, 62-12201, and this aircraft now
sported high and low panoramic and frame cameras but still
lacked most of the other systems that were planned for
production aircraft.
The RF-4C had three camera stations in the nose, a forward
camera station (situated just behind the radar) which could
carry a single oblique or vertical KS-S7 camera, behind that, in
the number two or 'Low Altitude' station, a KA-56 low-altitude
camera could be carried, (although this could be replaced by a
trio of vertical, left, and right oblique KS-B7 cameras - or a
vertical KA- l could also be carried in the low-altitude station
instead of the KS-B7, or a KS-72 could replace a KS-B7 in the
30-degree oblique position) and in the third or 'High Altitude'
station just ahead of the cockpit under the nose where a single
KA-55A or KA-9 ! high-altitude panoramic camera in a
stabilised mount could be carried. Alternatively, two split The RF-4C was also fitted with a 'photoflash' ejection system
vertical KS-B7 cameras could be carried in this position, or for night photography with the ejectors being fitted on the
KC-l or T-ll mapping cameras could be installed. The High upper rea r fuselage behind hydraulically-actuated doors. Up to
An early Gulf Grey RF-4C with
its Buu Number FJ-051 Altitude station could also house an AN/AVD-2 1aser and including RF-4C 71-0259, pairs of ejectors were fitted on
(© USAF)
reconnaissance set, but this was later withdrawn from use. each side, one with 26 M11 2 cartridges and one with 10M 123
cartridges, however fro m RF-4C 72-0145 onward, a single LA-
249A ejec tor was carried, with 20 MISS cartridges. The
AN/APQ-72 radar in the nose of the F-4C was replaced by the
very much smaller Texas Instruments ANI APQ-99 two-lobe
monopulse J-band radar which had both terrain-avoidance
and terrain-following modes, as well as a ground mapping
capability. This was later replaced by the Texas Instruments
ANI APQ-l 72 in all surviving RF-4Cs. Electronic
reconnaissance sensors included an ANI AAD-5 or ANI AAS-IB
infrared detection set which was installed just aft of the nose
wheel bay. The AA D-5 infrared linescan unit with high
performance in dual fields and automatic control of
velocitylheight ratio and could convert video signals into a
permanent film record whereas the ANI AAS-I B offered
improved optics and up to 350 feet of S0249B film. Some RF-
4Cs were also fitted with the AN/AVQ-9 infra red detection set
and laser target designator to provide slant range for weapons

~ Chapter2
 -.- - -- --
--
---
------- --
:em

J to
n
23
A-

·18
e

~t
A close-up of the artwork applied to the Alabama ANG Celebratory
Phantom (© Authors Col/,elion) (\0 Author's Collection)
---
64-053 from the California ANG. Note the crew's equipment hanging over the travel pod on the inboard pylon

ns

The RF-4C ~
The Alabama Air National
Guard celebrated 35 years of
the Phabulous Phantom in
style at the London
International Airshow in
Ontario (© Author's Collection)

64-051 showing the typical

low-visibility marking applied
to the Alabama Air National
Guard RF-4C's in their later
years (© Author's Collection)

65-896 in European 1 or
'Lizard' camouflage
(© Author's Coffection)

A pristine looking RF-4C 68-

571 obviously showing the
markings of the 12 AMU
along with its BA tailcode.
The sharp nose demarcation
lines on the upper grey are
well evident here
(© Author's Collection)

~ Chapter 2
 The RF-4C's last hurrah was
aiming and high-resolution thermal imaging. The RF-4C was the Operation Oesert Storm,
also fitted with a Goodyear AN/APQ- 102 SLAR Sideways and here 64-047 taxies out
for another mission, complete
Looking Airborne Radar, or 'fan scan' with antennae built into with wing mounted ECM pod
either side of the lower nose just aft of the optical (©USAF)

reconnaissance bay. This system also included a Moving Target

Indicator which enabled the tracking of slow-moving targets.
This system was later replaced on some aircraft with the
:\NI APD-lO, with an extended range antenna in a modified
600-gallon external fuel tank and a UPD-8 data-link assembly.
This data-link had a steerable antenna which made it possible
to send radar images to ground stations in real time. The ARC-
105 high-frequency radio required a giant shunt antenna
which was recessed into both sides of the vertical fin and this
fit required the upper pitot head be deleted. The original nose
shape featured a flat underside and an angled window
projection for the High Altitude Station, however many RF-4Cs
The Phantom always leant itself to decoration, as can be seen here on
the 117th TRW 'Spook' (© Author's Cottection)
65-910 in the markings of the
tdaho ANG . This aircraft was
retired to AMARC on 25th
August 1995 (© Author's Cottection)
were modified with an aerodynamically-refined nose with a
bulge added to the camera housing which allowed larger
cameras to be carried. From aircraft 69-0375 onward, the low-
altitude panoramic camera could be used in conjunction with
an ejectable film cassette; this was designed to get film into the
hands of ground-based intelligence units as rapidly as
possible. Upon ejection, the film cassette deployed a parachute
and a transmitter which aided recovery. However, this system
proved to be impractical in the field, and immediate post-flight
film processing capability was provided by mobile film
processing 'vans' which were quickly deployed to Southeast
Asia. A sad picture of 72-0146 from
The RF-4C was provided with 'stick and rudder' controls in the 10th TRW based at RAF
Alconbury at the RAF Brawdy
the rear seat, and the back-seater or 'reconnaissance package Airshow in 1986. Not an hour
operator' could and did fly the aircraft on many occasions, after this shot was taken the
especially on long overwater flights. However as the view from aircraft crashed into the sea
during its display, killing both
the back seat was very poor, landings were impracticable as the crew. (© Author's Collection)

Nearest the camera 65-931 is from the Mississippi ANG, in company with
another RF-4C from the California Air Guard. Note the colour of the ANG
badge (© Author's Cottection)

TheRF-4C ~
The 'bulged nose' version 01
the RF-4C can be clearly seen
here (© Glenn Sands)

An RF-4C rests having just

undergone an engine test at
March AFB in California
(© Author's Collection)

69-370 of the 26th TRW

based at Zwiebriicken in
Germany (© Aulhor's Colleclion)

ZR -
;- 26TRW

Close-up of the artwork applied to the top recce-jet of Gulf War I

(© Suresh AlapaNu)

~ Chapter2
 The Alabama Air Guard celebrated 75 years by painting up one of their RF-4s to
commemorate 'Jennies to Jets! Note also the Sidewinder missiles (© Gary Chambers)
Looking straight down the front of a 'liat nosed' RF-4C showing the shape
and position of the forward-facing camera (© Mark Carlisle)
...
This Zwiebriicken based RF-4C 68-595 carries the LORAN 'towel rail' antennae on its spine
and a full colour 'stars and bars' (© Dennis Robinson)
Although looking a little
rear position had no means of lowering the landing gear weary and close to retirement
normally, (in order to lower the landing gear, the backseater this RF-4C still inspires!
(© Gary Chambers)
had to pull an emergency handle to blow the gear down, which
would deplete the hydraulics and cause the wheel brakes to
fail) and in addition, the backseater could not lower the
arrester hook or deploy the drag chute.
The ECM capabilities of the RF-4C were progressively
upgraded throughout its long service life and the radar
homing and warning systems (RHAWS) fitted included the
ALR- 17, -31, -46, -50 or -126 and late in its service life the
standardised ANI ALR-46A radar. Newer electronic systems
66-467 shows oil the
included the Litton 'Pave Onyx' AN/ALQ-125 TEREC (Tactical 'European l' or 'Lizard' colour
Electronic Reconnaissance) sensor with data link equipment scheme to great ellect
(© Glenn Sands)
for transmission in near real-time and also retrofitted to some
TheRF-4C ~

A good underfuselage view of
the RF-4C showing its camera
ports and electronic sensor
bulges along the forward
fuselage side. Note the lack
of Sparrow missile recesses,
a trademark of the unarmed
RF-4 family (© Gary Chambers)
68-600 in SEA camouflage
with the 'LORAN' 'towel rail'
on its spine. This fit was later
removed from all RF-4Cs
(11:> Gary Chambers)
Close in on the 'toothy' nose
of a 'Desert Storm' veteran,
noted by the 'camels' painted
on the splitter plate
(11:> AuIMr'SCalfecYan)
~ Chapter2
block 37 aircraft was the Lear Siegler AN/ARN-IOI digital
modular avionics system navigational unit, with a few aircraft
also carrying the Chicago Aerial Industries Electronic Wide-
Angle Camera System (EWACS) . The AN/AVQ-26 'Pave Tack'
infrared detection set could also be carried by thirty-nine
specially-wired RF-4Cs and again a few of these aircraft could
also carry the AN/ AVQ-9laser target designator slaved to the
IR detecting set with a retrofitted upgraded APQ-I72 forward-
looking radar.
In 1970, twenty RF-4Cs (IS of the Block-40 RF-4Cs and two
from Block 41) were retrofitted with the ARN-92 LORAN-D
navigation system with a 'towel rail' antenna on the upper rear
fuselage, which provided all-weather blind navigation
capability. The RF-4C could also carry the gigantic General
Dynamics HIAC-1 LOROP (Long-Range Oblique Photography)
camera system housed inside a large G-139 pod mounted on
the fuselage centreline. This camera system was originally
developed for the General Dynamics/Martin RB-S7F and was
capable of showing astonishing detail at standoff distances as
large as 100 miles. Several LOROP-equipped RF-4Cs flew
reconnaissance missions along the North Korean and Eastern
European borders, however, with such a large pod mounted
underneath the fuselage, the performance was severely
compromised and later, 24 aircraft were outfitted to carry a
CAl KS-127 A or KS- 127F LOROP camera with a 66' focal
length in camera stations 2 and 3. Initially, the RF-4C carried
no weapons, with the underfuselage Sparrow missile slots of
the F-4C being omitted. However, in an emergency the RF-4C
could carry a nuclear weapon on the centreline position, but
this was rarely done in practice. Aircraft from the European-
based 10th TRW were eventually fitted with AJB-7 10w-altitude
bombing system equipment just in case the delivery of nuclear
weapons ever became necessary. In later years, RF-4Cs were
armed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on their inner wing
pylon for self-defence and provision was also made to carry an
AN/ALQ-IIS(V)-IS or Raytheon AN/ALQ-184(V)1 ECM pod
on the starboard inner wing pylon.
The first production RF-4Cs went to the 33rd TRTS training
unit at Shaw AFB in September 1964 and the first operational
unit to receive the RF-4C was the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance
Squadron of the 363rd TRW at Shaw AFB, achieving initial
combat-readiness in August of 1965. Even then, early RF-4Cs
continued to fly without their full operational equipment, and
many of the components carried were still unqualified. As part
of the 460th TRW, the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
was deployed to Tan Sun Nhut in South Vietnam in October of
1965 and the second RF-4C squadron in action in Southeast
Asia was the ISth TRS, which entered combat in February of
1967. Initial missions turned up a whole host of problems and
deficiencies such as the AN/APQ-102A side-looking radar,
which had major teething troubles and was initially very
unreliable in combat and took years before its problems were
fully fixed. Likewise the AN/AAS-IS infrared sensor was
initially defective and had to be improved. During the next
eight years of the Vietnam War, the RF-4C served at various
times with the 11th, 12th, 14th and 16th Tactical
Reconnaissance Squadrons, flying missions from Tan Son Nhut
~d
If
Ie

1-

ude
lea r

an
Id

ing
al
~ce

s
ld
art
In

of

Id

lut

The RF-4C was a familiar sight over the skies of the UK with the 10th
TRW being based at RAF Alconbury (© Gary Chambers)

Another 'sharksmouth'
variation on this 'bulged nose'
RF·4C (© Gary Chambers)

Another Sharksmouth aboard

the chirpily named 'Freeze
Frame' (© Author's Collection)

TheRF·4C ~
Taken in a revetment during
the Vietnam War, a
camouflaged RF-4C is
readied for a night mission.
(© USAF)
'Phantoms Finest' from the
Kentucky ANG (© Glenn Sands)
AB and from Udorn RTAFB in Thailand flying unescorted day
missions until 1972, over North and South Vietnam as well as
Laos. The aircraft gained an impressive record during the most
intense yea rs of the war as no RF-4Cs were lost to enemy
fighters, however, seven were shot down by SAMs and sixty-
five were destroyed by AAA or small arms fi re, and four were
destroyed on the ground with a furth er seven being lost in
operational accidents. The last of the 503 production RF-4Cs
was delivered in December of 1973, giving the aircraft a
production run of over ten years, longer than any other
Phantom variant save the F-4E.
Interestingly the RF-4C was the first version of the Phantom
to reach the Air National Guard with the 106th TRS of the
11 7th TRW of the Alabama ANG, first to receive the jet in
February of 197 1, replacing that unit's RF-84F Thunderflashes.
Afterwards, eight more Guard squadrons acquired RF-4Cs, and
a training unit was added to the Idaho ANG. By early 1989, the
number of RF-4C squadrons serving on active duty with the
A line up of 18 TRW aircraft from Shaw AFB carrying the JO tail code. 01 note is the plethora
of stencil markings showing all the major servicing pOints and warning areas (© Ken Wilhers)
~ Chapter2
USAF was down to seven and these comprised the 16th TRS at
Shaw AFB, the 12th TRS, 45th TRTS, 62nd TRS, and 91st TRS
at Bergstrom AFB with TAC, the 15th TRS at Kadena AB on
Okinawa with PACAF, and the 38th TRS at Zwiebrucken AB in
Germany with USAFE. The collapse of the Soviet Union and
the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact led to accelerated
retirement and in 1989, the 15th TRS was transferred from the
18th TFW at Kadena to the 406th TRG at Taegu AB in Korea,
and was inactivated a year later. The retirement of the last
remain ing USAFE and TAC RF-4C units was in the planning
stages when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August of 1990, and
further deactivation plans were put on hold. Consequently, the
RF-4C was still in service with the USAF at the time of Desert
Storm . In response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwai t, the 106th
TRS of the 1I 7th TRW of the Alabama ANG deployed on
August 24, 1990 to Sheika Isa in Bahrain as part of Desert
Shield, and its LOROP-equipped aircraft were used to conduct
pre-war surveillance of Iraqi forces in occupied Kuwait as well
as those deployed along the Saudi Arabia-Iraq border. In
December, the 106th TRS was relieved by the 192nd TRS of the
Nevada ANG and later, RF-4Cs taken fro m the USAF's 12th
TRS/67th TRW and the 38th TRS/26th TRW were deployed to
the Gulf whilst the 26th TRW of USAFE was detached to the
7440th Composite Wing at Incirlik AB in Turkey and the 67th
TRW went to the 35th TFW (Prov isional) at Sheik Isa AB in
Bahrai n to serve alongside the RF-4Cs the Air National Guard.
It's worth noting that some of these aircraft were veterans of
combat in Vietnam. When the first air strikes aga inst Iraq took
place on January 17, 1991, the RF-4Cs were in action from the
Ava-26 Pave Tack test fitted to an RF-4C (© Via Tony TlJomborough) An RF-4C with an UPO SLAR fitted under the nose (© V~ Tony TlJomborough)

start although at first, they were limited to daylight operations,

flying over Kuwait almost every day in search of Republican ---
Guard units, however they were soon involved in operations
over Baghdad looking for such targets as rocket fuel plants,
chemical weapons plants, and command and communications
centres. The RF-4Cs were also repeatedly diverted from other
photographic missions to go and look for Scud launchers
hiding in western Iraq.
Following the end of Desert Storm, the RF-4Cs of the 26th
TRW and the 67th TRW returned to their home bases, of
Zwiebrucken in Germany and Bergstrom in Texas and within a
year, all of the remaining RF-4Cs had been withdrawn from
USAF service. The 26th TRW was deactivated in April of 1991
An RF-4C in wrap-around
and its RF-4Cs were relegated to storage whilst the 91st TRS of TRG, and the 117th TRW switched to the aerial refuelling South East Asia scheme
(@USAF)
the 67th TRW was deactivated in September of 1991 with the mission in 1992-94, trading in their RF-4Cs for KC-135s. The
12th TRS and the remainder of the wing standing down in 124th TRG of the Idaho ANG converted to F-4G 'Wild Weasels'
1994, thus ending RF-4C service with front line USAF units. and the 192nd RS of the Nevada ANG finally turned in its last
After the end of the Gulf War the phase-out of the ANG RF-4Cs four RF-4Cs on September 27, 1995, their planes being flown
was also accelerated. The 163rd TRG, the 186th TRG, the I55th to Davis-Monthan AFB for storage.

