1. Oct 21, 2018  I just recieved my Phantom 4 and I need the serial # for the DJI Care. Does anyone know wher to find the serial # Thanks John Update. I just found the serial number in the battery compartment.
2. The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a.
3. The Air Force aircraft Serial Number is also usually marked on the tail. The first two digits of the serial number indicate the year in which the aircraft was ordered, the remaining digits being a sequential number within that year. List of Commonly Used U.S. Air Force Base Tail Codes.

• Super Phantom F 4
• You Serial Numbers
• F-4 Phantom Serial Numbers List
• F4 Phantom Serial Numbers
• F-4 Phantom Ii Serial Numbers

F-4 Phantom II non-U.S. operators are the non-U.S. nations with air forces that operate or used to operate the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The Phantom II entered service with the U.S. military in 1960 and served until 1996. During this time it was the primary interceptor, air superiority fighter and fighter bomber with the U.S.Navy, Marines and Air Force.

The second pair of letters specify the type of aircraft (e.g FP for the F-4 Phantom), and the three digit number specifies the order in which the particular plane of that type was entered into AMARG. For example, the first F-4 admitted to AMARC would be numbered AAFP001, with two zeros being added to pad out number of digits to 3.

The Phantom II was exported to 11 other nations, and continues to serve in a military role in some parts of the world.

• 1Australia
• 2Egypt
• 3Germany
• 4Greece
• 5Iran
• 6Israel
• 7Japan
• 8South Korea
• 10Turkey
  • 10.2Upgrades
• 11United Kingdom
• 13References

Australia[edit]

In March 1963, McDonnell Douglas offered to provide the RAAF with a modified version of the F-4C, the model 98DX, fitted with SNECMA Atar 9 engines. This engine was already used in the RAAF's Mirage IIIOs, but the French turbojet was inferior to the General Electric J79, and the RAAF chose instead to order the F-111C Aardvark which had a greater range.^[4]

Since the development of the F-111 was plagued with many setbacks, it was expected that the order for the RAAF would not be ready before 1974, leaving the Australian air force short of a suitable aircraft. The need to replace their Canberra B.20s was frustrated by the delay in the development of the F-111.

The solution was to loan F-4Es to the RAAF, under the Peace Reef program. On 22 June 1970, the contract was signed, and the first of 24 new F-4Es arrived the following September. They served with Nos. 1 and 6 Squadrons, both based at RAAF Base Amberley. The Australian aircrews praised the choice and the F-4Es were so well received that their popularity threatened the F-111C order at one point.

The first six aircraft were returned in October 1972, with another five returned in November 1972. The first six F-111Cs were delivered in June 1973, and the rest of the F-4Es were returned to the United States Air Force.^[5]

In 1972 the United States offered to sell the leased aircraft to Australia. Earlier, the Americans had offered to sell 48 aircraft, including RF-4Es if the RAAF had cancelled the F-111C. On balance, the F-4 would need to be supported by eight Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers to achieve the endurance required in Australian service with in-flight refueling, making the whole package uneconomical compared to the F-111C with its greater range. Also, acquisition of the Phantom would have required disbanding at least one Mirage squadron in order to provide the necessary aircrew (No. 82 Wing's aircrew were to be converted to the F-111). The F-111C program was resumed in December 1971.^[5]

One Phantom (69-7203) was lost in an accident during Australian service, off Evans Head, New South Wales during night bombing practice on 16 June 1971, while the others went on to follow a long career with the United States Air Force, with 21 examples later modified to F-4G Wild Weasel specifications and used by the 35th and 52nd TFWs.^[4]

Units[edit]

Egypt[edit]

The Al Quwwat al Jawwiya il Misriya (Egyptian Air Force or EAF) encountered Israeli F-4s during fighting between the two states, especially during the later stages of the War of Attrition and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. These encounters gave the EAF a measure of the type's effectiveness, especially as a bomber.

After the Camp David Accords, and the Egypt–Israel Peace Treaty signed on 26 March 1979, Egypt ended its military dependence on the Soviet Union. It also lost the financial support of the other Arab states, and Saudi Arabia cancelled its plans to send Egypt 50 F-5s. The U.S. State Department proposed trading Egypt new military hardware in exchange for military aircraft made in the USSR, including MiG-21s, and the newer MiG-23s delivered to them by the Soviets prior to their breakdown of relations in 1976.^[6]

Under the September 1977 Peace Pharaoh agreement, 35 ex-31 TFW F-4Es along with a number of Sparrow, Sidewinder and Maverick missiles were supplied to the EAF for US$594 million and served with 76 and 78 Squadrons of the 222 Fighter Regiment.^[7] Initially, Egyptian ground crews found their maintenance far more complex than required for Soviet aircraft and consequently there was an average of only nine F-4s serviceable during 1982, a 26% serviceability rate. To correct the situation, Egypt considered selling some of the F-4s to Turkey and buying extra F-16s. However, assistance from U.S. advisors in 1985 made it possible to reach a reasonable serviceability rate, and in 1988 another seven F-4s were delivered.^[8] While further purchases of F-4s and upgrades were considered, these plans were rejected in favour of additional orders for F-16s.^[8]

By the end of the 1990s, three aircraft had crashed but were replaced with three others.^[9][10] As of 2018 the two squadrons of F-4s are retired and are in storage/reserve.^{[citation needed]}

Units[edit]

• 222nd TFB (Wing) (Cairo West airport)
  • 76th Squadron
  • 88th Squadron

Germany[edit]

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) operated a total of 175 F-4Fs, 10 F-4Es (for training at U.S. airfields) and 88 RF-4Es making it one of the most prolific Phantom customers.^[11]

In 1971 the new West German Luftwaffe was only 16 years old, having been formed in 1955. In this short time, the air force had already passed through two generations of jet combat aircraft, having bought the North American F-86 Sabre and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.

By the early 1970s, the Luftwaffe had a formidable fighter strength, consisting of two interceptor, two reconnaissance and five bomber wings with F-104Gs, plus four light attack wings with Aeritalia G.91Rs.^[12]

RF-4E[edit]

The first F-4 model to enter German service was the RF-4E. The Luftwaffe signed a contract with McDonnell Douglas for 88 RF-4Es in 1968; at the time the biggest order outside the USAF. The contract included industrial offsets for German industry, particularly production work for Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm who manufactured and supplied F-4 components to McDonnell Douglas' Phantom production facility in St. Louis.^[11]

On 16 January 1971 the first RF-4E, dubbed the 'Spirit of St. Louis', flew from the U.S. to Spain and finally onto Germany. The next day, at Bremgarten, the aircraft was accepted by the Inspekteur der Luftwaffe ('Inspector of the Luftwaffe', Gunther Rall.^[13]

In 1972, with eight Phantoms per month being delivered, Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 'Immelmann' equipped with the RF-4, followed by AG 52, based at Leck.

The German RF-4E was equipped similarly to the USAF RF-4Cs, using the latest F-4E airframe and more-powerful engines. The RF-4Es were employed as day/night reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with four cameras covering 180 degrees.^[12] There were special flares for night use and two night/all-weather reconnaissance systems. One was the IRRS (Infrared Recognition System) and the other was the SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar), mounted in the side of the fuselage. The aircraft had the capability to develop photos in flight and then drop them using special cartridges. Missions were generally flown at low level and high speed, using the installed APQ-99 radar for navigation. Deliveries were completed in May 1972 and the previously employed RF-104Gs were modified to serve in strike or fighter units.^[12]

F-4F[edit]

The Luftwaffe also intended to equip two fighter and two bomber Geschwader ('wings') with a simplified single-seat version of the F-4E Phantom which had already been proposed for the TFX USAF program. This was reconsidered due to the cost of that version and instead, under the Peace Rhine program, the Luftwaffe purchased the F-4F, which was based on the F-4E. Windows xp wpa2 hotfix.

The F-4F had one of the seven fuselage fuel tanks omitted along with the capability to carry AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and bombs. It was equipped with air combat maneuvering leading edge slats and had a higher thrust to weight ratio, approaching 1:1 when fuel was low. The first example, serial number 3701, first flew on 18 March 1973. The first eight were sent to George AFB where crew training was carried out. In 1976, these trainers were replaced with 10 F-4Es, which stayed in the U.S. One of the 'F's, serial number 72-118, remained at Eglin AFB as an experimental project aircraft.^[12]Units equipped with F-4F included Jagdgeschwader 71 'Richthofen', Wittmund, commencing in May 1974, and Jagdgeschwader 74 'Mölders', Neuburg an der Donau, September 1975. In April 1975, deliveries started to JaboG 36, Rheine-Hopsten and finally JaboG 35, Pferdsfeld. Operationally, the F-4Fs used by JG 71 and JG 74 were employed in the air-to-air role, while those used by JaboG 35 and 36 were used in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles.^[12]

Weapons used on the F-4F included the Mk 82 retarded bomb, BL755cluster bomb unit and AIM-9 Sidewinders.^[12] Later on, an AGM-65 Maverick capability was added, with a pair of missiles housed in a single launcher.

Aircrew training[edit]

Luftwaffe aircrew training was conducted by the USAF at Sheppard AFB. The program included 13 months flying the T-37 and T-38, for a total of 200 hours for pilots and 85 hours for navigators.