RF-4C OPERATIONAL UNITS AIR NATIONAL GUARD UNITS

• 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ·106th TRS, 117th TRW, Alabama ANG
·18th Tactical Fighter Wing , 15th TRS ·153rd TRS, 186th TRG , Mississippi ANG
• 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing • 160th TRS , 187th TRG , Alabama ANG
• 66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing • 165th TRS , 123rd TRW, Kentucky ANG
• 75th Tactical Re connaissance Wing ·173rd TRS , 155th TRG , Nebraska ANG
• 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing • 179th TRS , 148th TRG , Minnesota ANG
• 432nd Tactical Reconnai ssa nce Wing ·189th TRTF, 124th TRG , Idaho ANG
A superb tail art adorns this
• 460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing ·190th TRS , 124th TRG, Idaho ANG Kadena based 18th TFW 'No
• 192nd TRS, 152nd TRG , Nevada ANG Gun Shogun' RF-4C and found
on one of the Two Bobs decal
·196th TRS , 163rd TRG , California ANG sheets (© Glenn Sands)

TheRF-4C ~
RF-4C Camera Nose Details
Photos © Author's Collection &USAF, Diagrams © McDonnell Douglas

Forward
"" 1114626318 / f1 Camera Bay
31
50 /

I""
-L-

Fuselage side
camera
aperture

~.
"--.
.~ ~ -
.
" "
" "

The various
camera
windows in the
RF-4C nose

~ Chapter 2
RF-4C Camera Nose Details
Photos © Author's Collection & USAF, Diagrams © McDonnell Douglas

V IEW FINDER WINDOW COVEll

ITEMS '.51 AND 2-5'

The protective covers \

litted to the camera
windows
c' ",, , ,:;,,t\ AfT PAN OIA MIC WI NDO W COVEll
ITEM 2-52
0111: LAsn WINDOW COVEll

~. ITEM 2-5'

" ~

'~:~i~~::~rrl /,:J.< ~
)p~! CJ ~
Q A{' ~C-
~~
. ~' ~ II

-"
vm''',W,NOOWCOVER
_--~ '- IUMS ' ·54 AND ' -SS

,=:::::;~~~~ ~~"'" ' ~'r

tTEMS '·56 AND , .51
' ~:~)
,.11 1
/'
fORWA ID VUITICAL WINDOW COY ER
The lorward portion 01 the camera bay ITEMS ,-so AND 2-51

swings lorwards lor access.

Structure

--~

~ ""
The camera unit swings
down lor reloading and
servicing
""
17 ""

The RF-4C ~
 -
RF-4C Camera Nose Details
Photos © Author's Collection & USAF, Diagrams © McDonneff Douglas

,
"

"

"

31 / J
V"
\ ""
,.
2J
25 "
"
38
30

"
Side panel
access points

~~
.'.iY' :.J
.~
"
The optically flat
glazing allows
for excellent
imagery

.,
"

WARNING
Port side
~.::::: camera
aperture
details

~ Chapter2
RF-4C Camera Nose Details
PhD/OS ~ Author's Collection & USAF, Diagrams © McDonnell Doug/as

\ \
12

1 Lower camera
/ bay glazing
/
I
\
\
-.

.., .",

Ground crew change the film magazines

The in-cockpit
camera selection
panel
Refitting the camera after a film change. Note the flat undernose on this
early RF4

TheRF-4C ~
RF-4C Carnera Nose Details -
------ Photos © Author's Collection
. & USAF, Diagrams © McDonnell Douglas

The RF-4C's rear moun ted Photoflash bay IOn detail

UPPER PH OTOFLASH CARTRIDGE EJECTOR

~ Chapter 2
RF-4C Cockpit
· 1 - 3 Front cockpit

· 4 Rear cockpit

(© Author's Collection)

TheRF-4C ~
 Colour Side-views • 1 • F-4C

64-0676, F-4C, 12 TFW, Cam Ramh Bay, in 1966. Light Gull Grey (FS 36440) and white

63-7588, F-4C, 557 TFS, 12 TFW, Cam Ranh Bay, 1968. FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS 34102 Green
over FS36622 Grey. Names on canopy rail not readable

63-7676, F-4C, 4TFTS, 58 TFTW, Luke AFB, AZ, in 1976. Note 2 MiG kills on the splitter plate. FS30219
Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS 34102 Green over FS36622 Grey

63-7589, F-4C, 57 FIS, Keflavik, lceland, circa 1976177. Overall FS 16473 AOC Grey

Colour Art © David Howley

~ Colour Side-views
 Colour Side-views • 2 • F-4C/EF-4C/F-4D

64-0829, F-4C, 93rd TFS, 482 TFW. Marked as the flagship of the 482nd TFW, the aircraft is also a
double MiG killer. Pilot: Col. D. Erwin and WSO Capt. B. Hancock. Homestead AFB April 1982.
Wrap-around FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS 34102 Green over FS36622 Grey

63-7583, F-4C, 171 FIS, 191 FIG, Mitchigan ANG, Selfridge ANG Base, circa 1982-86. Overall FS 16473
ADC Grey

64-0847, EF-4C, 39 TFTS (later 563 TFS), 35 TFW, circa 1977/78. FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS
34102 Green over FS36622 Grey

65-0689, F-4D, 48 TFW, RAF lakenheath, August 1975. FS34201 Tan replaces FS30219 Tan/FS 34079
Green/FS 34102 Green over FS36622 Grey. Note the small patch of 30219 behind the codes

Colour Art © David Howley

Colour Side-views ~
 Colour Four-views • 3 • F-4D

;/

I'
I i

;
;/
/

66-7554, F-4D, "Trapper", 555 TFS, 432 TRW, 21

July 1971 . "Trapper" on inner NWD possibly in
black with red insert. "Snoopy" white with blue
helmet, black goggles, brown boots and red searl.
FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS 34102 Green
over FS36622 Grey. Note the unusual serial
presentation 67554 instead 01 the correct 66554

Colour Art © David Howley

~ Colour Side-views
 Colour Side-views • 4 • F-4D

66-8790, F-4D, 23 TFS, 52 TFW, Spangdahlen, circa early 1970s. FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/ FS
34102 Green over FS36622 Grey. 23 TFS badge carried on port side

66-7610, F-4D, "08" of 160 TFS, 187 TFG, Alabama ANG, Danelly Field, Montgomery, Al, circa 1984.
FS34079 Green/FS34102 Green/FS 36081 Dark Grey wrap-around

65-0742, F-4D, 179 FIS, 148 FIG, Minnesota ANG, Duluth, in June 1987. "Hill Greys" of FS 26118 Dark
Grey over FS 26270 Medium Grey

66-7460, F-4D, 111 FIS, 147 FIG, Texas ANG, Ellington in December 1989. "Hill Greys" of FS 26118
Dark Grey over FS 26270 Medium Grey

Colour Art © David Howley

Colour Side-views ~
 Colour Side-views • 5 • RF-4C

65-0B25, RF-4C, 22 TRS , 26 TRW, Tour-Rosieres AFB, France, in 1965. Light Gull Grey (FS 36440) and
white

65-0905, RF-4C, 11 TRS, 432 TRW, Udorn RTAFB, circa late 1960's. Very worn appearance with
numerous patches, which may indicate that the aircraft is undegoing IRAN (Inspection & Repair As
Necessary)

69-0381 , RF-4C, 1 TRS, 10 TRW, RAF Alconbury, July 1985. FS34079 Green/FS34102 Green/FS 36081
Dark Grey wrap-around

69-0370, RF-4C, 38 TRS, 26 TRW, Zweibrucken, circa 1991 . "Hill Greys" of FS 26118 Dark Grey over
FS 26270 Medium Grey

Colour Art © David Howley

~ Colour Side-views
 Colour Side-views • 6 • F-4D

67-0279, F-4E, "The Wreckin Crew", 34 TFS, 388 TFW, Khorat AFB, in 1970. Pilot Maj Don Parkhurst.
FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS 34102 Green over FS36622 Grey

Serial UNK, F-4E Phantom, "1" of the Thunderbirds, flown by Lt.Col. Tom Swaim in 1972. Note the
under-wingtip stripes were not added until 1969

I-
' U. S. AIR-F'ORC~
-I --r~---

67-0361 , F-4E, 31 TFW, Homestead AFB, circa mid-1970s. FS34201 Tan/ FS30219 Tan/FS 34079
Green/FS 34102 Green over FS36622 Grey. Note use of FS34201 Tan on rear fuselage and FS30219
Tan on forward fuselage

66-0300, F-4E, 57 FIS, Keflavik, Iceland, circa 1984. Overall FS 16473 ADC Grey

Colour Art © David Howley

Colour Side-views ~
 Colour Side-views • 7 • F-4E/F-4G

72-0143, F-4E, Squadron CO, 334 TFS, 4 TFW, Seymour-Johnson AFB, NC, in September 1988.
FS34079 Green/FS34102 Green/FS 36081 Dark Grey wrap-around

69-7208, F-4G, possibly 563 TFS, 37 TFW, George AFB, CA, 1982/3. FS30219 Tan/FS 34079 Green/FS
34102 Green over FS36622 Grey. Badge of the City of Victorville, with text "City of Victorville/Sweet
Sixteen"

Colour Art © David Howley

Paint References
NAME FS REFERENCE TAMIYA REVELL GUNZE HOBBY TESTOR / MM HUMBROl
USAF Early
US Gull Grey 36440 325 1729, 1730 129
White 37875 XF2 5 11 1768 34
US Air Force Vietnam
US Dark Green 34079 XF65 67 309 1710 116
US Light Green 34102 303 1713 117
US Tan 30219 1742 11 8
Camouflage Grey 36622 311 1733 28
US Air Force Wrap-around
US Dark Green 34079 XF65 67 309 1710 116
US Light Green 34102 303 1713 117
US Tan 30219 1742 118
US Air Force Eu ropean 1
US Dark Green 34079 XF65 67 309 1710 116
US Light Green 34102 303 1713 117
Dark Grey 36081 301 32
US Air Force Hill Grey I
US Dark Grey 36118 305 1723 125
US Medium Grey 36270 306 1725 126
US Ghost Grey 36375 308 1428, 1728 127
S Air Force Hill Grey II
US Dark Grey 36118 305 1723 125
US Medium Grey 36270 306 1725 126
US Air Force ADC Grey
Light Grey 36473 338 1732 147

~ Colour Side-views
 Colour Four-views • 8 • F-4G

69-7212. F-4G. 52 FW. Spangdahlen. Germany. in

June 1992. "Hill Greys" of FS 26118 Dark Grey
over FS 26270 Medium Grey. Note 5 "mission
marks" on the splitter intake

Colour Art © David Howley

Colour Side-views ~
The F-4E
66-393 of the 1st TFW
snapped at Pease AFB in
1974 wearing three-tone SEA
Camouflage with light grey
undersides (© via Mark Smith)
-~--
~ Chapter3
D
uring the initial design of the Phantom, several
proposals had been considered for a cannon-armed
version, however the philosophy of the day was that
the air-to-air missile was king and that the internal gun was
considered obsolete, and consequently all Phantoms to reach
production had been armed exclusively with missiles.
However, the all-missile fighter had shown some serious
drawbacks in its initial air-to-air battles over Vietnam as the
early Sparrow, Falcon, and Sidewinder air-to-air missiles did
not perform up to expectations. The Phantoms could carry a
podded cannon mounted on the centreline, but it was
relatively inaccurate, caused excessive drag which reduced the
performance of the aircraft carrying it, and took up a
valuable weapons station. An initial F-4 variant with an
internal M61 cannon had been proposed by McDonnell to the
USAF as early as the March of 1961, but this had met with
little enthusiasm. However McDonnell began a new design
study for a gun-armed Phantom in late 1964 which fina lly got
the attention of the Air Force. The gun-armed 'F-4E' was warrant a further two YF-4Es being produced by modifying
finally funded in June of 1965 and was destined to be an F-4C (63-7445) and an F-4D (65-0713), and these aircraft
produced in greater numbers than any other single Phantom now had the definitive nose-mounted cannon installation.
va riant. The second YF-4E had the gun and no radar, but the third
The main difficulty in equipping the Phantom with an had both the gun and the radar. The severe space constraints
internal cannon was in finding a place to put it. The solution in the new nose meant that a new ammunition feed system
was found in using a sharper, longer nose like that of the RF- had to be designed for the M61AI cannon, and in addition,
4C reconnaissance version and fitted with an AN/APG-30 the proximity of the gun to the radar set requ ired that very
radar set beneath which a recontoured section carried a effective vibration dampers and noise/blast eliminators had
single six-barrel20-mm General Electric M61A1 rotary to be designed. An initial batch of 96 F-4Es was ordered in
cannon. The firstYRF-4C (62-12200) was modified to test August 1966 as part of an F-4D contract and the first
this new arrangement carrying a cannibalised gunsight from production F-4E (66-0284) flew on June 30, 1967.
an Air National Guard F-1 OOD and flight test instrumentation The gun installation underneath the nose precluded the
carried in a centreline pod. Temporarily redesignated the YF- installation of the large radar set that was fitted to the F-4C
4E, the modified aircraft first flew on August 7, 1965. After 50 and F-4D, so the F-4E carried the solid-state Westinghouse
flights, the first aircraft was re-engined with j79-GE-jlB AN/APQ-l20 X-band radar which had a smaller antenna,
power-plants and the results were sufficiently encouraging to however, due to the late delivery of the AN/ APQ-120 radar,
-- - - -------

Ihe first 30 F-4Es were delivered without any radar at all. The
ft :\N/APQ- 120 was to have been provided with a Hughes-
developed Coherent On-Receive Doppler System (CORDS ),
which it was hoped wou ld make it easier to detect low-flying
IS airc raft up aga inst gro und clutter. However, this system
proved to be so erratic that the initial deployment was
sl ipped from the 35th F-4E to the 120th. Continued problems
caused CORDS to be cancelled on January 2, 1968. The F-4E
was to also to have been fitted with the AN/APS- I07 radar
ho ming and warni ng system (RHAW), but this eq uipment
performed so unsatisfactorily that the first 67 F-4Es were
delivered without any RHAW at all.
The weight of the gun and its 639-round ammunition
drum was co unterbalanced by fitting an additional 95-gallon
iuel tank in the rear fuselage, bringing total internal fuel
capacity to 1993 gallons, and the upper fin -mounted pitot
was relocated to the extreme nose. The F-4E retained the
. ~
Dressed in 'Lizard' garb at
semi-recessed AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles and the Nellis AFB in Nevada is the
external store stations of the earlier variants and used a pair Commander's aircraft from
the 37th TFW (© via Marie Smith)
of J79-GE-17. In the interest of eliminat ing excess weight, the
powered folding wi ng mechanism of the earlier USAF
Phantoms was finally eliminated as was the emergency ram-
air turbine on the upper rear fuselage. It turned out that the
elimination of the emergency ram-air turb ine was a mistake,
and some sort of emergency power source was needed in
case of engine failure. Consequently, starting with Block 40
(68-0452), an auxiliary power unit was added underneath the
stabilator. However, it was only a battery-powered
electrically-driven hydraulic pump and was not a small
turbine engine. It provided just enough control to allow time
for ejection, and probably wo uld not last long enough to
allow a landing. The second production F-4E (66-0285) flew
for the first time on September II , 1967 and differed fro m
66-0285 by hav ing a slotted stabilator which was added in
A smart polka-dot rudder
adorns this Seymour-Johnson
F-4E 72-142 (© via Marie Smith)
TheF-4E ~
68-400, a short-nosed F-4E
with plenty of weathering sits
on the George AFB ramp, and
was part of the 479th TFW
(© via Mark Smith)

A fearsome 'Spook' 68-329

from Osan AFB (© via Glenn Sands)

Looking spruce and ready for
action is 67-361 from the
31 st TFW (© Wa Mark Smilh)
order to give greater effectiveness, helpi ng to counteract the
increased weight in the nose, and this aircraft also introduced
the long 'turkey feather' afterbu rner, which became a
trademark of the F-4E. From the aircraft of Block 42, the
more advanced AN/APR-36/37 radar and homing warning
system was fitted, as this was a more comprehensive set than
the troublesome APS-1D7, and was served by four flat,
circular, spira l receiving anten na, one on each side of the
extreme end of the rear fuselage facing aft, and one at the
front of each wi ngtip fac ing forward .
At block 48 the main wingbox was given thicker lower
skins, and a Northrop-designed ASX-l electro-optical TISEO
Target Identification System Electro-Optical target acquisition
and tracking sensor was added in a pod mounted on the inner
left wing leading edge, consisting of a TV camera and a
powerful1 200mm zoom lens. When the Block 48 aircraft were

~ Chapter 3
 66-330 a short-nosed F-4E
from the 1st TFW
(© via Glenn Sands)

74-652 from the 32 TFS

based at Soesterberg in
Holland taxies in carrying an
ALQ-119 ECM pod and TISEO
on the wing (© via Mark Smith)

Home on the Range! 67-270

:r later upgraded to ARN-IOI standards, the ASN-63 inertial with MERs filted with practice
navigation system, the ASQ-9 1 weapons release computer, and bombs tops up from a KC-10
and heads for the hills
the ASN-46A analogue nav igation computer set were deleted (© Curtiss Knowles)

whilst the ASG-26 lead computing optical gunsight was

improved and made easier to use, with weapons control
switches and displays also made easier to read.
The most significant change on the F-4E was the
replacement of the blown leading-edge wing droops of
earl ier Phantoms by slats. This was done in the interest of
obtaining enhanced combat ma noeuvrability, which had
been one of the Phantom's weak points. The outer
leading-edge slats were driven by a hydrau lic jack and
terminated in a large 'dogtooth' at the inboard end where the
wing folding joint had once been. Immediately dow nstream By block 56 the AN/APR-36/37 system was replaced by th e
of the dogtooth edge was a small wing fence. The inboard Itek AN/ALR-46 RHAWS with fast digital processing
wing was also fitted with powered slats which terminated capability and a cockpit display plus automatic control of
about three feet from the root. The first production F-4E to jamming assets, and at about the same time, all F-4Es were
be fitted with slats was 71-0237, but the first to actually fly wired to be able to take two electronic jammer pods (which
with slats was 71-0238 which took its maiden fl ight on were usually the Westinghouse ALQ-13I) and were fitted
February I I, 1972. The addition of these slats greatly with an ANI APX-80 IFF controller in the cockpit. In
enhanced the manoeuvring performance, and the USAF addition, the aircraft were given the capability of carrying an
decided to retrofit just about eve ry surviving F-4E except for optional removable KB-18A strike camera in the right front
those serving wi th the Thunderbirds. Sparrow slot. Interestingly in the post-Vietnam era, the ECM

TheF-4E ~
Wearing a curious shade of
green instead of the familiar
tan, 69-267 from the 35 TFW
at George AFB is under tow
(© via Mark Smith)
68-411 looking resplendent in
its 'Hill Grey' scheme
(© Author's Collection)
68-4471rom the 1st TFW has
a weary weathered look
(4:> via Mark Smith)
~ Chapter3
pods introduced such as the ALQ- 11 9, QRC-80-01, ALQ-13I,
and ALQ-184 could not be carried in the right front Sparrow
well because of the longer nose gear door and the F-4Es
could only carry an ECM pod in the left front Sparrow well
or on the inboard weapons pylons. The AVQ-23A/B Pave
Spike laser target designator and rangefinder system was
fitted to several later F-4Es and was retrofitted to some
earlier aircraft, and this system was the first laser
designation pod method designed to provide the capability
of autonomous delivery of laser guided bombs at night. It
was originally planned to eq uip 180 F-4Es with this system ,
but because of delays and development problems the actual
number equipped was substantially lower. The pod was too
large to be fully compatible with the F-4E, and it had to be
carried on the centreline station, replacing the 600-gallon
external fue l tank and taking up valuable bomb-carriage
space. Also retrofitted to Block 48 aircraft was the AN/ AVQ-
26 Pave Tack infrared/laser target designator, as well as the
AN/ ASX-I electro-optical target identification system. One
major adva nce, retro-fitted to some 180 TISEO equipped F-
4Es, was the Lear Siegler AN/ARN-IO I(V) digital
navigational/attack system, an update which started in the
autumn of 1977, and aircraft carrying this system could be
distinguished by the presence of a 'doghouse' antenna and
blade aerial on the fuselage spine and dissipator an tennae on
the tail and wings . This fit changed the avionics from
analogue to digital and increasing the Phantom's
capabilities. Three Missouri ANG F-4Es were fitted with a
new single-piece blown windshield in the late 1980's,
however this was never adopted as a fleet-wide fit.
The F-4E stayed in production for twelve years, and a total
of 1387 F-4Es were built before production came to an end .
993 of these machines were intended for the USAF, with the
remaini ng 394 being delivered new to foreign customers. 24
 Some of Bitburg's F-4Es were decorated for the USAF's bi-centennial (© via Glenn Sands)

USAF F-4Es were taken fro m store and loaned to foreign

customers, and 19 1 were passed on to fo reign customers
from USA F stocks. The last F-4E (a n F-4E intended fo r
Korea) left the production line at McDo nnell on October 25,
e 1979 bringing domestic production of the Phantom to an
end; however license prod uction continued for a while longe r
in Japa n.
on
The Final Countdown
The F-4E began be supplanted in USAF fro ntline units by the
newe r F-1 5 Eagle starting in 1975 and by the F- 16 starting in
1979. For the USA F in Europe, the last F-4Es flew with the
68-387 of the California Air
al National Guard (© via Glenn Sands)

Looking factory fresh is 67-

On the ramp at George AFB is 66-350 wearing wrap-around three-tone camouflage and low-vis black markings, being prepared for flight. Note the 392 from the Air Force
practice rocket launchers (© Author's Coffeetion) Reserve (© via Marie Smith)

The F-4E ~
67-349, flagship of the 347th
TFW based at Moody AFB
(© via Marl< Smith)
A fine aerial study 01 the
F-4E, in this case 69-213
from the 35th TFW at George
AFB (© via Marl< Smith)
Looking very much worse for
wear, 66-340 looks lor a new
owner! (© via Gtenn Sands)
~ Chapter3
52nd TFW at Spangdahlem in Germany which re-equipped
with F-16s in 1988, and in the Pacific theatre the last two F-
4E squadrons converted to F-16C/Ds in 1989. The TAC kept
its F-4Es a bit longer, not relinquishing its machines until the
early 1990s. By the time of Desert Storm in January 1991,
almost all of the F-4Es had been withdrawn from ac tive duty
USAF units, having been passed along to foreign customers
or placed in storage. Neve rtheless, a handful of Pave Tack
capable F-4Es flew with the 7440th Composite Wing based at
lncirlik AFB in Turkey, operating against targets in
north-western Iraq. The F-4E served briefly with the Air
National Guard and the last aircraft left Guard service in
1991, when the 113th TFS of the Missouri ANG converted to
F-16C/D fighters.
Front Line F-4E Operators
1st Tactical Fighter Wing, MacDill AFB, Florida, 1970-
1975. Moved to Langley AFB, VA in June 1975 and
converted to F-15 Eagle.
3rd Tactical Fighter Wing, 1974-1991. Upgraded to F-4E by
late 1974. Moved to ClarkAB, Philippines Sept 16, 1974 to
replace the 406th FW. Last F-4Es went to AMARC at the same
time the unit was transferred to Elmendorf AFB in 1991.
4th Tactical Fighter Wi ng, Seymour Johnson AFB, 1970-
1990. Re-equipped wi th F-15E Strike Eagle by 1990.
15th Tactical Fighter Wing, MacDiUAFB, Florida.
Inactivated 1970, assets reassigned to 1st TFW.
21st Composite Wing, 21st Tactical Fighter Wing,
Elmendorf AFB, Alaska, 1970-1 982.
 69-256 from Bitburg
31st Tactical Fighter Wing, Homestead AFB, Florida, 1970- 4485th Test Squadron
1987. 4425th Fighter Weapons Wing
32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 1969-1978. 4531th TFW
33rd Tactical Fighter Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida, to1979.
35th Tactical Fighter Wing
36th Tactical Fighter Wing
37th Tactical Fighter Wing
49th Tactical Fighter Wing
50th Tactical Fighter Wi ng
51st Fighter Interceptor Wing, Osan AB, Korea.
52nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem AB, Germany.
54th Tactical Fighter Wing, Kunsan AB, Korea. Activated
on June 15,1970 taking the place of the reassigned 354th
TFW. Two F-4E units were attached: the 16th TFS, 33rd
TFW, 478th TFS. Inactivated Oct 31,1970.
56th Tactical Fighter Wing, MacDill AFB, Florida.
57th Fighter Weapons Wing, Nell is AFB, Nevada.
57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Keflavik AB, Iceland.
A variation on the Hill Grey
86th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ramstein AB, Germany. Second Line F-4E Units scheme was the 'Cloud' paint
347th Tactical Fighter Wing, Moody AFB, Georgia, 1975- Two Air Force Reserve squadrons received F-4Es. These were job applied to the Texas ANG
for a Gunsmoke Exercise
Je 1988. the 457th TFS of the 20lth TFW, which received F-4Es in (© Author's Collection)
68th TFS, 70th TFS, 339th TFS (May 1976-Sept 1983), 1987, and the 704th TFS of the 924th TFG, receiving F-4Es in
69th TFS (Sept 1983-1988). 1989. Both of these squadrons traded-in their F-4Es for F-
16A/B fighters in 1991.
F-4Es began to reach the Air National Guard in 1985, the
The 5000th Phantom built
aircraft having been fo rmer USAF planes which had been (© McDonnell Douglas)

removed from active service. The following ANG squadrons

were equipped with F-4Es.
110th TFS, 131st TFW, Missouri ANG
113th TFS, 181st TFG, Indiana ANG
141st TFS, 108th TFW, New Jersey ANG
163rd TFS, 122nd TFW, Indiana ANG
196th TFS, 163rd TFG, California ANG

354th Tactical Fighter Wi ng, Kunsan AB, Korea. Wi ng's

The 50 57th and last SI. louis
assets transferred to the 54th TFW at Myrtle Beach AFB, built Phantom
(© McDonnell Douglas)
SC on June 14, 1970.
366th Tactical Fighter Wing. 4th FTS and 421 st TFS
arrived from CONUS in April 1969 with F-4Es to join the
F-4Ds at Da Nang AB. Both left in May of 1972 to join the
432nd TRW at Takhli RTAFB.
388th Tactical Fighter Wing, Korat RTAFB, Thailand.
405th Fighter Wing
432nd Tactical Fighter Wing
3274th Test Squadron

TheF-4E ~
Hard worked, and bleached
by the sun, this short-nosed
F-4E from the 34th TFS at
Korat AFB awaits its crew
(<0 via Glenn Sands)
Dropping a full load of
destruction (© via Glenn Sands)
~ Chapter3
The F-4E in the Vietnam War
s noted elsewhere, details of the F-4E's work in the Vietnam by the F-4E were ground-attack missions. The
A
Vietnam War is beyond the remit of this Datatfile, diversity of missions undertaken by the Phantom was a
however it is recognised the major contribution the testament to its flexibility, and this work would not be
Phantom made in South East Asia. The first F-4Es reached complete without a gallery of F-4Es during the conflict.
Southeast Asia in November of 1968, eq uipping the 469th TFS
at Korat in Thailand. The 4th FTS and 42 1st TFS arrived in
Apr il 1969 with F-4Es to join the F-4Ds of the 366th TFW at
Da Nang AB. After this, the F-4Ds of the 366th TFW assumed
forward air control duties, whereas the F-4Es concentrated on
aircraft escort duties and conducted ground attack missions.
Six more F-4E squadrons deployed to Vietnam and Thailand
_ ......... In the company of a 'Wild Weasel' F-105, this 34 TFS Phantom also
carries ALa-71 jammer pods (© via Glenn Sands)
in 1972 in response to the North Vietnamese invasion of the
South in the spring of 1972. The F-4E was credited with 21
MiG kills during the wa r. 10 of these were brought down by
Sparrows, five with gu nfire, four with Sidewinders, one with a
A fully laden 469 TFS bird en-route to target in South Vietnam carrying a
combinat ion of Sidewinder and gunfire, and one while variety of ordnance (© USAF)
manoeuvring. However, most combat missions flown in
 Carrying a brace of AGM-12
'Bullpup' missiles and 500lb
bombs this short·nosed F-4E
is from the 469th TFS
(© via Glenn Sands)

Devoid of any tanks or ordnance this short·nosed F-4E sits in its revetment at Karat RTAB Looking mean is 71-283, a MiG Killer in its own right (© via Glenn Sands)
na Glenn Sands)

Loaded with 'iron' 67-219 sits on the 'alert·ramp' at Karat RTAB, and is one of the 35 aircraft with a tan radome (© viaGlennSands)

70-208 'The Come The Judge' (© J.W Boyce)

The F-4E ~
70-279 'Wreckin Crew ' complete with Sharkmouth sits with empty Multiple Ejector Racks on its wings at Korat in 1970 (© JW Boyce)

366th TFW 'Gunfighters', this emblem is on both sides. Black 'Phantom' and lettering, An F-4D of the 435 TFS 8th TFW at Ubon's 'Eagle Squadron '. This is the CO's aircrafl, and
medium blue background, yellow shells, red and white flame, gun pod, sneakers and outline note the 'Wollpack Lead' legend on the cockpit air intake (© A Piccirillo)
all in white (© A Piccirillo)

Refuelling prior to target run. The F-4E in the foreground has fuse extenders on its bombs, A cheery smile for the camera as this 'short-nosed' F-4E taxies out (© J.W Boyce)
making them the consummate 'daisy cutters' (© via Glenn sands)

~ Chapter3
Battle damage sustained by an F-4E (© J.W Boyce)

70-279 'Wreckin Crew ' (© J.W Boyce)

A well worn F-4E is towed out to be prepared for another mission (© J.w Boyce) An F-4E 67-230 en route to target with fuse extenders on its bomb load (© J.w Boyce)

A 469 TFS aircraft 'Uttle Chris' at Korat RTAB (© via Glenn Sands)

The F-4E ~
A line study 01 a 57 FIS F-4E (© Glenn Sands)

Keflavik F-4E's
he 57 Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at Keflav ik in

T Iceland was amongst the more unusual F-4E units in

that its aircraft were employed on Air Defence duties
and were the only Air Force 'E's to be painted in overall Air
Defence Grey (FS 16473). The aircraft were from Block 33
with leading-edge manoeuvring slats and were employed on
long-range patrols across the extreme North Atlantic. often
intercepting Soviet Tu-95 Bears.