Training in Europe was limited to a minimum of 500 ft (150 m) altitude, with special ranges permitting flight as low as 200 ft (60 m). Advanced training was conducted in Canada at CFB Goose Bay and at Decimomannu in Sardinia.^[12]

Losses[edit]

By 1990, Phantom losses were 21 F-4Fs and 15 RF-4Es.

RF-4E upgrades and disposal[edit]

Reconnaissance Phantom updates were carried out during several separate programs. Under the Peace Trout program, one RF-4E upgrade had an ELINT system installed in the nose, based on the APR-39 of the F-4G. Another RF-4E update was the installation of provision for bombs with up to six BL-755, or 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) of other external stores, and an ALE-40 chaff launcher along with a bombing system and newer cameras. In 1988, the aircraft were stood down from this dual role due to cost and this capability was removed.^[14]

After the reduction of conventional forces in Europe, the Luftwaffe began phasing out the RF-4Es in 1993–94. The surplus aircraft were supplied to Allied NATO nations, with 32 sent to Turkey and 20 to Greece. AG 51 received Panavia Tornados as a replacement, while AG 52 was disbanded.^[11]

F-4F upgrades and disposal[edit]

A total of 12 F-4Fs were initially modified for dual controls and were later de-modified. In 1980–83, the F-4F fleet was fitted with air-refueling probes, utilizing USAF tankers to make longer flights to Canada and Spain. The AIM-9B and F were replaced with the 'L' version Sidewinder.

The 'ICE' (Improved Combat Efficiency) program commenced in 1983 to upgrade the F-4F's air-to-air capabilities. This involved the APG-65 radar and AIM-120 AMRAAM as the main elements, along with many minor upgrades. The original plan was to upgrade 75 F-4Fs, but the number was increased to 110 in the late 1980s. Initially, the ICE upgrades were intended only for the interceptor wings, but more were upgraded due to delays in the Eurofighter Typhoon program.^[11]

Phase 1 of ICE commenced in 1989–90 and included upgrades such as the ALR-68 Radar warning receiver, the Honeywell H-423 laser gyroinertial navigation system, the GEC Avionics CPU-143/A digital central air data computer, and the Mil Std 1553R digital data bus.^[11]

In July 1989, the first F-4F ICE Phase 2 aircraft was completed, and on 22 November 1991 the first firing of an AIM-120 AMRAAM took place. In 1992, the first batch of six upgraded aircraft was delivered to JG 71 (Fighter Wing 71), but the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles were not available at that time.^[15]

The F-4Fs were employed to fill operational gaps twice; the first time due to Panavia Tornado delays, while the F-4F ICE was needed due to the Eurofighter Typhoon delays. The units equipped with F-4F ICE were JG 71, JG 72, JG 74 and JG 73. This latter was a mixed unit, sent to Preschen airbase and had one staffel of F-4s and one with MiG-29s. This was a unique situation, until the phasing out of the Fulcrums.^[16]

The F-4F ICE program offered a reasonably inexpensive and capable aircraft for the interceptor role, albeit with limitations. Apart from natural deficiencies of the air frame design itself, the greatest drawbacks of the F-4F ICE were the lack of an IFF and MIDS capability. In beyond-visual-range scenarios, it therefore had to rely on target-identification by AWACS aircraft with which it had to communicate in a conventional voice-based manner. This together with the low number of procured AIM-120Bs (only 96, because Germany has ordered the MBDA Meteor, which however will not be available until 2013) and the outdated APG-65 radar made it a rather defensive system.

In 1992–94 the EFA program was reviewed by German Defence Minister Volker Rühe and there was extensive debate about the Luftwaffe' s future. At the end of 1994, there were about 70 F-4F ICE aircraft already modified, 40 were still waiting for APG-65 radar, and 40 were not modified but still in service. The costs sustained in the upgrades had incurred a delay in AMRAAM acquisition. At that time, it was hoped that the AIM-120 could be received by 2005 and then there were only funds for 96 missiles with an option for 288 more. The program review considered ending F-4F conversions and buying new fighters as 'gap fillers', such as the MiG-29, McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle or F-16. There was doubt that even a simplified version of the Typhoon could be acquired.^[17] The review resulted in F-4F ICE being completed. The lack of AMRAAMs was a serious handicap and the MiG 29s were retained for longer than had been planned.

The ICE F-4Fs were expected to remain in service until JG 71 transitioned to the Eurofighter Typhoon in 2013.^[18] JG 73 retired its last F-4F in 2002 and replaced it with Eurofighters in 2003, while the last F-4F left JG-74 in March 2008. The remaining F-4F wings were disbanded without replacement during the 1990s and early 2000s. The German Air Force retired its last operational F-4F Phantom IIs on 29 June 2013.^[19] The Phantoms' retirement was attended by a crowd of 130,000 people at an open day at Wittmundhafen Air Base. German F-4F Phantoms flew 279,000 hours from entering service on 31 August 1973 to retirement on 29 June 2013.^[20]

Units[edit]

• Jagdbombergeschwader 35 (JaboG 35)
• Jagdbombergeschwader 36 (JaboG 36)
• Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 (AG 51 'Immelmann')
• Aufklärungsgeschwader 52 (AG 52)
• Jagdgeschwader 71 (JG 71 'Richthofen')
• Jagdgeschwader 72 (JG 72 'Westfalen')
• Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG 73 'Steinhoff')
• Jagdgeschwader 74 (JG 74 'Mölders')

Greece[edit]

At the end of the 1960s, the Hellenic Air Force (PA - Polemikí Aeroporía) embarked upon a modernization program by ordering 40 Dassault Mirage F.1s and a total of 56 F-4Es along with six RF-4Es. The final batch of 40 F-4Es were cancelled when a PASOK government was elected in 1981.^[21]

The first 18 Greek Phantoms entered in service in 1974, partially funded by U.S. military assistance under 'Operation Icarus'. However, they did not enter service in time to fight in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. A second batch of F-4Es plus two extra aircraft were delivered in 1976, followed by a final batch in 1978–79.^[21] The first units equipped were the 339th Squadron in 1974 in the air-to-air role and also as the operational training unit; and the 338th Squadron, in 1975 in the ground-attack role. The 337th 'Ghost' Squadron was equipped in 1978, giving up their Northrop F-5As. The 348th 'Eyes' Squadron relinquished their RF-84Fs for new RF-4Es in 1979. The old RF-84Fs were retained until 1990 for training purposes.^[22]

The last batch of 40 Phantoms was not delivered due to the political situation in Greece, but with the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and the US-led Operation Desert Storm liberation, the situation changed. The USAF phased out many older aircraft and some were supplied to the PA as a thank-you for the use of Greek airbases during the war. These included 10 ex-Indiana Air National Guard aircraft, later followed by another 18. By 1992, there were four squadrons equipped with 73 F-4Es and 5 RF-4Es: the 348th and 337th squadrons in Larissa with the 110th Combat Wing, and 338th and 339th squadrons at Andravida with the 117th Combat Wing.^[23]

There were many differences between the batches supplied to the Hellenic Air Force. The 338th 'Ares' Squadron had an air-to-surface role. Their F-4Es were equipped with digital processors for the APG-120, laser inertial navigation systems, digital data buses, smoke-reduction systems and various structural improvements.^[23]

The 339th 'Ajax' Squadron was employed in the air defense role with the older Phantoms, which had a Radar Warning Receiver mounted on the tail and air intakes, and the TISEO optical device.^[23]

Upgrades and further developments[edit]

One of the first measures taken by the PA was to increase the number of reconnaissance RF-4Es in their fleet, to augment the existing six. They were able to do this in 1993 when the Luftwaffe phased out their RF-4Es, and 29 ex-Luftwaffe aircraft were added to the 348th Mira. This last batch brought the number of F-4s serving with the PA to 121.^[24] Other programs saw the upgrade of several Greek Phantoms to carry out anti-radar operations.^[25]

In 1993 the PA called for a major electronic upgrade for the F-4 fleet, involving the replacement of the APQ-120 with a new AMRAAM-capable system. Contenders to conduct the upgrade were DASA, Rockwell International, and IAI. IAI was ruled out because it was already involved with the Greek's historical adversary, Turkey, upgrading their own Phantoms at this time.^[25]

DASA won the contract in August 1997, dubbed 'Peace Icarus 2000'. The Greek F-4s were upgraded to a similar standard as the Luftwaffe F-4F ICE, including APG-65 radar, a GEC-Marconi HUD and GPS/INS. The first flight of an upgraded aircraft was on 28 April 1999 at Manching airbase. In total 38 aircraft were upgraded, 37 of them by Hellenic Aerospace Industry, at Tanagra. Phantoms were also provided with Rafael LITENING pods, capable of navigation, targeting and use of guided weapons, such as the AGM-65 Maverick. With these improvements, the F-4 ICE and F-4G 'Wild Weasel' will remain an effective fighter well into the 21st century.^[21]

The RF-4E reconnaissance versions were retired on 5 May 2017 and 348 Squadron was deactivated.^[26]

Units[edit]

• 110th Combat Wing
  • 348th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 'Eyes' Deactivated 5 May 2017.
• 117th Combat Wing

Iran[edit]

Approximately 225 F-4Ds, F-4Es and RF-4Es were delivered to Iran, mostly during the 1960s and 70s.^[27]

The Nirouye Havai Shahanshahiye Iran (Imperial Iranian Air Force) enjoyed more attention from Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi than any other military branch. By 1967 the air force had F-4Ds on order, at that time the most advanced Phantom model available. The original order was for 16 aircraft; the first of which arrived on 8 September 1968,^[28] with another 16 added later, and were employed in several unsuccessful attempts to intercept Soviet MiG-25Rs. These aircraft were also used for ground attack, and during one such mission, rebels in Oman shot one down.^[28]

In 1970, the first reconnaissance RF-4Es were delivered. Iran, with few fiscal restraints, followed that up with an order for 177 F-4Es. The first of these arrived in March 1971. During a border clash in June 1975, these F-4s, armed with AGM-65 Maverick missiles defeated an Iraqi armored ground formation. The F-4Es changed the balance of power in the region; they were not only effective on the battlefield, but available in large numbers as well.^[28]

After the fall of the Shah in the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the situation changed dramatically. In 1979 the U.S. placed an armament embargo on Iran, preventing it from getting many spare parts to keep the fleet flying. To make matters worse, the new theocratic government carried out purges of suspected Shah loyalists in the armed forces, especially in the renamed Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF). The purges greatly weakened the air force and left the 180 Phantoms still in service, largely without trained air and ground crews.^[28]

The Iran–Iraq War began in September 1980 with Saddam Hussein's attack on Iran. Hussein had equipped his air force with new aircraft, such as the MiG-23 and believed that Iran was in a weakened and vulnerable state following the revolution and subsequent purges. The Iranian forces surprised him and fought back effectively. Iraq failed to destroy the Iranian air force bases for several reasons, among them that Iraqi aircraft lacked the range to reach them. Another reason was that Iranian air bases had been built for USAF deployment in case of war with the Soviet Union. This meant that the bases were very large, well-dispersed and stocked with ample spare parts. This made the targets difficult for the small Iraqi air force to destroy.^[29]

The Iraqi air force performed a very deep strike of more than 837 km (520 mi) inside Iran, but this small formation was intercepted by two Iranian F-4s and one or two MiGs were lost. F-4s struck back the following day in Operation Kaman 99 and destroyed many strategic Iraqi targets with bombs and missiles. After these attacks against strategic targets, the F-4s struck tactical battlefield targets, destroying many Iraqi armored vehicles. The Iraqi invasion was stopped within several weeks.^{[citation needed]}

Due to battlefield and accidental losses and the lack of spare parts, by the mid-1980s there were just 20–30 Iranian Phantoms still flying. The quantity of weapons and spare parts was not enough to sustain the fleet, but Iran is believed to have benefited from foreign assistance with clandestine shipments of up to 23 new airframes,^[27] plus spares from the U.S. and Israel (during the Iran-Contra Affair),^[30] as well as from locally designed and reverse-engineered components and weapons, and incorporation of ex-Soviet and Chinese technology.^[1] The aircraft of an Iranian F-4 pilot who deserted on 31 August 1984 to Saudi Arabia was examined and found to have Israeli and European spare parts installed. Another deserting F-4 was less lucky, being intercepted and shot down by Saudi F-15 Eagles on 5 June 1984. F-4s took part in interdiction missions against oil tankers using AGM-65 Maverick missiles and even AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, while bombs were not used, probably due to shortages.^{[citation needed]}

In the 21st century, the Iranian government still has between 50–75 F-4s in service. Among these, there are still some original F-4Ds updated with improved avionics, including limited look-down radar.^[28] On 30 November 2014, Al Jazeera reported that an Iranian F-4 had conducted an airstrike in Iraq against Islamic State militants. The United States confirmed the attack several days later, but Iran did not confirm or deny Iranian airstrikes had taken place; both denied they coordinated any sort of air attack against IS forces in Iraq.^[31]

Units[edit]

Western Area Command:

• Nojeh (OIHH) Hamadan, Shahrokhi)
  • 3rd Tactical Air Base
    • 31st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron: RF-4E
    • 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4D and F-4E
    • 33rd Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4D and F-4E

Southern Area Command:

• Bushehr (OIBB)
  • 6th Tactical Air Base
    • 61st Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4E
    • 62nd Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4D and F-4E
• Bandar Abbas Int'l (OIKB)
  • 9th Tactical Air Base
    • 91st Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4E
    • 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4E
• Chah Bahar (OIZC) (Chabahar)
  • 10th Tactical Air Base
    • 101st Tactical Fighter Squadron: F-4D

Israel[edit]

Israel first expressed interest in the F-4 in 1965,^[32] but the U.S. was unwilling to provide them at that time. However, due to the embargo imposed by France after the Israeli preemptive strike during the 1967 Six-Day War, the U.S. government reconsidered and decided to offer the Israelis the aircraft.^[33]

The first aircraft delivered were F-4Es, provided under the 'Peace Echo' program, authorized on 7 January 1968, by president Lyndon Johnson, and supported by Senator Robert Kennedy.^[33] About 220 F-4Es and RF-4Es were delivered to Israel between 1969 and 1976 under U.S. aid programs, and served with the Tsvah Haganah le Israel/Heyl Ha'Avir (Israeli Air Force). The F-4E was known as Kurnass (Heavy Hammer) in Israeli service while the RF-4E was called Orev (Raven).^[33]

Formal acceptance of the first F-4Es came on 5 September 1969, with Golda Meir and Moshe Dayan present for the ceremony.^[33] By 22 October, the new aircraft were in operation, attacking Egyptian targets. On 11 November 1969 an F-4E first shot down a MiG-21.^[5] Shortly after on 9 December 1969, the first Israeli F-4 was downed by an Egyptian pilot, 1st Lts Ahmad Atef, flying a Mig-21 F-13.^[34] Egyptian fighters had a hard time dealing with the F-4s, and their SA-2Surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) were not effective at low altitudes. To address the problem, SA-3s were shipped to Egypt, along with up to 5,000 Soviet advisers. In a fierce aerial battle on 30 July 1970, four Phantoms baited the Egyptian MiGs which this time were Soviet-manned. Up to five MiGs were shot down when eight Israeli Mirages, flying at low level, jumped them, achieving complete surprise.^[35] Late June and early July 1970 was a difficult time for the new F-4s, with two shot down by SAMs on 30 June, another on 5 July and two on 18 July.^[33][36]

A total of 24 Phantoms were delivered under Peace Echo II and III. Operation Night Light involved the loan of two RF-4Cs to the IDF while they were waiting for their order for six RF-4Es to be delivered. Operation Peace Patch involved another batch of 12 Phantoms, delivered in 1971.^[33]

Israeli F-4Es scored 116.5 aerial victories against Arab aircraft, including two Su-7s shot down on 9 September 1972 and a Libyan Boeing 727 in January 1973.^[33]

Peace Echo IV brought another 52 F-4s to the IDF, 24 of which were ex-USAF. These were delivered between April 1972 and October 1973, when the Yom Kippur War broke out. At that time there were 122 F-4E and 6 RF-4Es in service with the IDF.^[33][36]

Israeli Phantoms scored 11 air victories during this period although several were lost, mainly to SAMs,^[33] but above all they inflicted heavy damage on Egyptian land forces during the War of Attrition.

Yom Kippur War[edit]

The Yom Kippur War started with Egyptian and Syrian air strikes on Israel. During this opening phase a pair of Phantoms managed to shoot down seven Egyptian aircraft, and others shot down five Mil Mi-8s carrying assault troops over the Sinai desert.^[33]

On the second day of the war, the IDF launched attacks with F-4s and A-4 Skyhawks but the enemy air defence and MiGs shot down six Phantoms and 30 A-4s. The new SA-6 Gainful surface-to-air missile (SAM) system and the radar-guided ZSU-23-4 Shilka self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (SPAAGs) were much more effective than the old SA-2 Guideline. The SA-6 uses semi-active radar homing and was paired with the 1S91 'Straight Flush' fire control and guidance radar, which operates in the G, H, I and J bands, making it very difficult to jam with the AN/ALQ-87 ECM pods that were supplied by the Americans prior to the conflict. Likewise, the AN/ALR-36 radar warning receivers that Israeli Phantoms were equipped with at the time proved unable to provide any warning to aircrews that their aircraft were being tracked by SA-6 battery crews using the Straight Flush radar.^[33]

Some aerial maneuvers were believed to fool the SA-6 systems and these were used while the IDF waited for better ECM weapons. Some of the maneuvers were quite effective, but the SA-6 threat was only reduced on 9 October 1973 when A-4s surprised many SA-6 batteries without their missiles ready to fire and destroyed them. That same day another F-4 strike hit the Damascus HQ of the Syrian Army.^[33]

By the middle of October, 37 Phantoms had been lost in combat and another six were damaged beyond repair. U.S. President Richard Nixon authorized the delivery of 36 ex-USAF F-4s under Operation Nickel Grass, from the USAF 4th and 401st Tactical Fighter Wings. These aircraft were flown directly to Israel, some by U.S. pilots. At least one F-4E flew in combat still bearing a U.S. tail code, while others stayed painted in USAF camouflage patterns.^[37][38] During the war Israeli Phantoms first used the new AGM-65 Maverick missile.