Fully marked. but still in camouflage colours. 66-328 burns some rubber (© Glenn Sands)

q
U. S. AlUQRCE

66-336 taken at Eglin AFB in 1982 (© Glenn Sands)

~ Chapter3
 .-•••••I~

With its unique knight's helmet emblem on the tail, 66-300 awaits another crew (@GlennSands)

The splitter plate was an ideal canvas for the U.S. colours (C1 Michael Baldock)

4{-./•••••-..
..........
'\ \

66-336 touches down at Keflavik (© Autho(s COllection)

The F-4E ~

l
Based at Clark AFB in the Philippines and wearing the 'European l ' colour scheme, 68-483 belonged to the 3rd TFW (~ via Marl< Smith)

Sharksmouth
he elongated shape of the F-4E's nose with its shallow

T radome and undernose gun made it an idea l canvas for

the venerated Sharksmouth! Ma ny such examples were
painted on the F-4E during its service life and here are just a
few examples.

A Spangdahlem Phantom unleashes a fearsome warload (© USAF)

Another Clark AFB 'Spook', this time in wrap-around SEA garb, but fhe Sharksmouth is still splendid! (© via Marl< Smith)

~ Chapter3
Another Ramstein Phantom with a more restrained nose! Note the yellow A on the tail, worn as an exercise marking, and also note the 'Fast Track' pod in the forward Sparrow well
("' via Mark Smith)

Osan based 69-303 in 'Lizard' (© Wa Mark Smith)

The pride of St.louis, with the McDonnell Douglas plant in the background, this double MiG-Killer from the 131 stTFW looks quite splendid it its Hill Grey scheme (© Author's Collection)

The F-4E ~
Not so much a Sharksmouth, more a Flame·Mouth, the 335th TFS' Commander's aircraft is nonetheless spectacular! (© via Mark Smfth)

68·337 from the 'Silver lobos' and a Five·Star MiG·Killer to boot, proudly wears the 'Shark' (© via Mark Smith)

Perhaps the most fearsome of the Sharksmouths were the ones applied to the Ramstein 'Spooks' in the early 1980's (© via Glenn Sands)

~ Chapter3
F-4E in Detail

"M6 1,1. 1C.UI'l

1. D"~US U ·11
l . "TOU.UlIe OUtCIl O" COI'IIlE( n
•• CU .. FEEOC Hun
S. DRUNUITIhIIT
•• ANo/IIUHIfIOtHOUTER)D IIUM
1. DRUM EHTllAI'ICfUHt T
I. RlTURM (HUff
' . PALU, ASSU'ILY
10. "TOUULICOR IVEASSEMII LT
11. CU" Fn:OUHIT

The F-4E carried a nose-mounted General Electric M61A1 20mm Gatling cannon. Etectrically driven, this six-barrel gun was capable of firing 6,000 rounds per minute and came with
a 640 round drum (© Author's Collection)

68-533 from the 'New Jersey Tigers' with the long cannon muzzle (© Aulhor'S Colleclion)

The F-4E's GE M61A1

assembly (© Wa Mark Smith)

Two types of muzzle fairings were used on the F-4E, short and long types. The long fairing
covered the MIDAS 4 gun gas diffuser which eliminated gas ingestion into the engines
(© McDonnell Doug/as)

66-319 with the short gun muzzle (© Author's Colleclion)

TheF-4E ~
F-4E in Detail

Airplane Loading

A MER (Multiple Ejector Rack) on the inner wing pylon. Note also the chaff and flare
dispenser scabbed to the outer face of the pylon (© Aullior·s Colleclion)
Aircraft Loadout Chart (© McDonnell Douglas)

64-468 showing the copious amount of stencil data applied to the F-4 after the A Westinghouse AN/ASQ-153 Pave Spike Pod in the forward Sparrow missile bay
Vietnam War (© via Mark Smilli) (© AUlhor·s Colleelion)

A brace of AGM-65 Mavericks on the inner wing pylon (©Author's Colleetion) The slatted wing with its manoeuvring flaps (© Aullior's Colleelion)

~ Chapter 3
F-4E in Detail

Pylon fitment chart (© McDof1lJell Doug/as)

Open port engine bay access panel (© Author's Collection)

Open starboard engine bay access panel (© Author's Collection)

The power behind the Phantom. The General Electric J79 engine (© McDonnell Doug/as)

rn PUSH o,eN !!IUnON TO .... ISE CANOPY .

DII'IIISS lunON IN SUP TO Rnun LADon

Canopy opening buttons and internal step (© McDonnell Doug/as)

Detail of the afterburner cans (© Author's Collection)

The F-4E ~
F-4E in Detail

A view of the open engine access bay from below (© Author's Collection) A J79 on its dolly waiting for upload to a Phantom (© Author's Collection)

EJECTIO N SEAT

SLlt C"'NOI'Y INIUArc»:

( £X'LO!o/V(D{VICE)

F·4E hazardous areas chart

(© McDonnell Douglas)

I.EGENO

--=
()(TU",,"LW,NG
fI..,u'''''NI((L' II
=
c:::::J A,lk

=
[ ::=:J CO 2

c:::::J O:'lOSIVfONICfS

68·534 carries a single AGM·45 Maverick missile (© USAF)

~ Chapter3
F-4E in Detail

looking upwards into the main wheel well (~Author's Collection)

A Bitburg based F-4E carrying the largely unsuccessful Hughes Parachute housing at the rear of the F-4E (© Author's Collection)
Falcon missiles (© via Mark Smith)

One of the many duties of the F-4 was target towing. and here Ramstein based 68386 carries a target Dart and winch cable (© Glenn Sands)

The F-4E ~
The TISEO oplics were lifted
10 the inner left wing
(© Author's Collection)

The TISEO system (© Northrop)

Northrop TISEO

y o better aid visual identification of targets Block 48

Phantoms were fitted with a Northrop-designed AN/ASX-
1 electro-optical 'TISEO' (Target Identification System
Electro-Optical) target acquisition and tracking sensor, which
was mounted on the inner left wing leading edge The ANI ASX-l
provided sharp close-up images of hostile aircraft outside of
visual range. Typical identification ranges quoted were: a DC-IO
at 8S miles, an F- lll at 40 miles, a C-130 at 3S miles and an F-S
at 10 miles.

~ Chapter3
 30 30

SPOrl l NG FiEl D O F V l fW Wlnl TISEO IN TRACK MODE

1. T A R G ET
2. PFQV M A RKERS
3, TISE O C ROSSH A IR -C R OSS H A IR INDICATES LINE
O F S IGHT T O TA RGET B E ING TRAC KED.
4. TRAC K WINDOW _ WIN DOW EXPANDS PROPORTIONALLY
IN SIZE TO HO V TR ACKE R V IDEO - INDICATES TISEO
OPTICAL L OC K .Q N .

30
30
SPOTTING F iEl D 01 view WITH TISEO AND RADAR IN
TRA C K MO D E

\. T AR GET
2. PFOV M A RKER S
J. RADAR CR OSSH AIR - CROSS HAIR DISPLAYS RADAR
ANTEN NA LIN E OF SIGHT T O TARGET. CROSSHA1A
IS DISPLAY EO ONl Y AFTER RADAR TRACK AND THE
ANTENNA LINE OF SIGHT TO TARGET IS WITHIN THE
TISEO FIELD OF VIEW . WITH TISEO AND RADAR
TRACKING SAME TARGET , C ROSSHAIRS ARE
SUPERIMPOSED .
4. TISEO CROSSHAIR
S. RANGE SYMBOL - S YMBOL DISPLAYS RA DAR RANGE
TO TARGET AN D IS OISPLAYED ONLY AFTER RADAR
LOCK -ON IN AIR TO AIR MODE .
TRACK WINDO W

PREC ISION FIELD O F V IEW WITH TISEO IN TRACK MODE

TARGET
Wearing the 'European l ' camouflage scheme and carrying an ALQ-131 TRACK WINDOW - WINDOW EXPANDS PROPORTIONALLY
IN SIZE TO TRACKING VIDEO.
jammer pod, Spangdahlem based 74-630 displays its TISEO pod as part TISEO CROSSHAIA - CROSSHAIR INDICATES LINE
O F SIGHT TO TARGET BEING TRACKED.
of the AN/ARN-1 01 (V) upgrade (© via Glenn Sands)

PRECISION FIELD Of VIEW WITH TISEO AND RADAR IN

TRACK MOOE

1. TARGET
2. TISEO TRACK WINDOW
J. RADAR CROSS HAIR

TISEO C ROSS H A IR
RANGE SYM BOL

30 30

TISEO in detail (© via Glenn Sands) The TISEO cockpit modes (© McDDnnell DDuglas)

TheF-4E ~
 - -------
...--.
------
--------
-------
Spangdahlem based F-4E 74-052 showing its AN/ARN-1 01 (V) conliguration (© Aultro,-, colleclion)

AN/ARN-1 01 (V) Modification

he Lear Siegler AN/ARN-IOI(V) (or 'Arnie' in Air Force

T parlance) upgrade was applied to some 180

TISEO-equipped block 48 F-4E's. This retro-fit changed
their avionics from analogue to digital making these 'E's entirely
different aircraft in terms of capability. Externally most
noticeable was the addition of a 'doghouse' fairing on the spine
and new antennae on the rear spine and behind the cockpit,
along with static dissipators which were fitted to the wing tips,
fuel dump pipe, and the top and rear face of the tailfin. In

Inside the back seat showing

the additional control panel
behind the radar stick
(© Author's collection)

~ Chapter 3
The 'doghouse' fairing on the spine
(© Author's collection) The positioning of the
AN/ARN-1 01 (V)'s main
components is seen here on
the AirDoc resin conversion
Static Disipators set instructions
on Tail

practice, however, only those dissipators on the tail were carried.

There were no major changes in the front cockpit, however in
the WSO's station a digital display was added beneath the
RHAW scope and a new keypad fitted behind the radar control
handle. Additionally the ASN-63 inertial navigation system, the
ASQ-91 weapons release computer, and the ASN-46A analogue
navigation computer set were deleted whilst the ASG-26 lead AN/ANR- lOl Fairing

computing optical gun sight was improved.

A new digital display was

added beneath the RHAW
(© Author's collection)

Thef-4E ~
F-4E Cockpit

For such a large aircraft the F-4E's front and rear cockpits were
tightly packed and as the aircraft matured and different sensors
and armament were fitted, so changes in both cockpits were
necessary to control any used and new equipment.

Front cockpit (© Author's collection)

'<~-~M'
'~)1
,." ,.,.,,~,-. , .... . -~ .. "
. . _ _ _ fl''-<·'J''''17011l'''lUlf-.o(_II.'''''$ONlY.

r:
D """.. "'''"-''''' .. ) IVlO .. CO><OVI' ''''''.UIIION '-.C:-l) .,.111"
"'.... ··oc·:ft .. _ . ·.OO1< .. ·07''''''''._.II-I' __ ... O
.. ...oc· " ...n- ......... ·OC·" .. -«I.
· ~~~'.:'IIo~=.~.'~"':'~Do>< .. ..o(-;a ... . " _ .......

Throttle Levers (© McDonnell Doug/as) Froni cockpit (© Aulhor's colleclion)

~ Chapter3
 F-4E Cockpit

1-::;,:,;,1 ! I KON' COCKPIT 7

, ... ".... " .. ......'. l EFT CONSOl[AREA MA IIt PAN El AR EA RIGIITCO NSO Lfo\FlfA ami
· ....,-,."'......",............. I:-1::1 : I:j
'

,,,,,... .,,'"
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"

....... ....
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..........', ......
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..." ........ ".,.I<-C......... ,

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iiJ~ -
. _... _..... . . . ." ...........
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'

......." ,...... .. . . ......"..... "

_ -..."
...... or •• ,, _ _ ,

"",,,,-,,,,,~,,,,-
......... ..:
. """""''''.''-''''
"'-,..,_ ..." ",~ "

Fronl cockpit before wing slats were fitted (© McDonnell Doug/as)

COKTHO(' STICKS

mlllla~:iiffi"__ JL.===---.. '.IM·ii-liM" s,o.tM:t!feVQUICII

MlLUEUVU

HtAOiliGHOlO
RULUElUffOll

Control sticks (© McDonnell Doug/as)

Front cockpit diagram (© McDonnell Doug/as)

Looking at the cockpit of an F-4E from a KC-10 Tanker (© Author's collee/ion)

The F·4E ~

b
F-4E Cockpit

h l C; .. ,
INl I. \.IMIN1
\Ic .. n
( 0 -.0'0\.

. r,
~
"':" ~ . • ... O....' O"ITV Iwn CH

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tANH

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CD WIA,I00HS
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CONlIOlUI
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.. "n
CD ,," UKn U,I T ....... /III,IN I
CON1I0I ,A ... n

Front cockpit control panels 1 (© McDoonell Douglas) Front cockpit control panels 2 (© McDonnell Douglas)

H T
6 8 '(5e ~
0
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0
S10IH'HI"\I ~
UOMlItlJ11 0 N ) -
Ig!qlDI tJ ~
Oel[] llBl~1
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......iir"lI.... .~. " ;~ \WIICrI fjj'\
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r\."M{. • ~ !TIll CO NTROL "iO - IS'"

·H w .~. G'~'vF
0INTU. fA.GIl OA'A INDICATO I @CONTIO l SII(I AU(/f.Ul'
lI Ull

(0 CONTROl - IN DICATO.
I_ V "

o
@
I l AN';.N Ci ' UIS!
... "",Wllt · OIVIO "
llU n

An COCK!"IT
Aft C O( I(P II

I , ~ .. " . ! - IIA "11 ' ''' ~1I' 1

Rear cockpit control panels 1 (© McDo"'ell Douglas) Rear cockpit control panels 2 (© McDonnell Doug/as)

~ Chapter3
F-4E Cockpit

.. """ . ,

~,~' ~
"""
.' .·.'.l ',-'
., '".
REAR COCKPIT /
,

o
.. ,'."