Israel employed three F-4E(S), which were equipped with a special high-altitude camera system (HIAC) for reconnaissance missions.^[39] These RF-4Es were special high-performance Phantoms, with the same cameras planned for the Mach 3.2 RF-4X that was cancelled in 1975. The camera performed well but mounting it in an external pod caused too much drag, so it was installed in the nose of three normal F-4Es instead.^[33][40]

During the Yom Kippur War it was reported that one Israeli F-4 Squadron was put on alert for a nuclear strike, but not confirmed.^[33] After several weeks of combat, losses included four F-4s delivered under the Nickel Grass program.^{[citation needed]}

Post 1973 period[edit]

After the war Peace Echo V provided Israel with 24 new, 24 ex-USAF and 6 RF-4Es, completing the program in November 1976.

Given that almost all the Israeli F-4s had suffered battle damage, an update to increase their capabilities and standardize the various production blocks was commenced in 1974. The IDF Phantoms received Elbit Jason digital bombing computers, Litton LW-33 inertial navigation systems, new radar warning receivers, TISEO and combat slats.^[41]

IDF Phantoms took part in many other battles, among them Operation Mole Cricket 19 in June 1982, when Syrian SA-6 sites were destroyed by a coordinated attack made by IDF aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles. By that time, new F-15 Eagles and F-16s were replacing the Phantom in front line service, so the F-4s scored only one aerial victory in that action.^[42]

Weapons[edit]

Among the weapons carried on IDF F-4s were the Gabriel, AGM-45, AGM-68,^[43] Shafir and Python missiles.^[44]

Upgrades[edit]

The planned program to replace the original J79 engines with the Pratt & Whitney PW1120 was cancelled, but the fleet was updated to Kurnass 2000 standards. This upgrade included installation of a wide-angle Kaiser HUD, a digital mission computer and some structural improvements. The main updates involved the APG-76 radar, Elbit ACE-3 mission computer, HOTAS, the addition of winglets for increased agility, ASX-1 TISEO and the ability to deploy Popeye missiles. The upgraded aircraft first flew on 15 July 1987 and was formally accepted on 11 August 1987.^[5] The Kurnass program was also used to upgrade Turkish Air Force Phantoms at the same time, realizing some economies of scale.^[40]

Israeli Phantoms have suffered at least 55 combat losses but accounted for 116.5 claimed air victories.^[33][45]

By the end of the 20th Century there were still 112 F-4s serving with the IDF, in three Squadrons: the 119, 142 and 201.^[33]

Units[edit]

• 69 SquadronHa'patishim (The Hammers) - טייסת הפטישים
• 105 SquadronAkrav (Scorpion) - טייסת העקרב
• 107 SquadronZanav Katom (Knights of the Orange Tail) - אבירי הזנב הכתום
• 119 SquadronAtalef (Bat) - טייסת העטלף
• 201 SquadronAhat (The One) - הטייסת האחת

Japan[edit]

Japan selected the F-4 Phantom II as its new fighter at the end of the 1960s. On 1 November 1968, this choice was made public and Japan became one of the few countries that license-produced this aircraft. The Nihon Koku Jietai (Japan Air Self-Defense Force, JASDF) received a total of 154 F-4EJ and RF-4Es. While the F-4EJs were built almost entirely by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, the RF-4Es were bought directly from McDonnell-Douglas.^[46]

Due to Japanese military limitations prohibiting air-to-ground ordnance, the F-4EJs were delivered without the AN/AJB-7 bombing computer system and also did not have an air-refueling probe or receptacle. In service F-4EJs replaced the JASDF's fleet of Lockheed F-104 J Starfighters.^[47]

McDonnell Douglas built the two prototype F-4EJs, which first flew on 14 January 1971. The next 11 aircraft were assembled in Japan and the first Japanese-built example flew on 12 May 1972. Mitsubishi built all the EJs over the next nine years and the production ended with 127th F-4EJ, on 20 May 1981. This was the last F-4 built in the world.^[46]

Fourteen RF-4Es were delivered between November 1974 and June 1975. These were similar to the RF-4C, but, as for the F-EJs, Japanese-built radar warning receivers and other equipment were substituted to replace equipment which was not released for export to Japan.^[46]

The F-4EJ entered service with the JASDF in August 1972 with a total of six Hikōtai ('Squadrons') operating the aircraft: the 301, 302, 303, 304, 305 and 306th. The RF-4EJ equipped the 501st, that had previously operated one of the less-well-known Sabre models, the RF-86F.^[48]

Japanese procurement involved small, multi-year orders, which made for slow production of small batches ordered every year. As of 2007, Japan has a fleet of 90 F-4s currently in service. Talks are underway to replace them with Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft,^[49] since the sale of the American F-22 Raptor is currently blocked by U.S. export restrictions. In June 2007, Lockheed Martin announced that the company has been awarded a contract to equip several F-15 Eagles with synthetic aperture radar pods. These F-15s will be used in a reconnaissance role, allowing the RF-4EJ to be retired; the F-4 having served from the 1970s into the 21st century.^[50]

Upgrades[edit]

To upgrade the Phantom fleet the JASDF planned the F-4EJ Kai (Japanese for 'modified') program. This involved 110 aircraft, later reduced to 96, which were upgraded with APG-66 radar, ground attack capabilities and most importantly, ASM-1 or ASM-2 anti-ship missiles (two mounted under the wings). This boosted their capabilities in the anti-shipping role; filling in for the indigenous Mitsubishi F-1s which were too few in number and lacked range, and the P-3Cs which were too slow, even if well-armed with Harpoon missiles. The F-4EJ Kai upgrade added several other air-to-surface weapons to the F-4, including bombs and rockets.

RF-4Es were upgraded to RF-4 Kai standard with AN/APQ-172 TFR radar, and the J/APR-2 RWR was replaced with the J/APR-5; both Japanese-designed systems. Seventeen F-4EJs were also converted to RF-4EJ configuration, which, while mounting no internal cameras, carried podded reconnaissance equipment. Among the systems installed were TACER (electronic reconnaissance pod with datalink), TAC (pod with KS-135A and KS-95B cameras), D-500UR IR detection system, and the LOROP pod (with a KS-146B camera).^[48][51]

The F-4EJ Kai first flew on 17 July 1984, and first F-4EJ Kai was delivered on 24 November 1989 to the JASDF 306th Squadron. It was fitted the smaller and more lightweight AN/APG-66J pulse Doppler radar and a heads-up display resulting in a lookdown/shootdown capability. The central computer was updated, as well as the J/APR-6 homing and warning system, IFF system and the inertial navigation unit.^[52]

The first F-4EJ Kai aircraft were delivered to the 306 Hikōtai at Komatsu, but within a few years they were replaced by F-15Js. In April 1994 the F-4 strength was reduced to three squadrons: 8 (Misawa), 301 (Nyutabaru) and 306 (Naha, Okinawa). The 501st at that time operated the RF-4EJ. Over time the F-4s and F-1s are being replaced with the new Mitsubishi F-2, an enlarged development of the F-16 developed jointly with Lockheed Martin.

Units[edit]

South Korea[edit]

The Daehan Min-guk Gong-gun (Republic of Korea Air Force, RoKAF) was supplied with F-4s in the late 1960s, due to ongoing tension with North Korea.

Seoul ordered 18 ex-USAF F-4Ds, which were quickly delivered under the Peace Spectator program. They served with the 110th TFS, 11th Fighter Wing based at Daegu. In 1972 another 18 were delivered from the USAF 3rd TFW (Tactical Fighter Wing), in exchange for which South Korea delivered 36 Northrop F-5As to South Vietnam. Several more F-4s were delivered in the following years, with the last batch delivered in 1987–88. These were equipped with Pave Tack laser designators, an important feature that allowed the use of laser-guided bombs.^[53]

A total of 92 F-4Ds were delivered, making this air force the main export customer for the 'D' model. The F-4Ds were joined by 37 new-build F-4Es, ordered in the 1970s. The last of these was the 5,068th F-4 built in St. Louis. Under Operation Peace Pheasant these were delivered to the RoKaF 152 and 153 TFS (Tactical Fighter Squadron), 17th TFW at Chongju. This was only the beginning of South Korean F-4 acquisitions, as more ex-USAF F-4Es were delivered in the next few years, giving a total of 103 F-4Es.^[54]

The South Koreans also received RF-4Cs. There were 12 ex-USAF 460 TRG (Tactical Reconnaissance Group, disbanded in 1990) that were sent to the South Korean 131st TRS (Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron), 39 TRG, at Suwon Air Base, along with another 11 sent later.^[54] ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pods were also delivered.^[55]

Overall, South Korea was one of the main customers of the F-4, with 216 delivered, including 60 'D' models, 55 'E' models and 18 RF-4Cs in service in 2000.^[54][56]

Upgrades[edit]

The South Korean Air Force has been quite satisfied with the F-4 and has carried out upgrades to extend their lifespan. A proposal made by DASA was evaluated that would have included installation of the APG-66 radar and AMRAAM missiles. This was equivalent to the Japanese F-4EJ KAI or German F-4 ICE, but the costs were too high for South Korea. The Air Force had already been forced to cancel an order for F-18s, which had been the winner of their new fighter competition and instead bought F-16 Fighting Falcons.

Despite the financial constraints, several minor upgrades were made to allow South Korean F-4s to continue in their role against North Korea. Some F-4s were upgraded with the AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack laser targeting pod. 30 F-4Es were equipped with the AGM-142 'Popeye' stand-off air-to-surface missile; a modern Israeli weapon also purchased by the USAF,^[53] Royal Australian Air Force and the Turkish Air Force.

Units[edit]

• 10th Tactical Fighter Wing
  • 39th TRG
  • 131st TRS
• 11th Tactical Fighter Wing
  • 110th TFS
  • 151st TFS
• 17th Tactical Fighter Wing
  • 152nd TFS
  • 153rd TFS

Spain[edit]

Through the Mutual Defense Aid Program (MDAP), Spain acquired 36 ex-USAF F-4Cs for the Ejército del Aire (Spanish Air Force). These were the only 'C' models ever exported, even as second-hand examples.^[57][58]

Deliveries occurred between October 1971 and September 1972 under Peace Alfa. At the time of delivery these F-4Cs were already obsolete, but they replaced even older aircraft, F-104Gs and F-86Fs.^[57][59]

In Spanish Air Force use, the F-4Cs were designated 'C.12' (C stood for 'Caza' and 12 stood for '12th fighter type in service since the creation of the Ejército del Aire'). The F-4Cs were assigned to Escuadrones 121 and 122, Ala 12 (Wing). To support them a fleet of three KC-97Ls was acquired in 1972, equipping Escuadrón 123, being replaced by KC-130Hs (which equipped Escuadrón 301) from January 1976. While the KC-97s were fitted with a flying boom refuelling system, the Hercules that replaced them were fitted with the probe and drogue system and so could not refuel the F-4s.^[57][60]

Further F-4 deliveries took place in October 1978, with the addition of four F-4Cs and four RF-4Cs. The RF-4Cs were given the Spanish designation CR.12.^[61]

During their service, seven F-4C were lost to accidents before being replaced by EF-18s in April 1989.

The RF-4Cs continued to serve in the reconnaissance role along with another eight ex-USAF RF-4C delivered in 1989 in the 123 Squadron, that operated from Torrejón airbase.^[62]

This batch of RF-4Cs was updated to the highest USAF standard prior to delivery and had a completely revised avionic suite, including new radios, RWR, VOR and ILS navigation equipment and KS-86 cameras. These aircraft also had J79-GE-15E 'smokeless' engines.^[63]

In 1995 the older F-4s were retired and six more RF-4Cs were obtained. The new RF-4Cs had newer avionics, including Have Quick digital UHF/VHF radios, Itek AN/ARL-46 RWR, and Tracor AN/ALE-40 dispensers. The upgrades included provisions for up to four AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, for self-defence and to provide a secondary capability as an interceptor. The existing fleet underwent a standardization program which among other changes included replacing the APQ-99 terrain-following radar by a Texas Instruments AN/APQ-172 radar, laser-ring gyro inertial navigation system and an Israeli Aircraft Industries in-flight refueling probe, while the original USAF-style refuelling receptacle was retained.^[62]

These improvements allowed the Spanish RF-4C fleet to serve into the 21st century, finally being retired in 2002.^[64][65][66]

Turkey[edit]

One of the most prominent Phantom users is the Turkish Air Force ('Türk Hava Kuvvetleri' or THK), which operates about 233 F-4s.

Under the Peace Diamond I program 40 F-4Es were ordered, with deliveries starting in June 1974, although completion of the order was delayed by an arms embargo following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.^[67] These aircraft equipped 161 Filo (Squadron) at 6 Ana Jet Us (Jet-aircraft air Base, also called JAB). After re-equipping with F-16Cs these Phantoms were sent to 7 JAB for 171 and 172 Filo. Filo 173 at the same base was the Operational Conversion Unit.^[68]

Peace Diamond III was an additional phase of the plan to reinforce the THK, always striving to keep a balance with the Greek Hellenic Air Force, because even though both are NATO countries, Greece and Turkey are historical enemies and there have been air clashes over the Aegean Sea between them. Filo 111, 112, 113, all based on JAB 1, Eskişehir, were the new Phantom units. The 111th and 112th Filo received 32 F-4Es replacing their aging F-100s. The 113 Filo replaced their even older RF-84Fs with eight RF-4Es.^{[citation needed]}

With this last batch of F-4s and plans to acquire F-16 Fighting Falcons, the THK was quickly being modernized. Before these aircraft arrived the THK had operated fighters such as the F-104 Starfighter, F-100 Super Sabre, F-84 Thunderflash and the F-86 Sabre, plus the economical F-5 Freedom Fighter. With 80 Phantoms on order, the strength of the THK was increased to new levels. Other fighters, seen as supplemental to the F-4E, were purchased as well. These included 40 Aeritalia F-104Ss, the improved Starfighter, with the same missiles and engines as used on the Phantoms. These equipped Filo 142 and 172. Compared to the F-4s they were considerably less expensive and were used as interceptors. The Turkish F-4 fleet was enhanced with 15 secondhand US aircraft delivered in 1981 to Filo 173 and finally, another 15 delivered in 1984 to replace fleet losses.^{[citation needed]}

Peace Diamond IV was another program to reinforce the THK and was carried out between June and October 1987. Under this program 40 F-4Es were delivered to 131 and 132 Filo, 3 JAB, Konya. Before that, this wing was only a training unit equipped with the last Turkish F-100s. After the conversion it became an operational formation.^[68]

Turkey assisted in Desert Storm without entering the fighting directly, by opening their airbases to the Coalition air forces and hosted Belgian Mirages, German Alpha Jets and Italian F-104Gs. As a reward for their help another 40 former US Air Force Phantoms were delivered to 112 and 172 Filo, beginning on 25 March 1991. At that time, the USAF was phasing-out large quantities of older aircraft, reducing their strength by over 1,000 F-4C/D/Es. But even if old, these aircraft were desirable to countries like Turkey who already had F-4 fleets.^{[citation needed]}

The U.S. did not have enough RF-4s to sell to meet international demands, so when the German Air Force phased out their remaining 88 RF-4Es during 1992–93, 32 were delivered to the THK in 1992–94. All of these went to 113 Filo, Eskişehir. Later, when 173 Filo passed their F-4Es to 172 Filo, they equipped with RF-4Es. By the end of that reorganization, Filo 171 became a ground attack unit, 172 interception and 173 reconnaissance. That delivery completed the THK F-4 fleet.^[68]

Operational use[edit]

Many of the Turkish Phantoms are used as ground attack aircraft, a role they performed well due to the systems installed. The first Phantoms delivered to the THK had Southeast Asia camouflage colors and TISEO equipment, consisting of a wing-mounted television camera with zoom capacity for spotting targets outside of normal visual range. The F-4s acquired from US Air Force stocks were former 110th and 141st Tactical Fighter Squadron aircraft (Missouri and New Jersey Air National Guard squadrons, respectively) and arrived painted in 'Egyptian One' camouflage, an air-superiority paint scheme consisting of two different shades of blue, despite being best-suited for ground attack. The last batch delivered had AVQ-23A Pave Spike laser designation pod compatibility.^[69]

In September 2010, U.S. Army spokeswoman Lt. Col. Tamara Parker confirmed a combined Chinese-Turkish exercise that ran from 20 September through 4 October at the Konya air base in Turkey's central Anatolia region. According to Reuters, a portion of the exercise included mock aerial combat between Turkish F-4s and Russian-built Su-27s of the Chinese military. It was reported that the Turks defeated the Chinese aircraft in air combat exercises.^[70]

On 22 June 2012, the Turkish government announced that Syrian forces had shot down a Turkish RF-4E from 113 Filo with two crew members over the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Hatay Province, which borders the Syrian Latakia Governorate. The aircraft is reported to have been conducting a reconnaissance flight off the Syrian coast.^[71] The Turkish release suggested that the Turkish government did not immediately view the Syrian action as provocative, and it acknowledged that Syrian assets were assisting efforts to find the aircraft and crew. The Syrian Armed Forces made a statement carried by the official Syrian Arab News Agency crediting its antiaircraft gunners with downing an unidentified aircraft flying at “very low altitude and at high speed” over Syria's territorial waters toward land less than a mile offshore, causing it to crash into the sea west of the village of Om al-Tuyour.^[72] Syrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Jihad Makdissi said 'the downing was an accident, caused by the 'automatic response' of an officer commanding an anti-aircraft gun. The man saw a jet coming at him at high speed and low altitude and opened fire, Makdissi said.'^[73] The statement went on to claim that the aircraft was found to be a “Turkish military plane that entered Syrian airspace and was dealt with according to laws observed in such cases.” The downing occurred at a time of heightened tensions between the two countries due to Turkish support for Syrian rebels opposed to the Bashar al-Assadregime in Damascus.^[74] On 24 June, wreckage of the F-4 was located in Syrian waters, but the crew had not been found.^[75] On 24 February 2015, two RF-4Es crashed in the Malatya region in southeast Turkey, under unknown cumstances, killing all four crew members.^[76][77][78] On 5 March 2015, an F-4E-2020 crashed in central Anatolia killing both crew.^[79][80] Calls to scrap the F-4s and replace them with the fifth generationF-35s were renewed.^[81]

Upgrades[edit]