'

"'''!.'' ".~"
. .,.
I

. ..
"-
"

".
. .
..',.
F.4E LiiIG!II
I "H:;::~.;::'::J
, '. """.r· .~ I
,
( " .....

f r. r,'.l<l
c-,.. , ru II I 'J U UI., .. ,

Rear cockpit with Maverick missile controls fitted (© McDonnell Douglas)

Rear cockpit (© Aulhor's colleclion)

Rear cockpit (© McDonnell Doug/as)

TheF·4E ~
The F-4G

A classic shot of an F-4G

F
carrying HARM missiles -4C airframes were converted to the EF-4C/D Wild
(© via Tony Thomborough)
Weasel IV configuration, but th ey suffered from a
number of deficiencies which limited their combat
effectiveness, as, for example, they were unable to carry the
Standard ARM, and consequently the EF-4C/D was seen
only as an interim Wild Weasel aircraft, pending the
introduction of a more suitable type. The F-4G designation
applied to 116 F-4Es which we re converted to the Wild
Weasel role and these aircraft should not be confused with
the US Navy's F-4G which was the designation applied to
twelve F-4Bs fitted with automatic carrier landing systems.
A YF-4E (65-0713 ) was fitted with a mock-up installation
of the ANI APR-38 HAWC (Homing Radar And Warning
Computer) attack wa rning system, the RHAWS, and the
results were sufficiently satisfactory that the decision was
made to convert 116 low-time F-4E airframes for the anti-
SAM role and the code name 'Wild Weasel V' was assigned
to the project. F-4E 69-7254 served as the YF-4G prototype,
although it was originally known as the F-4E Advanced Wild
Weasel, and this aircraft was fitted with leading-edge
manoeuvring slats. The most notable external modification
was the removal of the M61Al cannon and its am munition
drum and its replacement by a glass fibre under-nose
fa iring that housed forward and side-looking radar antenna F-15 style 600lb fuel tank freeing up the wing stations for
and li ne replacement units for the AN/APR-38 radar weaponry and smokeless j79-GE-17E engines.
warning and attack system. Initially developed by IBM There were a total of 52 receiving and emitting antenna
Federal Systems under the TAC Pave Strike program, the to be found all over the aircraft, the main ones being located
APR-38 was structured aro und a Texas Instruments general in the nose fair ing with others being housed in a pod
purpose computer, a Loral control indicator set and several mounted on top of the fin. Eight of the blade antennas that
IBM receive rs. This system could be reprogrammed at protruded from the fuselage provided low-band
squadron level, and was able to identify known enemy air- omnidirectional signal reception, with five others being
defence radar systems and display their locations in a directional and capable of giving the threat bearing on the
predetermined order of priority. The under-nose fairing display in the rear cockpit. The main radar of the F-4G was
A European 1 camouflaged also had a ram inlet that admitted cooling air to the the same Westinghouse ANI APQ- 120 that was fitted to the
F-4G 69-286 from
Spangdahlem in Germany interior, which helped to cool the av ionics systems inside F-4E but with a new digital processor, and as with the F-4E
(© via Glenn Sands) the nose. The centreline station was modified to carr y an aft-firing Tracor ALE-40 chaff and flare launchers were

~ Chapter4
fitted to the side of the wing pylons In support of its mission, the F-4G could carry the AGM-
The specialised role of the F-4G becomes more apparent 45 Shrike and the AGM-78 Standard an ti-radiation missiles
in the cockpit. The front station retained most of the F-4E's in its 'hunter' role, as well as bombs, Rockeye Cluster
instrumentation but a warning and control panel was added Munitions, GBU-15 glide bombs and AGM-65 TV or infra-
together with a plan position indicator (PPJ) scope which red Maverick air-to-surface missiles in its hunter-killer role.
repeated range and azimuth data from the EWO's display. The Texas Instruments AGM-45 Shrike was the first missile
The lead computing gunsight was modified to accept inputs specifically designed for the anti-radiation role and was
from the RHAW and a red reticle indicated the location of based in part on the Sparrow air-to-air missile and had
the designated emitter wh ile a green cross was relative to more or less the same basic configuration. The Shrike had a
the aircraft's ground track. In the backseat the 'Electronic launch weight of about 390 pounds and carried a 145 pound
Warfare Officer' (EWO) or 'Bear' (in his bear-pit) as he was explosive warhead and a range of around 18 to 25 miles
in Wild Weasel parlance, had three main displays: a plan- with guidance being provided by a monopulse crystal video
position indicator, a panoramic analysis display, and a receiver. When the receiver in the missile's nose locked onto
homing indicator, with the plan-position indicator as a target, the crew fired the mi ssile. After launch, the missile
already noted being duplicated on the pilot's control panel. flew a ballistic path until the control system was activated.
The last user 01 the F-4G was
The APQ-120 radar scope was retained but the instrument At that time, the receiver onboard the Shrike began the Idaho Air National Guard
(ro Author's Collection)
panel was enlarged, almost up to the canopy frame, with all updating the guidance by determining the direction of the
flight instruments laid out horizontally across the top. These
included the attitude, airspeed, altimeter and some
navigation displays. The three APR- 38 displays were
arranged beneath these. The large rectangular PPI scope
display was to the left, the smaller panoramic/analysis scope
in the centre and the small homing and attack display at the
upper right. The PPI scope displayed up to 15 of the highest
priority threats. Symbols were used; 'A' for AAA sites, 3 for
SA-3 and emitter band designation and T for unknown
threats. Threats were designated by the EWO with a
diamond-shaped cursor over the threat symbol. Threat
ra nge, bearing and aircraft magnetic heading were then
displayed, and if a weapon was selected a footprint display
co uld then be called up.

TheF-4G ~
An F-4G takes on gas
(© Author's CoJ/ecUon)
hostile radiation, and the missile then homed onto the
enemy radar signal. In Vietnam, the initial experi ence with
the Shrike was rather disappointing. After some trial and
error, the enemy found they co uld 'spoof' the Shrike by
simply turning their rada rs which wou ld cause the Shrike to
lose its lock and fall out of control. In addition, the receive r
of the Shrike was not able to deal with enemy radars that
were frequency-agi le; so all th at the enemy had to do to
defeat a Shrike attack was to switch his rada r to a different
frequency. The Ge neral Dynamics AGM -78 Standard Anti-
Radiation Missile was an attempt to correct some of the
deficiencies of the Shrike. It had a longer range and a large r
warhead and was based on the Standard RIM-66A ship-to-
air missile. This missile had a launch weight of about 1,400
pounds and carried a 2lS-pound wa rhead to a maximum
range was abo ut 3S miles. The missile fl ew on a dual-thrust
rocket motor and steered with tail controls and very low-
aspect ratio fi xed wings. The Standard ARM first ap peared
68-304 from the 35th TFW
bristling with stencils! in service in 1968 . The first version of the Standard had the
(© via Glenn 5ands)
simple Shri ke seeker, but later versions had the Maxson
~ Chapter4
broadb and radiation seeker wi th memory circuits to deal
with radar shutdown tactics.
In later yea rs, the Texas Instruments AGM-88 HARM
High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile was introduced , offering
a greatly enhanced kill capability and greater laun ch
ve rsatility. It was designed to provide much higher speeds
and much quicker target acquisition times so that enemy
radars co uld be destroyed before they had a chance to be
switched off or take other sorts of evasive ac tions. HA RM
had a launch weight of some 800 pounds with an effective
range of 17 miles and carried a fragmentation warhead
which destroyed the target by producing a deadly shower of
steel cubes. There were three bas ic modes of operation for
the HARM: Self Protect, Target of Opportunity, and Pre-
Briefed. In the Self- Protect mode, the launching aircraft's
systems detect the threat and assign its priority. The
aircra ft's on-board computers then pass along the data to
the HARM's computer and the missile is then launched. The
HARM can continue to fly toward the target even if the
enemy radar is switched off. In the Target of Opportunity

mode, the HARM's sensitive seeker is used to help to
determine when to launch against a previously unknown
threat. In the Pre-Briefed mode, the HARM can be
programmed on the groun d for up to three known types of
enemy radar emissions. Once in the air, the launching
aircraft can fire the HARM blind in the general direct ion of
these known enemy radar emitters. If they are silent, the
HARM wi ll self-destruct, but if an enemy site begins to
rad iate, the HARM wi ll au tomatically home in on it.
For self-protection, the F-4G could carry up to four AIM-
9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles on the sides of the inboard
underwing pylons. In addition, four AIM-7 Sparrows co uld
be carried in the underfuselage slots, however, the left front
slot was often taken up by the installation of a ALQ-119- I 2,
14 or an ALQ- 141 jammer pod although the jammers were
often turned off so as not to interfere with the RHAW.
All of the F-4Gs were rebuilds of Block 42 to 45 F-4Es.
The first of these aircraft (69-7254) was modified by
McDonnell and began flight trials in December of 1975.
Subsequent F-4G aircraft were modified by the Air Force at
Hill AFB in Utah with the last modification completed in
198 I. In the April of 1978 the first F-4Gs were issued to the
39th TFTS of the 35th TFW, based at George AFB in
California . In 1989, the 37th TFW was transferred to
Tonopah, Nevada to take over the operation of the F- 11 7,
and turned their F-4Gs back over to the 35th TFW. 1979 saw
the fi rst F-4Gs issued to the 52nd TFW based at
Spangdahlem AFB in Germany and in the same year, F-4Gs
were assigned to the 90th TFS of the 3rd TFW based at
Clark AFB in the Philippines. A two-part Performance
__-=:;:;;::c-::-.:--::~-- -
One of the Operation 'Provide
Update Program (PUP) was undertaken in th e mid-1980s Comfort' F-4G's exits its barn
with the first phase designed to expand the capability of the atlncerlik in Turkey
(<1:J via Gary Madgewick)
on -board computer by adding a new Unisys CP-1674 dig ita l
processor and the second upgraded of the APR-38 to APR-
47 standards.
The F-4G was the last version of the Phantom to remain
in front-line service with the USAF and follow ing the Gulf
War and the general defence drawdown after the collapse of
the Warsaw Pact, many USAF F-4Gs were turned over to the
Air National Guard. On April 12, 1991, the Department of
Defence anno unced that the F-4Gs wou ld all be reassigned
to ANG un its. Under th is plan, the 90th FS at Clark AB in
the Philippines was scheduled to convert from F-4E/Gs to
F-15Es and move to Alaska. The 35th FW at George AFB in
California was to be inactivated, and the 52nd FW at
Spangdahlem AB in Germany was to lose all of its F-4Gs
and these were to be transferred to the Idaho and Kentucky
A 561 st TFW bird with ornate
travel pod (<1:J Author's Collection)
~- SP',
52 TFW .
Showing off its Desert Storm
kill markings is the
Commander's aircraft from
Spangdahlem (© Gtenn Sands)
TheF-4G ~
A superb shot of a fully laden
F-4G with copious amounts of
stencilling! (© via Glenn Sands)
Showing the tail code of the
35th TFW, this Hill Grey II
Weasel looks almost pristine.
Subdued scheme 'Weasels'
appearing in 1987 (© Author's
Collection)
An F-4G from the Operational
Test unit (© Author's Collection)
~ Chapter4
ANG. The 190th TRS of the Idaho ANG began its conversion
from the RF-4C to the F-4G in June of 1991 and another
ANG RF-4C unit, the 192nd TRS from where had been
scheduled to convert to the F-4G (and had even painted
F-4G 69-7580 in its distinctive High Rollers insignia), but
the Defence Department changed its mind in 1991, and the
Idaho ANG was to be the only ANG unit to operate the F-4G.
However the combat experience of Desert Storm
indicated that the phase-out of the F-4G was premature, and
a new front line squadron, the 561st FS of the 57th FW, was
activated at Nellis AFB with the parent unit of the 561 st
being redesignated 57th Wing in April 1993. Also in 1993
the Spangdahlem based Weasels deployed to Incirlik in
Turkey in support of Operation Provide Comfort, the
enforcement of the no- fly zone over northern Iraq,
returning to Germany at the end of 1993. However, the need
to provide Wild Weasels to support Operation Southern
Watch in Saudi Arabia and Operation Provide Comfort in
Turkey res ulted in the 52nd FW retaining a few F-4Gs until
February 1994. The 81st TFS returned their last F-4Gs to th e
USA on March 18,1994 and these were to be the last US-
operated Phantoms to be based in Europe.
In April 1993, the 124th FW of the Idaho ANG took over
this responsibi lity and was ass igned to active duty in Saudi
Arabia to support Operation Southern Watch, and one of
these ANG F-4Gs fired an AGM-88 HARM missile in
response to a threaten ing Iraqi radar site near Basra. The
Idaho ANG F-4Gs were later transferred to Incirlik AB in
Turkey to support Operation Provide Comfort II, and overall
there were a total of four deployments to the Gulf, the last
aircraft returning to the USA in December 1995.
The F-1 6 replaced the F-4G in its Wild Weasel role and the
last active USAF F-4G unit, the 561st Fighter Squadron, was
inactivated at Nellis AFB in March of 1996 and its aircraft
placed in storage. This was fo llowed on April 20, 1996, with
the last F-4Gs being withdrawn by the 124th FW of the
Idaho ANG, and these were consigned to the boneyard at
Davis Monthan AFB marking the fina l departure of the
Phantom from active service with any American unit.
During 199 J, it was decided that those F-4Gs not transferred
to the ANG or placed in storage would be converted into
drones under the designation QF-4G. Tracor Flight Systems
of Austin, Texas was to do the conversion work, and
following the retirement of the type other airframes were
slated for conversion by BAe Systems for drone work (see
separate chapter for the QF-4 drone details) .
 The Commander's bird from
the 35th TFW with Shrike and
HARM. Fairly bristling with
spine antennae, note the SST-
181 X Combat Skyspot aerial
on the right of the three on
the spine, with the APR-3A
omni in the center
(© via Glenn Sands)

-
The F-4G Squadrons
USAF:
3rd TFW, 90th TFS
35th TFW
37th TFW (56 lth TFS, 563rd TFS, 562nd TFTS)
52nd TFW, 81st TFS
57th FW, 56lth FS
4485th Test Squadron
7440th Composite Wing
Air National Guard:
189th TRTF, 124th TRG, Idaho ANG
• 190th FS, 124th FG, Idaho ANG

Aircraft Serials
F-4Gs on the flight line at
Initial batch of 11 5 F-4Gs modified at the Ogden Air 7300/7303,79-7546,69-7550,69-7556,69-7558,69- Sheikh Isa AFB during the
Logistics Centre and initially fitted with the AN/APR-38 7560/7561,69-7566,69-7571 /7572, 69-7574,69- first Gulf War
(© via Tony Thomborough)
69-0236/0243,69-0245/0248, 69-0250/0255, 69- 757917584, and 69-7586/7588.
0257/0259,69-0261,69-0263, 69-0265,69-0267,69- Second batch of 18 F-4Gs modified at the Ogden Air
0269/0275,69-0277,69-0279/028 1,69-0283/0286, Logistics Centre and fitted from the outset with the
69-0292/0293,69-0297,69-0304,69-0306,69-720 1/7202, AN/APR-47:
69-7204/7220,69-7223,69-7228,69-7231/7236,69-725 1, 69-0244,69-0249, 69-0260,69-0264,69-0278,69-0290,69-
69-247 shows 0" its low-vis
69-7253/7254,69-7256/7260,69-7262/7263, 69-7270,69- 0298,69-0303,69-0305,69-0307,69-7252,69-7261,69- European 1 colour scheme
(© via Glenn Sands)
7272,69-7286/729 1, 69-7293,69-7295,69- 7298,69- 7267, 69-7268, 69-7274,69-7297, 69-755 1, and 69-7557.