Buying a more sophisticated supersonic fighter, like the F-15 Eagle or Panavia Tornado, was too expensive and instead, the THK decided to upgrade its Phantom fleet with improvements to avionics and structure, but not to the engines. In August 1995, after a hotly contested competition with DASA (F-4 ICE), IAI was awarded a USD600M contract to upgrade 54 F-4Es to Phantom 2000s. The first 26 aircraft were rebuilt in Israel, and the other 28 in Turkey.^[68]

Structure[edit]

Small strakes above the air intakes to improve agility, new attachment fittings, engine mountings, stronger wing fold ribs, updated canopy sill bar, 12 mi (20 km) of wiring replaced (reducing weight by 1,653 lb/750 kg) as well as most hydraulic and pneumatic lines and hoses, and fuel tank reinforcements.^[82]

Avionics[edit]

New multifunction display in the front cockpit plus two in the rear, new Kaiser El-OP 976 wide-angle HUD and HOTAS system, high-performance EltaEL/M-2032ISAR-capable high-resolution SAR/GMTI (ground moving target indicator) multi-mode fire-control radar (developed for the IAI Lavi), IAIC mission computer, new navigation equipment including GPS/INS connected to mapping mode, dual MIL-STD-553B databus managing avionics package, Astronautics Central Air Data Computer, new UHF and IFF packages, airborne video tape recorder (AVTR), Elta EL/L-8222 active ECM pod and Mikes (Aselsan) AN/ALQ-178V3 passive embedded SPEWS, and RWR.^[61][82]

Additionally, they had AGM-142 Popeye/Have Nap integration, Litening-II targeting pods, and the capability to launch AGM-65D/G Maverick, AGM-88 HARM, GBU-8 HOBOS, GBU-10/12 Paveway IILGBs, general purpose and cluster bombs for air-to-ground missions, while retaining the capability to launch AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. It is also possible to install Pave Spike targeting pods and rocket pods of all sizes.^[61][82]

These upgraded F-4 Phantoms are referred to as the F-4E-2020 Terminator and current planning is that they will remain in service until 2020, as the name suggests. The first entered service on 27 January 2000 with deliveries to 111 and 171 Filo.^[68]

Units[edit]

At the end of the 20th century, the following THK units operated Phantoms:^[68]

• Ana Jet Üs (Jet Air Base), Eskişehir: 111 Filo 'Panter' (F-4E/2020), 112 Filo 'Şeytan' (F-4E), 113 Filo 'Işık' (RF-4E)
• Ana Jet Üs, Konya: 132 Filo 'Hançer' (F-4E/2020)
• Ana Jet Üs, Erhaç-Malatya: 171 Filo 'Korsan' (F-4E/2020), 172 Filo 'Şahin' (F-4E), 173 Filo 'Şafak' (F-4E)
• 1st Tactical Air Force
  • 111 Filo
  • 112 Filo
  • 113 Filo
• 2nd Tactical Air Force
  • 132 Filo
  • 171 Filo
  • 172 Filo
  • 173 Filo

United Kingdom[edit]

F-4K (Phantom FG.1)[edit]

Following cancellation of the supersonic V/STOL Hawker Siddeley P.1154, the Royal Navy selected the Phantom as a replacement for the Supermarine Scimitar and de Havilland Sea Vixen. The model requested was designated the F-4K by McDonnell Douglas and received the British service designation Phantom FG.1. Ordered in July 1964,^[83] this was the first time the U.S. permitted export of the Phantom, with the first F-4K flying on 27 June 1966.^[83]

To ease the impact on employment in the UK aircraft industry from the cancellation of home-grown programs, the aircraft had a high British content.^[5] The main modification was the replacement of the General Electric J79 by the British-made Rolls-Royce Spey powerplant.^[84] These engines (RB 168-25R Spey Mk 202/203s) were more powerful than the J79s (20,515 lbf/91.25 kN afterburning thrust) and had a lower fuel consumption (Specific fuel consumption was around 0.7 lb/hp.h). The rear fuselage was heavily modified to accommodate the larger Speys and the air intakes enlarged to permit the greater airflow they required. These aircraft were equipped with an AN/AWG-11 radar system, which was a version of the Westinghouse AN/AWG-10 built under licence by Ferranti,^[85][86] equipped with a Doppler unit to allow some basic look-down capabilities. The bombing system was the anglicized version of the Lear/Siegler AN/ABJ-7. Fleet Air Arm Phantoms were fitted with a double-telescoping front landing gear strut that could extend 40 in (102 cm), the increased angle of attack being necessary for catapult launches from the smaller British carriers. Other British contractors, including Short Brothers and British Aircraft Corporation, built sub-assemblies and supplied parts to the United States where the aircraft were assembled by McDonnell Douglas at Saint Louis.^[5]

A Spey-powered Phantom was not a new concept: McDonnell Douglas had considered the idea to meet the USAF TFX requirement, later satisfied by the General Dynamics F-111.^[5] The Spey gave an increase of 10% in operational range, 15% increase in ferry range and better low-level acceleration,^[5] however the increased drag of the engine installation resulted in poorer performance at high altitude. Although some of the design changes were unique to the British aircraft – folding radar radome, Spey engine, nose-wheel extension and strengthened arrester hook – the other structural changes and improvements were used in the design of the F-4J.^[5] After modifications in the 1970s, the tail had a new RWR system; a British-made Marconi ARI.18228 fitted in a rectangular antenna box on the fin tip.^[84]

Initially, a total of 140 FG.1s were to be ordered for the Fleet Air Arm; the intention was to operate the Phantom from both of the Royal Navy's remaining large fleet carriers, Eagle and Ark Royal, and the brand new CVA-01 carriers. However, the 1966 Defence White Paper saw the cancellation of the CVA-01 project, with the Royal Navy's Phantom order cut to 48. This was intended to provide for two squadrons each of 12 aircraft to be operated from Eagle and Ark Royal, both of which were to be heavily modified. While Ark Royal was undergoing conversion, the FG.1 underwent successful deck trials aboard Eagle.^[87] In 1969, however, the decision was taken that Eagle would not undergo conversion, leaving Ark Royal as the only Royal Navy carrier capable of operating the Phantom. As a consequence, 20 of the Fleet Air Arm's FG.1s were diverted to the Royal Air Force to equip 43 Squadron at RAF Leuchars in the air-defence role.^[88] These aircraft were modified to enable them to carry the SUU-23/A gun pods.^[85] The units equipped were 700P Naval Air Squadron trials unit, 767 Naval Air Squadron training unit, and a single operational squadron, 892 Naval Air Squadron, all home based at Yeovilton. 892 NAS commissioned with the Phantom in 1969, and embarked in Ark Royal for the first time in 1970, making the Fleet Air Arm the only naval air arm outside the United States to operate the Phantom from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Service with the Fleet Air Arm was brief, with 892 NAS operating from Ark Royal from 12 June 1970 to 27 November 1978.^[84] After that, the remaining FG.1s were transferred to the RAF to form 111 Squadron, a second air-defence squadron. The two RAF squadrons converted to the Tornado F.3 in 1989 when the FG.1s were withdrawn from service.^[89]

F-4M (Phantom FGR.2)[edit]

With the cancellation of home-grown programmes and the need to replace the Hawker Hunter and English Electric Canberra in the ground-attack and tactical reconnaissance roles, the RAF ordered 118 aircraft in 1965. The aircraft were designated Phantom FGR.2 ('Fighter/Ground attack/Reconnaissance') by the British and the prototype first flew on 17 February 1967. Like the Phantom FG.1 it was equipped with Spey engines and was externally identical, although it did not have the extendable nose-wheel. It was fitted with an AN/AWG-12 radar and fire-control system, similar to the AN/AWG-11 but without the ability to fold the radome and antenna back to enable the aircraft to fit the lifts on an aircraft carrier, and Martin-Baker Mk.H5 ejection seats. The aircraft entered service from 1969 onwards with Nos. 2, 6, 14, 17, 31, 41 and 54 Squadrons in the close air support, tactical strike and tactical reconnaissance roles. However, when the SEPECAT Jaguar entered service from 1974 onwards, the Phantom FGR.2s were redeployed in the air defence role, replacing English Electric Lightnings with Nos. 19, 23, 29, 56 and 92 Squadrons.^[90]

Some FGR.2s were equipped with dual controls, and others could carry a reconnaissance pod that was equipped with a Texas Instruments RS-700 infrared linescan unit, high-definition sideways-looking radar and five optical cameras. Although not deployed in a war role RAF Phantoms were involved in air-defence duties on Quick Reaction Alert. This involved endless alarms to intercept 'Bear' and other Soviet aircraft approaching British airspace, the North Sea and over Germany. The fitting of RWRs and structural reinforcements were carried out to the aircraft in the 1970s.

In 1982, an AIM-9-armed Phantom FGR.2 returning from a Quick Reaction Alert over Germany accidentally shot down a Royal Air Force Jaguar GR.1.^[91]

In the strike role the FGR.2s could carry the SNEB rocket pod, 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb, the BL755Cluster Bomb Unit, and U.S.-supplied B28, B43, B57 or B61 nuclear weapons. It could also be fitted with SUU-16/A and SUU-23/A gun pods. From 1975 the aircraft were modified with structural reinforcements and tail-mounted radar warning receivers. When the aircraft took over the air-defence duties in the 1970s they carried either AIM-9G Sidewinders or AIM-7 Sparrows, and later they would carry the then new British Aerospace Skyflash missile and the updated AIM-9L Sidewinder. In the 1980s, the Tornado started to replace the Phantom in the air-defence role.

The Greek Air Force (Polemiki Aeroporia, PA) was interested in buying 32 aircraft in 1992 but the differences were too great between the FGR.2 and the F-4Es they operated.^[92]

F-4J(UK)[edit]

The deployment of a squadron of Phantom FGR.2s to the Falkland Islands after the 1982 War left a gap in the RAF's air defences. With the Tornado ADV still some years from operational service, the RAF purchased 15 second-hand former U.S. Navy F-4J aircraft redesignated F-4J(UK), chosen from among the best stored at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base and upgraded to a level almost equal to the F-4S. There was no official UK mark number for the type, despite the common but incorrect assumption that they would be designated 'Phantom F.3' in RAF service. The main difference was the absence of combat slats as requested by the RAF, since they were considered to be a 'source of drag'.

This also simplified the training of RAF crews as slats were not fitted to other RAF Phantoms. The aircraft were totally overhauled at Naval Air Station North Island and fitted with AWG-10B radar (having Skyflash missile guidance capability, with monopulse I band sensor), smokeless engines and provision for Skyflash missiles. The first F-4J(UK) was delivered to the RAF on 2 August 1984 and from there RAF crews delivered the aircraft to the UK after training.^[93]

They entered service with No. 74 Squadron RAF (Tiger Squadron), based at RAF Wattisham in the air-defence role. Crews liked the aircraft, and generally rated them better than the Spey-equipped FGR.2s. They had a slower rate of climb due to the less-powerful engines, but they were also 1,670 lb (760 kg) lighter and able, at altitude, to reach higher speeds (Mach 2.3 at 45,000 ft/13,700 m, compared to Mach 2.1 at 36,000 ft/11,000 m). The radar was also praised: 'engines are good and the radar is excellent' in the words of a pilot. Despite their age and the lack of combat slats these aircraft served well until being phased out in January 1991 in favour of surplus Phantom FGR.2s, before the Phantom was finally retired in 1992.^[93]

After 25 years of service the Phantoms ended their RAF career: as a result of the Options for Change military budget reduction in 1990, it was decided to phase out the Phantom. These aircraft were designed for a lifetime of only 1,000 hours but were pushed to 5,800 hours, many of them flown at low-level. First units to disband were the RAF Wildenrath-based 19 and 92 Squadrons, which were the last air defence units to serve in RAF Germany, followed by 56 Squadron in May 1992. The last Phantom squadron, 74 Squadron was disbanded on 1 October 1992.

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Units[edit]

• Phantom Post-Operational Conversion Unit

• No. 64 Squadron RAF/No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit RAF
• Phantom Training Flight
• Phantom Conversion Flight

See also[edit]

References[edit]

Notes[edit]

1. ^Australia returned the F-4s to U.S. after leasing.
2. ^Germany upgraded 110 to ICE configuration.
3. ^Greece upgraded 39 to Peace Icarus 2000 standard.
4. ^Spain has employed F-4Cs as spares since 1989
5. ^Turkey upgraded 54 upgraded to Terminator 2020 configuration.

Citations[edit]

1. ^ ^abGreen and Swanborough 2001
2. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'Index of Phantom Variants and Operators.'F-4 Phantom II. Retrieved: 27 February 2010.
3. ^'WorldAirForces2016-Corrected.pdf'. flightglobal.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
4. ^ ^abBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Royal Australian Air Force.'Phantom II, December 1999. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
5. ^ ^abcdefghiLake 1992.
6. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Egypt.'Phantom II, January 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
7. ^Fricker 2000, p. 59.
8. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p. 60.
9. ^Lake 1992, p. 209.
10. ^Egyptian Air Force Order of BattleArchived 16 December 2003 at the Wayback Machine. Scramble Magazine, 18 November 2007. Retrieved: 29 January 2008.
11. ^ ^abcdeBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Luftwaffe.' Phantom II, December 1999. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
12. ^ ^abcdefgNiccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 51.
13. ^Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 52.
14. ^Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 233.
15. ^Mazzardi and Maffioli 1993, p. 24.
16. ^Mazzardi and Maffioli 1993, p. 18.
17. ^Bonsignore 1994, pp. 40–46.
18. ^List 2006, p. 51.
19. ^German air force to bid 'Pharewell' to last F-4Fs - Flightglobal.com, 26 June 2013
20. ^Auf Wiedersehn, Phantom!Archived 2 January 2014 at the Wayback Machine - Aviationweek.com, 1 July 2013
21. ^ ^abcBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Greece.'Phantom II, April 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
22. ^Rollino 1992, p. 16.
23. ^ ^abcRollino 1992, p. 18.
24. ^Fricker 2000, p. 82.
25. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p. 63.
26. ^'Greece Retires RF-4 Photo-Phantom'. aviationweek.com. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
27. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p.64
28. ^ ^abcdeBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Iran.' Phantom II, April 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
29. ^Cooper, Tom. 'Early MiG-23M/MS Floggers in Action.' September 2003. Retrieved: 13 November 2007.
30. ^Beit-Hallahmi 1987, p. 14.
31. ^U.S.: Iran launches airstrikes against IS in Iraq - Militarytimes.com, 3 December 2014
32. ^Nordeen 1991, p. 90.
33. ^ ^{abcdefghijklmnop}Baugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Israel.' Phantom II, April 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
34. ^Cooper, Nicole, Arab Migs, Volume 4, Attrition War 1969-1973, p.101, 102
35. ^Nordeen 1991, p. 112.
36. ^ ^abFoster 1998, p. 25.
37. ^Nordeen 1991, p. 137.
38. ^'McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Essential Aircraft in the Air Warfare in the Middle East - HistoryNet'. historynet.com. 12 June 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
39. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'F-4E(S) Phantom.'Archived 2 May 2008 at the Wayback MachinePhantom II, December 1999. Retrieved: 30 January 2008.
40. ^ ^abFoster 1998, p. 26.
41. ^Foster 1998, p. 27.
42. ^Nordeen 1991, p. 200.
43. ^Fricker 2000, p. 66
44. ^'McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom - Development.'Israeli Air Force - The Official Website. Retrieved: 29 January 2008.
45. ^Foster 1998, p. 28.
46. ^ ^abcFricker 2000, p. 85.
47. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Japan.'Phantom II, February 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
48. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p. 86.
49. ^Grevatt, Jon. 'Japan narrows next-generation fighter requirement choice.'Jane's Defence Industry, 21 March 2007. Retrieved: 19 November 2007.
50. ^'Lockheed Martin to Upgrade Radar for Reconnaissance Version of Japan's F-15.'Archived 2 November 2007 at the Wayback MachineLockheed Martin press release, 19 June 2007.
51. ^Fricker 2000, p. 69.
52. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'McDonnell F-4EJ Kai Phantom II.'F-4 history. Retrieved: 31 December 2009.
53. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p. 70.
54. ^ ^abcFricker 2000, p. 87.
55. ^Donald and Lake 1996, p. 270.
56. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with South Korea.'Phantom II, April 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
57. ^ ^abcBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom with Spain.'Phantom II, April 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
58. ^Baugher, Joseph F. 'F-110 Spectre/F-4C Phantom II.'Phantom II, December 2002. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
59. ^Cruz 2004, p. 29.
60. ^Cruz 2004, p. 30.
61. ^ ^abcDonald and Lake 1996
62. ^ ^abFricker 2000, p. 76.
63. ^Cruz 2004, p. 39.
64. ^'Ejército del Aire: McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II' (in Spanish).Archived 27 December 2007 at the Wayback Machineejercitodelaire. Retrieved: 17 November 2007.
65. ^'Spanish Air Force Order of Battle.'Archived 30 November 2007 at the Wayback MachineScramble on the Web. Retrieved: 17 November 2007.
66. ^Cruz 2004, p. 41.
67. ^Mevlutoglu 2011, p. 40.
68. ^ ^abcdefBaugher, Joseph F. 'Phantom for Turkey.'Phantom II, May 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.
69. ^Rollino, Paolo. 'I caccia della Mezzaluna.' (in Italian) Aerei, Issue 6, 1995.
70. ^'Turkish F-4 Phantoms defeated Chinese Su-27s in exercises.'Air force World. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
71. ^Muir, Jim. 'Syrian military says it downed Turkish fighter jet.'BBC News, 1 January 1970. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
72. ^'Military Spokesman: Anti-Air Defenses Intercepted a Target That Violated Syrian Airspace Over Territorial Waters, Shot It Down West of Lattakia.'Archived 24 June 2012 at the Wayback MachineSyrian Arab News Agency, 23 June 2012. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
73. ^'Downing of Turkish jet unlikely to spark international intervention in Syrian conflict.'Washington Post (AP), 25 June 2012. Retrieved: 25 June 2012.
74. ^'Mass Killing Reported In Syria Apparently a Rebel Ambush.'The New York Times, 23 June 2012.
75. ^'Turkey Locates Fighter Jet Shot Down By Syria.'Sky News, 24 June 2012. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
76. ^Ranter, Harro. 'ASN Aircraft accident 24-FEB-2015 McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantom II'. aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
77. ^'LOCAL - Two Turkish fighter jets crash, killing four'. hurriyetdailynews.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
78. ^'Four dead as two Turkish military jets crash: official'. dailystar.com.lb. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
79. ^'Turkish F-4 Phantom crashes, two dead'. janes.com. Retrieved 10 May 2017.
80. ^'Turkish military aircraft crashes, two pilots dead'. dailysabah.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
81. ^'Call to scrap F-4s renewed at pilots' funeral'. dailysabah.com. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
82. ^ ^abc'Warriorsoul: F-4 Phantom.'Archived 29 February 2008 at the Wayback MachineTurkish Armed Forces website. Retrieved: 8 February 2008.
83. ^ ^abThetford 1994, pp. 254–255.
84. ^ ^abcTake Off Encyclopedia. London: Eaglemoss Publications Ltd., 2000, pp. 248–250.
85. ^ ^ab'McDonnell Douglas Phantom II: History.'Thunder & Lightnings, 29 February 2004. Retrieved: 13 November 2007.
86. ^Donald 1999, p. 5.
87. ^'HMS Eagle deck trials 1969.'Archived 2 October 2011 at the Wayback Machinephantomf4k.org. Retrieved: 24 June 2012.
88. ^Donald 1999, p. 6.
89. ^Donald 1999, p. 20.
90. ^Hobbs 2008, p. 37.
91. ^'RAF Phantom shoots down RAF Jaguar'. Flight International, 26 June 1982, p. 1653.
92. ^Calvert 1991, p. 25.
93. ^ ^abCalvert 1991, p. 23.