TheF-4G ~
 Gulf War I F-4Gs

F
ollowing the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait on August 2, 1990,
the 561st TFS (part of the 35th TFW based at George
AFB) deployed to the Middle East as a part of Operation
Desert Shield. Twenty-four F-4Gs were deployed and they were
configured with three external fuel tanks (one on the centreline
and two underneath the outboard underwing pylons), four
chaff/flare dispensers, two AGM-88 HARM missiles on the
inboard pylons, three AIM-7M Sparrow missiles and an ALQ-
184 electronic countermeasures pod in The forward Sparrow
missile slot. When the Desert Storm shooting war began 35th
TFW's F-4G's were still the only defence suppression aircraft
available to the USAF and they played a vital role by cutting a
path through Iraqi air defences during the initial attack on
January 17. The F-4Gs of the 81st TFS 52nd TFW based at
Spangdahlem in Germany were also added to the assets of the
35th TFW based at Sheik Isa AFB in Bahrain and to the 7440th
Composite Wing based at Incirlik AFB in Turkey. During the war,
only one F-4G was lost,69-7571, which crashed on January 18,
1991, not a combat loss but a shortage of fuel whilst attempting
a landing at AI Kharj, with the crew ejecting.

~ Chapter4
A pair of Spangdahlem based
F-4Gs in their 'Vietnam style'
revetment at Sheikh Isa AFB
in Bahrain (el All/hor's Collection)

TheF-4G ~
 F-4G in Detail
· 1 A Spangdahlem F-4G
carrying the AN/ALQ-131 (V)
ECM pod (© Author's Collection)

· 2 & 3 Wing pylon mounted

chaff and flare dispenser
(10 Author's Cottection)

· 4 Wing pylon and adaptor

rail (10 Author's Cottection)

· 5 Standard ARM Anti-Radar

Missile

1100 Chapter 4
F-4G in Detail

- 6, 7 & 8 AGM·88 HARM

Anti·Radar Missile
: (© Author's Collection)

- 9 AN/ALa·119 ECM pod

. ....
, ~: : ,.. - 10 & 11 Left and right side
antennae (© Author's Cottection)
••
I • ' •

- 12 & 13 The APR·38A

undernose 'chin pod' with its
... (~
five spiral helix antennae in

.,
:
_ :'
'r---
the square panel
(© Author's Collection)

The F·4G ~
 F-4G in Detail

· 14 Lower VHF antennae

(© Author's Collection)

· 15 Engine intake probe

(© Author's Collection)

· 16 Left wing fuel dump pipe

(© Author's Collection)

· 17 Tail mounted antennae

(© Author's Collection)

· 18 TAT Probe
(© Author's Collection)

· 20 Front cockpit
(© Author's Collection)

diagrams opposite

· 21 Front cockpit
(© Author's Collection)

· 22 Rear cockpit
(© Author's Collection)

1102 Chapter 4
F-4G in Detail

i . . .·
/ (
/1
.I i
I .

The F·4G 103 1

Thunderbirds
Chapter 5
he us Air Forces premier display team the

T 'Thu nderbirds' was also a user of the F-4E as its display

platfo rm. The team adopted the brutish jet in 1969 and
flew the aircraft until 1973 when the oil crisis forced a move
to the more economical T-38 Talon, indeed five T-38s used
the same amo unt of fuel needed for just one Phantom! The
machines the team received were modified early production
F-4Es, which were amongst the few not to be retrofitted with
manoeuvri ng slats. The planes were stripped of their guns
and APQ-120 radar, ad these were replaced by storage bins
and ballast. The gun vents were faired over and a strip
navigation antenna was prov ided, along with glidescope and
VHF radios. Four dummy Sparrow missile shapes were
installed in the underfuselage slots, these serving as oil and
dye ta nks. The paints that had worked on the Thunderbird's
earlier F-lOOs made the F-4 look patchy because of
multicoloured alloys used in the Phantom to resist heat and
'Thunderbird l ' (© USAF) Close formation (© USAF)
fri ction at Mach 2 speeds. As a result, a special white

polyurethane based paint was developed to cover the problem

and this paint base remains a part of today's Thunderbird
aircraft. The team's conversion to the F-4s was the most
extensive in their history and compared with its
predecessors, the F-4 was immense. It was big and powerful
and with the earth-shaking roar of eight )-79 engines from
the'diamond four' no other demonstration aircraft
accomplished the mission of representing American airpower
more impressively than the Phantom.

The team taxis in alter

another display (© USAF)

1104 Chapter 5
The precision ground display was an integral part of the Thunderbird ethos (© USAF)

The gun was fa ired over for display work (© USAF)

U.S.AIR FORCE
aa;

In transit to another venue (© USAF)

Tucking up their wheels the aircraft go through a formation take-oft

(©USAF)

Streaming its braking chute Thunderbird 3 completes its display (© USAF)

Thunderbirds 105 I
QF-4E/G Target
Drones
QF-4G69-566 at Mojave in
2001 (© via Maik Smith)
A good view of the underside
of a QF-4G with high quantity
external flare pods (© 82nd ATS)
Enough to give any
heat-seeking missile a few
doubts! (© 82nd ATS)
1106 Chapter 6
he need to test the lethality and accuracy of weapons
T
and weapons systems has led to a number of ai rcraft
types bei ng converted to 'target drones' throughout the
years. With plenty of F-4s available after the type's retirement
it was a sensible option to convert a large number of these to
QF-4 status. Some Navy F-4Bs were converted to QF-4B target
drones and DF-4B drone cont rollers, and as later Phantom
vari ants were removed fro m fi rst-line service, ma ny of their
number were subsequently converted to target drones as
well, being collectively referred to simply as QF-4s. The
process begins with an F-4 being chosen from the Ae rospace
Maintenance and Regeneration Centre, better known as the
boneyard at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona. The aircraft is
then repa ired and bro ught back to fl ying status and flown to
the appointed contractor's facility for rewo rk to drone status.
Here the aircraft is stripped of any non-essential equipment
and fi tted with electronic components that enable the aircraft
to fly with or without a pilot in the cockpit. Most noticeable
on the late r QF-4E and G ve rsions is the pronounced 'hump'
on the spine conta ining some of this electronic gear. Added to
this are ae rial plates at the wing roots, and some airc raft have
white pole antennaes on the wing edges and at the rear of the
RWR fi n cap. Each drone conversion process takes around
160 days, after which a test fl ight is conducted and the
airc raft despatched to Tyndall or Holloman AFB, New Mexico
where the wide open desert spaces make ideal training
fac ilities within which to operate with a degree of safety.
Its interesti ng that some of the QF-4s retai n a piloted
capability, and this is because certain test and training
scenarios require a high degree of choreography to make
them as realistic as possible, and so pilots have to fl y the QF-
4s through dry runs to ensure that all details are considered.
The USAF refers to unpiloted flights using the acronym
NULLO (Not Utili zing Local Live Operator), while the Navy
calls them NOLO (No Onboard Live Operator). Up to fo ur QF-
4s can be flown in forma tion during NU LLO fl ights, however
the drones do not interact with each other, and they are
simply commanded to follow a specific movi ng point in space
known as a 'rabb it', with each aircraft maintaining a specific
three-dimensional offset fro m the 'rabbit'. The autopilot
system on the QF-4 is very sophisticated and, for example,
the re mote operator can land the aircraft simply by giving it a
single command to land. Once a QF-4 is used as an actual
target in exercises, its predicted lifeti me is no more than four
missions. The QF-4 also carries a self-destruct system in case
missile damage fa ils to shoot it down but causes it to become
a potential threat to pop ulated areas. While QF-4s conti nue to
 The smart 'Team Target' logo (© 82nd ATS)

Looking across a the 'Team Target' tail and wing pods aboard the smart QF-4G 69 7260 Another Pharewell on 69 303 (© Jason French)
(© 82ndATS)

QF-4E/G Phantom Target Drones 1071

QF-4G 69-581 at Mojave in 2001 (© via Mark Smith)

A rather sad looking F-4E 68 354 (© Dave Cibtey)

Too close for comfort! A Sidewinder explosion ripped a good chunk out of this QF-4 (© USAF)

A QF-4E 67 337. Note the dorsal hump (© David Loft) A NULLO Phantom over the Gulf of Mexico (© USAF)

1108 Chapter 6
A Phantom Pharewell aboard OF-4G 69-7295. Note the antennae plate at the wing root (© Mike Head) A NULLO Phantom comes in for a landing. Note the camera installation
on the tailfin (© BAe Systems)

be manufactured, they are now nearing the end of their

useful lives even as targets, as they are increasingly
unrepresentative of any adversary American pilots might
face. A new generation of targets is now under consideration,
possibly based on retired F-1 6A fighters. At the time of
writing the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall operates
approximately 40 full scale QF-4 aircraft which provide
manned and unmanned aerial targets, and the Squadron also
operates the USAF's only two E-9A ai rborne
platform/telemetry relay aircraft that provide ocean surface
surveillance and relay missile/target telemetry of missiles
fired in over-the-horizon profiles on the Gulf Ranges.
Detachment I, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron, Holloman Air
Force Base, NM, operates another 30 QF-4 fu ll-scale aerial
targets for use at the White Sands Missile Range.
Most of the QF-4's have a very poor paint finish, as they
have a very short life expectancy! All have orange Day-Glo
panels on their tail fins, tailplanes and both above and below
the outer sections of their wings. They carry no national
insignia save for an identification number on their tails and
few if any stencil markings. A couple of the later QF-4Gs
however have a marked difference in being smartly presented
in a gloss 'Hill Gray' scheme with a 'TD' tailcode, '53 WEG'
and smart 'Team Target' wording on their fin tips and Day-
Civilian contractors do their
Glo inner wing pylon tanks. best to effect repairs after a
close call with a Sidewinder!
(© USAF)

OF-4E 67-390 taken in 1997

(CC> via Mark Smith)

QF-4E/G Phantom Target Drones 1091

Test and Evaluation
ChaPte,7

66-291 an NF-4E of the 6512 TS (© v~ Marie Smfth)

A very fearsome F-4E! (© via Glenn Sands)

66-291 an NF-4E of the 6512 TS (© via Marie Smith)

~ Chapter7
67-455 carrying the HAFB taitcode (© Author's Coffection)

The 0" used YRF-4 had many guises, here seen in the Fly By Wire CCV 80-304, an F-4E carrying the HAFB tailcode (© via Glenn Sands)
configuration (© via Gtenn Sands)

63-424, an F-4C from Ogden AlC taxies out at Hill AFB, (© Via Mark Smith)

Test and Evaluation 2!.!J

Modelling the Phantom
Chapter S

Vietnam Phantom
Phantom F-4D Tamiya 1/32 scale
Gary Prettyman

T
hiSkit was originally released around 1995 and on
opening the large box the first thing you notice is a
full-length tube of bubble wrap containing a wholly
moulded fuselage. This is not the usual Tamiya moulding as you
don't have a left and right side; you have the upper fuselage as
one complete item and a one- piece moulding for the bottom of
the wing. The rest of the kit is pure Tamiya and includes:
• Positionable speed brakes
• Four Aim-9 Sidewinders
• Four Aim-7E Sparrows
• 6 Mk 82 500lb bombs,
• 6 Mk82 500 lb bombs with extender fuses
• Two 370 Gallon wing tanks.

~ ChapterB
• Metal undercarriage with rubber tyres
• Acomprehensive large decal sheet with the following options:
- Aircraft number 67 - 661, from the 435th TFS, 8th TFW,
coded FO.
- Aircraft number 66-279, from the 497th, 8th TFW, coded FP.
This aircraft has the added bonus of the Loran Antenna.
- Aircraft number 40- 829, from 8th TFW and this particular
one was flown by Colonel Robin Olds - Coded FG.

The cockpit is an important and intricate part of the aircraft

and Tamiya have changed the cockpit details from the early
Navy release and have included full Air Force instrumentation.
Although the deta il was good I wanted to improve its look so I
used Ed uard brass set number 32-544 and when this was
installed it certainly looked the part. The ejection seats are
adequate, but again I used two resin seats from Legend as they
gave a more detailed appearance when painted. The only
additional items added to the seats were the pull handles. These
were simply made from small gauge wire painted black and
yellow and then twisted together. The cockpit was painted in
Dark Gull Grey ES. 36231 and when dry was given a wash of

Modelling the Phantom ~


Raw Umber oil paint then brushed with a light shade of grey to
highlight the detail. The dials and other small details were
picked out with Red, White, Yellow, and Light Gull Grey. These
parts were then installed in to the fuselage, whilst the canopies
were dipped in 'Johnsons clear' then masked ready for spraying.
The Eduard brass set also provides the framing around the
canopies as well as the interior detail, and all these were painted
Matt Black.
Tamiya do make an excellent kit, but this one is not without
its faults. I discovered that when Tamiya were doing
measurements for this kit they used a Battle Damage Repair
(BDR) aircraft from Kadena Airbase in Okinawa, Japan. This
aircraft had repair patches on the upper fuselage and wings and
consequently Tamiya have included this detail on their kit! As
the patches are not part of any service aircraft they needed to be
removed. The air intakes do not escape either and there is a lot
of work to do in removing the seam on the deepest section of
the trunking. The inside of the intakes did not want to fit at all,
so in the end I had to admit defeat and fitted them as they came.
If there is one accessory you really need to buy for this kit it
would be the 'Seamless Intakes' which are available from Cutting
Edge. Unfortunately they were not available when I was building
this model!
~ Chapter S
•
The main afterburner has quite a few ejector pin marks and
these were tackled with a little 'Tipp-Ex' and once dry they were
sanded down and sprayed with Alclad Steel and set aside for
later use.
Moving on to the wings, I followed the instructions and glued
the two top halves to the single one-piece bottom and then I
'screwed and glued' the whole thing to the fuselage. The
undercarriage was next made up of plastic and metal parts
which all went together without any problems. Constructing the
rest of the kit was simple and straightforward and once
complete I set alJ the parts, (including wing tanks, missiles and
bombs) aside for painting later on. I used the missiles from the
kit, although you can get some rather good ones from
'Flightpath' as these have highly detailed white metal bodies and
brass fins. The nose was painted matt black and then when was
given a coat of semi matt black and set aside. The bombs were
assembled and painted thus: firstly paint the tips of the bombs
yellow, then when dry use an ordinary drinking straw and
attach this to the tip of the bomb covering tlle yellow. Then all
you have to do is simply spray on the Olive Drab!
Once all the kit parts were assembled, I gave the aircraft and
associated parts a coat of'Halford's' white primer, and once dry
any inlperfections were remedied using minute amounts of filler
and a little light sanding. Then the panel lines were sprayed with
thinned Tamiya matt black which dries very quickly. The paints
used for the rest of the model were enamels from 'White Ensign'.
I sprayed the bottom half of the aircraft and the bottom half of
the wing tanks with ES. 36622 Grey in thin layers, progressively Micro Set and Micro Sol was used to apply the decals and the
building up the colour until I was happy with the result. Spraying aircraft was then weathered with a wash of Raw Umber oil paint
in this manner also helps to accentuate the black lines and create with any excess being wiped with a small piece of cotton cloth
a shadowed effect. This was then left overnight, and followed by and white spirit. Remember to wipe in the direction of the
the fi rst of the Vietnam camouflage colours, FS34 102 Olive Drab airflow to ensure an authentic look. Once dry the model was
Green which was once again given an overnight stay. The next sprayed with a coat of matt varnish to complete the build.
colour was the FS30219 Tan followed by FS 34079 Dark Green. All Despite some of the little problems that I encountered during
of the painting was done freehand, using my trusty 'Iwata' the making of this model, this is still an outstanding kit.
airbrush. Attention now turned to the rear of the aircraft and to Tamiya once aga in must be applauded a truly
all the parts that needed to look metal. There was a small amount wonderful kit of an astounding aircraft.
of masking to do on the rear heat plates and around the exhaust
area which took around 20 minutes, and then the parts were
sprayed with Alclad Aluminium. I then sprayed a thin layer of
A1clad Steel over the top to make it look burnt from the heat of
the exhaust. After a further twenty-four hours
drying time two coats of Johnson's clear were
applied in preparation for the decals.

Modelling the Phantom ~

 'Wild Weasel'
Phantom F-4G Hasegawa 1/48 scale
Angelo Picardo

his model of The F-4G is part of Hasegawa's later version of detail that comes to life when painted black and highlighted

T Phantom moulds with recessed panel lines as opposed to

the raised ones, though some minor parts with raised
details are included in the box. This particular model is a re-
by dry brushing. The ejector seats feature an amazing amount of
detail. The seat harness is provided on the etched fret along with
the face curtain ejector seat firing handles. This little set is
release and features two marking schemes on the decal sheet crammed packed with detail that responds to paint and brings
different to those depicted in the instructions, and are noted on the whole thing to life. Other etched parts go together with
a supplementary sheet. acetate fLlm to form the actual instrument faces and the canopy
Construction begins with the cockpit. For injection moulding sills, as well as the pilot's mirrors and a few other instruments.
technology, the cockpit is not bad, and has nicely detailed Once the cockpit is completed it can be inserted into the
instrument panels and side consoles but rather sparse sidewall fuselage halves. When assembling the fuselage, care is needed
details.'Aires' provide an alternative in the form of their when cementing the spine as a large amount of detail such as
exquisitively detailed cockpit set for the Wild Weasel which panel lines, inspection access panels and the in-flight refuelling
consists of fourteen beautifully moulded cream coloured resin
parts along with a etched metal fret which enhances the cockpit
to the next level. The fuselage parts require modification to
accept the new resin and etched parts and this is made fairly
simple as the plastic is quite soft and cuts easily. The pilot's
instrument shroud, cockpit sills and inter-cockpit spacer all
need to be removed and the cockpit sidewalls need the basic
detail removing and a fair amount of its plastic thinning down
to get the resin tub to fit. The tub itself has a large pour plug on
its base and this needs to be removed and thinned as it has to sit
on top of the nosewheel bay. Care has to be taken here to ensure
it does not sit too high and further attention is necessary when
thinning the nose bay roof as the plastic and resin is pretty thin
by the time the correct fit is achieved. Once all this preparatory
work is done, the cockpit can be painted. The tub has separate
sidewalls, instrument panels, control columns and various
etched pedals and levers, which all feature an extraordinary level

~ ChapterS
receptacle could be lost. Despite being as careful as possible, I
still needed to re-engrave some panel lines removed by seam
clean-up. The tail fin is moulded to the fuselage halves and
features a leading edge probe which is also susceptible to
damage if you are not careful! Hasegawa provide the nose cone
as two separate parts that fit together very well, in fact, it is
almost seamless, however Hasegawa's Phantoms are let down by
their air intakes. Instead of the intakes disappearing down to the
turbine faces deep inside the fuselage, they end abruptly just
past the rear cockpit. I could have used one of the resin intake
sets but I decided to go for the easy option of making two FOD
guards from plastic card to hide the lack of depth.

Modelling the Phantom ~

 The lower wings include the belly section of the fuselage and
extend out to the wing fold line. The upper wings have the lower
half of the outer wings moulded integrally and these fi t together
perfectly and the wings also feature the modified extending
leading-edge slats on the outer wing panels. The fit of the wings
to the body needs some attention where the lower panel joins
the fuselage at the aft end, to ensure a nice clean
fit, but otherwise it's no problem. Hasegawa
include a good selection of under wing
stores: four Sparrow and four Sidewinders
AAMs; a Shrike and HARM anti-
radiation missile and an ALQ-119
jamming pod, and also included are
~ Chapter8
the standard Phantom wing and centre line tanks. The Shrike
and HARM are mounted on the inboard wing pylons on adaptor
ra ils and if these are fitted, the Sidewinders will be relegated to
the spares box. The inboard pylons are
from the earlier version of the F-4 and
feature some raised detail but this is
hardly noticeable. In the forward port
Sparrow well ALQ- 119 was added
leaving the 'Weasel' with three
Sparrows fo r self defence. All the
underwing stores, along with the
undercarriage and tailplanes,
were left until the end to keep
things easy fo r masking and
painting and to avoid damage.
Markings are provided for two versions of the 37th
Tactical Fighter Wing, 563rd Tactical Fighter Squadron aircraft,
one being in latter day 'Hill Grey' colours, whilst the other offers
a South East Asia scheme, which was chosen for this build. After
masking off the transparencies with
Tamiya masking tape, the canopy frames
and nose cone were sprayed with Humbrol's Matt
Black and once dry, the nose cone was masked off and the
underside painted with Humbrol's Light Grey (64) . For the upper
surface camouflage Humbrol's US Tan (118), US Dark Green
(11 6) and Humbrol's US Light Green (11 7) were used and to
achieve a hard demarcation line between colours, I masked the
outline with 'Silly Putty' and filled in the rest of the area with
regular masking tape. Once the camouflage painting was
completed, I removed all but the canopy masks and airbrushed
two coats of Klear Floor Polish onto the whole model to provide
a hard gloss base for the decals and fo r weathering.
The decals themselves are very well printed with excellent
colour density and perfec t registration. They were applied using
more Klear as a setting agent and thankfully unlike some
Phantoms, this version is not plastered in stencil data thus
--
making the whole process quick
and easy. The only struggle was with the fuselage
walkway decals which put up a bit of fight against going on
straight. Once the decals were dry, any excess fluid and decal
glue was wiped away and a wash of thinned raw umber oil paint
was applied to accentuate the panel lines. Some light dry
brushing and a few paint scrapes finished off the weathering,
and some streaking was applied to represent fluid and grime
caused by the air flow. When this was all done, Humbrol's matt
varnish returned the paint to a fla t finish. Once this was dry, I
than masked of the tail section and painted the metallic section
of the aircraft's rear with Humbrol's 'Metal Cote' colours using
their Aluminium, and Polished Steel, which buff up to a great
metallic sheen. The exhausts cans were painted using Gun Metal
and all the metallic sections were further weathered using
Tamiya XF-I S Smoke and some dry brushing with Aluminium.
Final assembly saw the fitting of the undercarriage,
external stores, tailplanes, canopies and a crew boarding
ladder which was included in the kit as well as the
aforementioned FOD guards, whose red finish added a
splash of colour to the model.
Modelling the Phantom ~
 Photo-Phantom
Phantom RF-4C Hasegawa 1/72 scale
Angelo Picardo

H
asegawa's model of the RF-4C has been available for
some time and is periodically re-released with new
markings and colour schemes. The subject of this model
has three marking variations for grey over white USAF aircraft
from the mid -sixties in a colour scheme usually associated with
US Navy Phantoms.
This build is 'straight from the box' and no extras were used
in order to show that a very reasonable model can be produced
without additional expenditure. As Hasegawa produce a number
of different F-4s in this scale, the fuselage mould is generic and
designed to enable a number of different types to be made from
its basic components; therefore the fuselage has a fore and aft vertical fin as a part of it, except for the tip. These two fuselage
split just behind the rear cockpit. The cockpit is nicely detailed halves go together with the minimum of fuss requiring only a
for a kit of this scale and the cockpit tub needs the bulkheads, hole to be opened up on the spine to receive a blade antenna.
instrument panels and control columns adding along with the One tip for reference is to fustly attach the nose to the rest of the
rear instrument panels and separate radar scope shroud. fuselage before bringing the halves together. Care in aligning the
Hasegawa provide decals for the instrument panels and side fuselage pieces is essential to ensure as seamless a joint as
console which in this scale are perfectly adequate. The real gems possible as any sanding or filling would destroy the fine detail
in the cockpit are the ejector seats. Each one is made up from along the spine. Another small piece of surgery requires the
five parts and the only addition required is a harness which can removal of the topmost probe on the tail fm. The next stage of
be scratch built. The whole of the cockpit assembly sits on top of assembly involves the air intakes which is a weak spot of this kit.
the nosewheel bay which is integral to the underside of the nose Hasegawa has the intakes rather truncated, ending just aft of the
itself. As parts of this model are also used for a US Navy version rear cockpit, so when you peer into the gloom of the intakes you
the retractable IFR probe section has to be fLlled as the US Air are greeted with a blank wall! Good advice would therefore be to
force use a different type refuelling system. Hasegawa provide seek out or construct a pair of FOD guards.
clear parts for the various camera ports on this reconnaissance The wings are in five parts
machine and they also provide a representation of the cameras. comprising the lower wing
The two sides of the nose, along with the underside and clear incorporating the fuselage belly,
camera port fairing, all fit together with ease, and can then be
set aside while the rest of the aircraft is built. The rear portion of
the fuselage is moulded with the

1120 Chapter 8
two upper wings and the sections outboard of the wing fold
point. These all go together with minimal fuss and only require
some slight trimming to attach to the fuselage. As the whole of
the underside would be white, along with the undercarriage legs,
bays and inner surface of the doors, these were attached at this
stage leaving the tyres and wheels for later addition.
The canopy is provided in four parts and these are thin and
clear but do have some flash present so a careful clean up is
required as they are quite brittle. Also included in the clear parts
are the fairings for the rear cockpit mirrors, but check carefully
as depending on which colour scheme you are making the
positions of these fairings may vary. For underwing stores, the
kit includes the standard wingmounted drop tanks, two types of
centreline tanks and USAF style inboard pylons that have
Sidewinder rails fitted, and again check any references for the
model you are making as to whether any AAMs were actually
carried. The two aft troughs for the Sparrow missiles are
blanked over on this version and the fit of these blanking parts
is perfect. One of the final assembly stages is for the drag chute
compartment fairing which is really a trial as this comes in two
very small pieces!
The kit features markings for three USAF RF-4Cs, all from
1965 with two from Shaw AFB, and one from Edwards Air Force
Base, the latter forming the basis of this model, and as stated
earlier, its grey over white scheme is one more readily associated
with the US Navy. After masking off the transparencies with
Tamiya tape, the canopy frames and anti -glare panel were
sprayed Humbrol Matt Black. The anti-glare panel was then
masked off and the model was given an overall cote of Humbrol
Light Grey (64). Once this had dried, the upper surface was
masked off and Humbrol Matt White applied to the underside
and the drop tanks, these being left off to the very last to avoid
them being prematurely jettisoned! The upper surface of the
flaps and the rudder was also sprayed white along with both
sides of the tailplanes.
To represent the two-tone metallic finish of the engine
exhaust plates Humbrol's Metal Cote colours, namely
Aluminium (27001) and Polished Steel (27003) were used and
to represent the darker finish on the exhaust cans, equal parts of
Polished Steel with Gun Metal (27004) were mixed and applied.
Once the paint had all dried, all the masking was removed
except for the ones on the transparencies, and the model was
airbrushed with a couple of cotes of Klear floor polish to provide
a gloss coat for decaling and weathering.
The kit's decals are well printed and in register though the
white portions are slightly translucent, however they settled
down well with the Klear polish being used as a setting
solution. Once the decals had dried, a wash of thinned Raw
Umber oil paint was applied to accentuate the panel lines. Once
this was dried, all remaining masks were removed, and the last
parts, such as drop tanks, tailplanes, wheels and exhaust cans
were added.
Modelling the Phantom ~
Kits Appendix I
US Air Force Phantom Kits
lthough there have been plenty of Phantom kits produced over the years

A there are surprisingly few available today, many hav ing been deleted or
just faded away. Some resurface under with new packaging, and the only
way to be sure of what is in a particular box is to read the reviews in the
modelling press, particularly Scale Aviation Modeller International. For this
Datafile we include this listing of kits, which at the time of writing are still part
Tamiya's 1/32 scale F-4C/D
of their individual manufacturer's catalogues, and whilst it is acknowledged that
many older kits may still be very good and highly sought after by both the
modeller and collector, it is the intention to look at only what is current at the Hasegawa's 1/48 RF-4C
date of publication and therefore ava ilable for modelling projects.

KIT NO SCALE TYPE NOTES

ACADEMY
4419 1:144 HE USAF Hasegawa's 1/48 F-4G

HASEGAWA
00787 ESCI 1/48 F-4E shorl nose
1:72 RF-4C USAF 35 Years Special
00790 1:72 F-4E USAF 30 Years Phabulous Phantoms
00791 1:72 RF-4C USAF
F-4E Tamiya's 1/32 F-4C/D
HAC02 1:72 USAF 'Lizard' scheme
HA848 1:72 F-4C/D USAF Bicentennial
09672 1:48 F-4G USAF 37th TFW
PT008 1:48 F-4E USAF 30 Years Phabulous Phantoms
PT009 1:48 F-4G USAF Wild Weasel

ITALERI Minicrah's 1/144 scale F-4E

2639 1:48 F-4E USAF

Hasegawa's 1/48 F-4E
MINICRAFT
1:144 F-4E USAF Warplanes of the World series

REVELL
4002 1:144 F-4E/J USAF

TAMIYA
60305 1:32 F-4C/D USAF
6310 1:32 F-4E USAF Early Production

A Gull Grey and While scheme adorns FJ-023 41023 (© Vi, Glenn Sands)

1122 Appendix I • Kits

Accessories & Conversions Appendix II
AEROCLUB EDUARD
C036 1/72 Phantom Canopy EDSS201 etched 1/72 F-4E Cockpit pre-painted
EJ003 metal 1/72 Martin Baker Mk 5H seats for early F-4 ED72448 etched 1/72 Cockpit ladder
V184 metal 1/72 Undercarriage Set EDSS265 etched 1/72 RF-4C Cockpit pre-painted
AIRWAVES ED72395 etched 1/72 Exhausts for Hasegawa kits
AEC32002 etched 1/32 F-4 E/J seat harness ED72446 etched 1/72 FaD covers
AEC72023 resin 1/72 Canopy set for Hasegawa kit EDXS043 mask 1/72 Canopy and wheels
AEC72035 etched 1/72 F-4E/J seat harness ED49231 etched 1/48 F-4E Cockpit set pre-painted
AIRES ED48434 etched 1/48 FaD covers
2009 resin 1/32 F-4E engine exhausts EDFE231 etched 1/48 F-4E Cockpit set for Hasegawa kit
4118 resin 1/48 Exhausts for Hasegawa kits ED48462 etched 1/48 Exhausts for Hasegawa kits
48123 resin 1/48 Wheel bays for Hasegawa kits EDFE340 etched 1/48 RF-4C Cockpit detail set pre-painted
4126 resin 1/48 Cockpit set for Hasegawa F-4E/F ED49257 etched 1/48 F-4G detail set
4231 resin 1/48 RF-4B/C Photo bay for Hasegawa kit EDFE257 etched 1/48 F-4G Cockpit detail set pre-painted
4240 resin 1/48 F-4C Cockpit set for Hasegawa kit ED32509 etched 1/32 Placards
4245 resin 1/48 F-4D Cockpit set for Hasegawa kit ED32503 etched 1/32 F-4E Interior set pre-painted
4255 resin 1/48 F-4E Cockpit set for Hasegawa Kit ED32545 etched 1/32 F-4C/D Interior set pre-painted for Tamiya kits
7083 resin 1/72 Wheel bays for Revell kit ED321 48 etched 1/32 F-4C/D Exterior set for Hasegawa kit
AIROOC ED32544 etched 1/32 F-4C Interior set pre-painted
4801 resin 1/48 F-4E/RF-4C AN/ARN-1 01 Modification ED32531 etched 1/32 F-4 Formation lights pre-painted
4802 resin 1/48 600 gal HPC tanks EDXL035 mask 1/32 Paint mask
4803 resin 1/48 F-4C/D/E/G Detail set ED32073 etched 1/32 F-4E Exterior set for Tamiya kit
BLACK BOX ED32032 etched 1/32 F-4C/D Detail set for Tamiya kit
48058 resin 1/48 F-4D Cockpit set for Hasegawa kit ED32074 etched 1/32 F-4 E Armament for Tamiya kit
3242 resin 1/32 F-4D Cockpit set with LORAN update ED32080 etched 1/32 F-4 Engine exhausts
3219 resin 1/32 F-4E Cockpit set for Tamiya kits EBIG3202 etched 1/32 F-4E Comprehensive detailing set
3243 resin 1/32 F-4D Cockpit set for Tamiya kit EBIG7203 etched 1/72 F-4E Comprehensive detailing set
CUTTING EDGE EBIG3234 etched 1/32 F-4D Comprehensive detailing set
32023 resin 1/32 F-4E conversion set for Tamiya kit EBIG3233 etched 1/32 F-4C Comprehensive detailing set
4855 resin 1/48 F-4C/D Seamless intakes for Hasegawa kits EBIG4813 etched 1/48 F-4G Comprehensive detailing set
32153 resin 1/32 ALO-71 Jammer Pods EBIG4809 etched 1/72 F-4E Comprehensive detailing set
EAGLE DESIGNS FLIGHT PATH
48CK06 resin 1/48 Late-style Phantom exhausts FHGS3203 resin 1/32 F-4E/F/GAirframe set
PARAGON DESIGNS
48086 resin 1/48 F-4 Flaps
32010 resin 1/32 Martin Baker Mk 7 Ejector seats
QUICKBOOST
OB48004 resin 1/48 Ejector seats
OB72011 resin 1/72 Ejector seats
TRUE DETAILS
48043 resin 1/48 USAF Wheels, weighted
72415 resin 1/72 Marin Baker Mk 7 ejector seats
Aires Phantom Aires 1/48 ejector seats Aires 1:48 wheel bay set 48516 resin 1/48 F-4C Cockpit set
exhausts
VERLINDEN
0373 resin 1/48 Martin baker Mk 7 ejector seats
0510 resin 1/48 F-4E Update set for Hasegawa kit
1115 resin 1/32 Martin Baker Mk 7 ejector seats
1126 resin 1/32 RF-4C Cockpit for Revell kit

Airwaves canopy set Aires F-4C Aires F-4D cockpit Quickboost1 /48
Phantom set set ejector seat

Eduard engine exhaust set Eduard F-4E set Eduard RF-4C detail set Eduard RF-4C cockpit set

Appendix II • Accessories & Conversions 1231

Decals APpendJII
Few USAF Units have been missed by decal manufacturers over the years, and new sheets continue to be added to the genre.
Once again for the purposes of this Datafile we have only included those sheets in production at the time of publication.

AEROMASTER LEADING EDGE

48000 1:48 F-4C F-4C 's over Vietnam part 2 (2) 7217 1:72 F-4G Idaho ANG 'Last of the Weasels'
48763 1:48 F-4C Early F-4C 's part 9 (4) 4817 1:48 F-4G Idaho ANG 'Last of the Weasels'
48764 1:48 F-4C Early F-4C 's part II (4) 3217 1:32 F-4G Idaho ANG 'Last of the Weasels'
48473 1:44 F-4C F-4C's over Vietnam part 3 (2) SUPERSCALE
AIROOC 481158 1:48 F-4C 171 st FIS William Tell 1984 (1)
32006 1:32 F-4G & RF-4C Phantoms in the Gulf War 480161 1:48 F-4C/E USAFE (3)
72006 1:72 F-4G & RF-4C Phantoms in the Gulf War 481030 1:48 RF-4C 192 TRS/165 TRS/67 RW (3)
3203 1:32 Various USAF Phantoms in Germany #1 TWOBOBS
3204 1:32 Various USAF Phantoms in Germany #2 72048 1:72 RF-4C No-Gun Shoguns
4803 1:48 Various USAF Phantoms in Germany # 1 72047 1:72 F-4C First of the Weasels
7203 1:72 Various USAF Phantoms in Germany # 1 48114 1:48 F-4C First of the Weasels
7204 1:72 Various USAF Phantoms in Germany #2 48050 1:48 QF-4G Team Target
CAM DECALS 32022 1:32 F-4E SEA Heroes (2)
48045 1:48 F-4E Thunderbirds XTRADECAL
3206 1:32 F-4E 34 TFS/469 TFS Vietnam (2) 72072 1:72 F-4 UK Based Phantoms (15)
EXPERTS CHOICE lOTZ
4803 1:48 F-4E 57 FIS Keflavik 32004 1:32 F-4E JJ Jaws (3)
4836 1:48 F-4E
4861 1:48 RF-4C 106 TRS/3247 Test (2)
7214 1:72 F-4E 163 TFS Blacksnakes (2)
7218 1:72 RF-4C 106th Recon Alabama ANG (1)
EAGLE STRIKE
48150 1:48 F-4E Vietnam Warriors (4) ~ •• I
~ 1/' •• 'iii
~ D -u ­
48208 1:48 F-4E Early USAF Phantom Stencils -0- -0- ... •
~:o: o ~
FOX ONE ~ ~c:;: ::::1 0 =

48012 1:48 F-4 USAF Walkways Zoll Decals JJ Jaws sheet Experts Choice Special RF-4C's
48024 1:48 F-4C/D USAF Phantoms in Vietnam (8)
HI DECAL
48023 1:48 RF-4C/F-4E USAF/IRIAF/Spanish
72053 1:72 RF-4C/F-4E USAF/IRIAF/Spanish
ISRA
ISRA37 1:48 F-4E Complete set of stencils for 1 aircraft
ISRA36 1:72 RF-4C Complete set of stencil s for 1 aircraft
ISRA39 1:32 F-4E Complete set of stencils for 1 aircraft Aeromaster 48-763 Early Campro 3206 F-4E Superscale 48-1158
Phantoms in Combat 9 William Tell F-4C

--~--.- .;;

Aeromaster 48-000 Aeromaster 48-473 Airdoc War Gulf Warriors Aeromaster 48-765 Early Isra Decals Stencils Leading Edge 4817 Gulf
Phantoms over Vietnam Phantoms over Vietnam 3 Phantoms II War Warriors

- -.•..:::..'=:..~- : -.. ~ :-~ ,;;;".

• -.;:.;;;.,....e ,
. ~~
~ - :: ...-:--:::~-,
.~o =. If"
'--;;:oiE'"
.--~ -~ -- If"

---- - -
TwoBobs 72-047 'First of TwoBobs 72-048 'No-Gun TwoBobs 48-050 Team Eagle Strike 48-208 Two Bobs 32-022 SEA Fox One 48-024 SEA
the Weasels' Shoguns' RF-4C target OF-4G Stencil sheet Heroes F-4e Phantoms

1124 Appendix III - Decals

USAF F-4 Main Differences Appendix IV
RF-4C F-4C F-4D F-4E F-4G
Engines J79-GE-15 J79-GE-15 J79-GE-15 J79-GE-17 J79-GE-1 7
No.7 Fuel Cell No No No Yes Yes
Ram Air Turbine Yes Yes Yes No No
Wing Fold Yes Yes Yes No No
Internal Gun No No No Yes No
Radar AN/APQ-99 AN/APQ-100 AN/APQ-109 AN/APQ-120 AN/APQ-120
Intercept Computer No AN/APQ-157 AN/APQ-157 or 165 AN/APQ-1 20, LRU-1 AN/APQ-120, LRU-1
TISEO No No No Yes lrom 71-237 + No
Radar Receiving Set AN/ ALR-17 or AN/ ALQ-1 25 No No No AN/APR-38A
Radar Warning Receiver AN/ALR-69 AN/APR-25 or -26 or AN/ALR-46 AN/APS-107 or AN/ALR-69 AN/ALR-69 or -74 AN/ALR-69 or -74
Radar Mapping AN/ APQ-1 02 or AN/UPD-4 or 8 No No No No
Weapons Release Computer No No AN/ASQ-91 (+AN/ARN-92) AN/ASQ-91 or AN/ARN-101 AN/ASQ-91 Mod or AN/ARN-101
INS Set AN/ASN-56 or AN/ARN-101 AN/ASN-48 AN/ASN-63 AN/ASN-63 or AN/ARN-101 AN/ASN-63 or AN/ARN-101
Leading Edge Slats No No No Yes Yes
Slotted Tail No No No Yes Yes
Length 62.9 ft 58.2 ft 58.2 ft 62.9 ft 63.0 ft
Wingspan 38.4 It 38.4 It 38.4 It 38.4 It 38.4 It
Height 16.5 ft 16.5 ft 16.5 ft 16.5 ft 16.5 It
Empty Weight 28,5461b 28,5391b 28,8731b 30,328 1b 30,3001b
Max Take-Off Weight 58,0001b 59,6891b 59,4831b 61,795 Ib 61 ,7951b
AIM-9 Sidewinder 4 4 4 4 4
AIM-7 Sparrow No 4 4 4 4
AGM-65 Maverick No No Block 30 + Yes Block 36 + Yes
Pave Spike Sensor No No Block 30 + From 67-342 Upwards No
Pave Tack Sensor From Block 37 + No No From Block 48 + Yes
ECM Pod Yes Blocks 16 - 24 Yes Yes Yes
AN/ALE-40 Chaff & Flares Yes No Yes Yes Yes

'E's and 'D's combine for a raid I<:J via Glenn Sands)

Appendix IV • USAF F-4 Main Differences 1251

Phantom Bibliography APpendi' V

Books Recon Phantoms Colours & USAF Phantom MiG Killers

Markings 1972-77
F-4 Phantom Bert Kinzey Peter Davies
Robert F Dorr Detail &Scale Osprey
Osprey ISBN 890242216 ISBN 97818414776
ISBN 850455871
Wings of Fame 15 F-4 Phantom Notebook
USAF F-4E & F-4G Various Wilson & Franzi
Bert Kinzey Aerospace Norebook Publications
Detail &Scale ISBN 1861840330 ISBN 1876722005
ISBN 853685258
Combat Legends F-4 Phantom F-4E Phantom Colours &
Air War Over Vietnam Martin Bowman Markings
Dana Bell Airlife Detail & Scale
Warbirds Illustrated 14
ISBN 853685738 Phantom Phantom Pilot Over Vietnam
Tony Holmes John Trotti
F-4 Gun Nosed Phantoms Chancellor Press
Kris Hughes & Walter Drahem ISBN 9781851529 F-4D Phantom II Colours &
Warbird Tech Markings Post Vietnam
ISBN 978093342 Phantoms Forever Bert Kinzey
Robert Dorr Detail &Scale
Rhino The Immortal Phantom Motorbooks
Joe Cupido ISBN 9780850474 F-4C/D & RF-4C In Detail &
Windrow & Greene Scale
ISBN 872004180 Superbase 1 Nellis Bert Kinzey
George Hall Detail &Scale
The Phantom Story Osprey
Anthony Thomborough &Peter E ISBN 850458447
Davies
Arms &Armour Press USAF MiG Killers 1965-68
ISBN 1854094165 Peter Davies
Osprey
Spirit In The Skies ISBN 1841766569
Various
Aerospace Phantom Guardians ANG
ISBN 1880588315 Phantoms
Daniel Soulaine
McDonnell Douglas Phantom Osprey
Bill Gunston ISBN 185532198
Ian Allan
F-4 Phantom
F-4E Phantom II In action Robbie Shaw
Larry Davies Airlife
Squadron/Signal ISBN 97815310096
ISBN 879471547
USAF Phantoms
F-4E Phantom II Walkaround Anthony Thomborough
Larry Davies PSL
Squadron/Signal ISBN 8653638877
ISBN 89475119
F-4 Phantom Production &
F-4D Phantom II Operational Data
Bert Kinzey William R Peake
Detail & Scale Midland Publishing
ISBN 830682428 ISBN 857801903

1126 Appendix V • Bibliography

Index Please note: this index does not reference appendices, walkarou nds or tables.

63-426 in colourful garb (© via Mark Smith)

A E K 0 S U
Aerospace Maintenance and Eglin AFB: 74 Kadena AFB: 15, 46 'Old Eagle Eye" 35 Seymour Johnson AFB: 24 Udorn RTAFB: 46
Regeneration Centre: 106 Electronic Warfare Officer: 93 Kentucky ANG: 38, 95 Olds, Lt. Col. Robin: 33, 36 Shaw AFB: 44, 46
Air Force Reserve: 13 Kennedy, President John E: Operation Desert Shield: 98 Sheik Isa AB: 46, 97-99
Air National Guard 13, 31 Korat AFB: 15, 70, 71 , 73 Operation Desert Storm: 41 , 'Snoopy': 37 W
Alabama ANG: 27, 46 F 46, 47, 68, 96, 98 Soesterberg AFB: 65 Watson, Colonel Paul C: 35
'Arizona Chicken': 37 'Freeze Frame" 45 Operation Highspeed: 8 Spangdahlem AFB: 68, 95, 96 Wild Weasel 14, 47, 92, 93
L Operation Provide Comfort: 95, Specific Operational 'Wizzo': 10
'Little Chris': 73 96 Requirement 196: 38 'Wolfpack': 35
B G Operation Provide Comfort II: Specific Operational 'Wreckin Crew': 72, 73
Bergstrom AFB: 46 General Electric J79-GE-15 96 Requirement 200: 9
Bevan, Col. W.E.: 34 turbojets: 10 M Operation Southern Watch: 96
y
Bitburg AFB: 24 George AFB: 64, 66, 67, 68, March AFB: 42 Oregon ANG: 29
'Black Knights': 12 95, 98 Martin-Baker Mk 7: 22 Osan AFB: 64 T Yokota AB: 15
Gullick, Capt. Francis: 33 Martin-Baker Mk H5: 10 Taegu AB: 46
'Gunfighters': 72 McNamara, Robert: 8 P Target Drones: 106
C Michigan ANG: 10 Pease AFB: 62 Team Target: 109 Z
California ANG: 41 , 67 Mississippi ANG: 41 Texas AFRES: 28 Zwiebrucken AB: 46, 47
Clark AFB: 24, 76, 95 H Missouri ANG: 66, 68 Texas ANG : 10, 69
'Come The Judge': 71 'Happy Hooligans': 8 Moody AFB: 68 R 'The Blue Max': 34
Hill AFB: 95, 111 RAF Alconbury: 41, 45 'The Saint': 35 16th Tactical Reconnaissance
Holloman AFB : 106, 109 RAF Lakenheath: 27 Thunderbirds 104-105 Squadron: 44
0 N Raspberry, Maj. Everett T: 33 TISEO (Target Identification 4453rd Combat Crew Training
Da Nang AB: 70 Nellis AFB: 63, 96 'Rhino': 31 System Electro-Optical): 64, Wing: 12
Davis Monthan AFB: 47, 96, Nevada ANG: 46 Ritchie, Captain Steve: 33, 34 66, 84
106 Idaho ANG: 41 , 46, 93, 95, 96 'Night Owl' : 37 'Triple Nickel': 34
DeBelievue, WSO Cha~es: 36 Inc i~ik AB: 46, 68, 96, 98 'No Gun Shogun': 47 Tyndall AFB 10, 106

A pair 0135th TFW 'Weasels' formate aMer refuelling '_= 5 C<> " ,on)

Index 1271
 c

An anniversary Phantom as displayed at the London International Airshow in Ontario Canada in 1988 (© Author's Collection)

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