Bibliography[edit]

• Beit-Hallahmi, Benjamin. The Israeli Connection: Whom Israel Arms and Why. London: I.G Tauris, 1987. ISBN1-85043-069-1.
• Bishop, Farzad and Tom Cooper. Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat (Osprey Combat Aircraft #37). Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing Limited, 2003. ISBN978-1-84176-658-4.
• Bonsignore, Ezio. Un caccia ad interim per la Germania? (in Italian) RID, Issue 10, 1994.
• Calvert, Denis. RAF Retires her Phantoms. (in Italian) Aerei Magazione, March 1993.
• Calvert, Denis. The RAF's Tigers. (in Italian) Aerei, Issue 5, 1991.
• Cruz, Gonzalo Avila. Iberian Phantoms. Air Enthusiast. Number 114, November/December 2004, pp. 28–41. Stamford Lincolnshire: Key Publishing. ISSN0143-5450.
• Donald, David. RAF Phantoms. Wings of Fame. London: Aerospace. Volume 15, 1999, pp. 4–21. ISBN1-86184-033-0.
• Donald, David and Jon Lake. Encyclopedia of World Military Aircraft. London: Aerospace. Single Volume Edition, 1996. ISBN1-874023-95-6.
• Foster, Peter. I Phantom della HHA. (in Italian) Aerei, Issue 9, 1998.
• Fricker, John. Boeing /McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II Current Operators. World Air Power Journal, Volume 40, Spring 2000, pp. 56–89. ISBN1-86184-043-8.
• Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Great Book of Fighters. St. Paul, Minnesota: MBI Publishing, 2001. ISBN0-7603-1194-3.
• Hobbs, David. British F-4 Phantoms. Air International, Vol. 74 No. 4, May 2008, pp. 30–37. ISSN0306-5634.
• Hobson, Chris. Vietnam Air Losses, USAF/Navy/Marine, Fixed Wing Aircraft Losses in Southeast 1961-1973. North Branch, Minnesota: Specialty Press, 2001. ISBN1-85780-115-6.
• Lake Jon. Phantom Spirit in the Skies. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1992. ISBN1-880588-04-8.
• Donald, David and Jon Lake, eds. McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies. London: AIRtime Publishing, 2002. ISBN1-880588-31-5.
• List, Friedrich. German Air Arms Review. Air International Volume 70, No. 5, May 2006, pp. 50–57. Stamford, Lincolnshire, UK: Key Publishing. ISSN0306-5634.
• Mazzardi, Pietro and G. Maffioli. Il cavallino rampante della Westfalia (JG 72). (in Italian) Aerei, Issue 2, 1993.
• Mevlutoglu, Arda. Anatolian Phantoms. Air International, Vol. 80 No.1, January 2011, pp. 40–45. ISSN0306-5634.
• Niccoli, Riccardo and R. Sacchetti. Phantom II. (in Italian) Fantasmi Crociati, JP-4, Issue 2, 1991.
• Nordeen, Lon. Fighters Over Israel. London: Guild Publishing, 1991. ISBN1-85367-098-7.
• Rollino, Paolo. Phantoms in Tanagra. (in Italian) Aerei, Issue 10, 1992.
• Thetford, Owen. British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London: Putnam, Fourth Edition, 1994. ISBN0-85177-861-5.
• Thornborough, Anthony M. and Peter E. Davies. The Phantom Story. London: Arms and Armour Press, 1994. ISBN1-85409-121-2.
• Wilson, Stewart. Phantom, Hornet and Skyhawk in Australian Service. Weston Creek, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications, 1993. ISBN9781875671038.

External links[edit]

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II^{[N 1]} is a tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonicjetinterceptor and fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft.^[2] It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable, it was also adopted by the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, and by the mid-1960s had become a major part of their air arms.^[3]

The Phantom is a large fighter with a top speed of over Mach 2.2. It can carry more than 18,000 pounds (8,400 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and various bombs. The F-4, like other interceptors of its time, was initially designed without an internal cannon. Later models incorporated an M61 Vulcan rotary cannon. Beginning in 1959, it set 15 world records for in-flight performance,^[4] including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude record.^[5]

The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance roles late in the war. During the Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot, two weapon systems officers (WSOs),^[6] one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft.^[7] The F-4 continued to form a major part of U.S. military air power throughout the 1970s and 1980s, being gradually replaced by more modern aircraft such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 Fighting Falcon in the U.S. Air Force, the F-14 Tomcat in the U.S. Navy, and the F/A-18 Hornet in the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps.

The F-4 Phantom II remained in use by the U.S. in the reconnaissance and Wild Weasel (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) roles in the 1991 Gulf War, finally leaving service in 1996.^[8][9] It was also the only aircraft used by both U.S. flight demonstration teams: the USAF Thunderbirds (F-4E) and the US Navy Blue Angels (F-4J).^[3][10][11] The F-4 was also operated by the armed forces of 11 other nations. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat in several Arab–Israeli conflicts, while Iran used its large fleet of Phantoms, acquired before the fall of the Shah, in the Iran–Iraq War. Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making it the most produced American supersonic military aircraft.^[3][12] As of 2018, 60 years after its first flight, the F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South Korea, Greece, and Turkey. The aircraft has most recently been in service against the Islamic State group in the Middle East.

• 1Development
• 2Design
• 3Operational history
  • 3.5Non-U.S. air forces
• 6Culture
• 11References

Development[edit]

Origins[edit]

In 1952, McDonnell's Chief of Aerodynamics, Dave Lewis, was appointed by CEO Jim McDonnell to be the company's preliminary design manager.^[13] With no new aircraft competitions on the horizon, internal studies concluded the Navy had the greatest need for a new and different aircraft type: an attack fighter.^[14]

In 1953, McDonnell Aircraft began work on revising its F3H Demon naval fighter, seeking expanded capabilities and better performance. The company developed several projects including a variant powered by a Wright J67 engine,^[15] and variants powered by two Wright J65 engines, or two General Electric J79 engines.^[16] The J79-powered version promised a top speed of Mach 1.97. On 19 September 1953, McDonnell approached the United States Navy with a proposal for the 'Super Demon'. Uniquely, the aircraft was to be modular—it could be fitted with one- or two-seat noses for different missions, with different nose cones to accommodate radar, photo cameras, four 20 mm (.79 in) cannon, or 56 FFAR unguided rockets in addition to the nine hardpoints under the wings and the fuselage. The Navy was sufficiently interested to order a full-scale mock-up of the F3H-G/H, but felt that the upcoming Grumman XF9F-9 and Vought XF8U-1 already satisfied the need for a supersonic fighter.^[17]

The McDonnell design was therefore reworked into an all-weather fighter-bomber with 11 external hardpoints for weapons and on 18 October 1954, the company received a letter of intent for two YAH-1 prototypes. On 26 May 1955, four Navy officers arrived at the McDonnell offices and, within an hour, presented the company with an entirely new set of requirements. Because the Navy already had the Douglas A-4 Skyhawk for ground attack and F-8 Crusader for dogfighting, the project now had to fulfill the need for an all-weather fleet defense interceptor. A second crewman was added to operate the powerful radar.^[2]

XF4H-1 prototype[edit]

The XF4H-1 was designed to carry four semi-recessed AAM-N-6 Sparrow III radar-guided missiles, and to be powered by two J79-GE-8 engines. As in the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, the engines sat low in the fuselage to maximize internal fuel capacity and ingested air through fixed geometry intakes. The thin-section wing had a leading edge sweep of 45° and was equipped with blown flaps for better low-speed handling.^[18]

Wind tunnel testing had revealed lateral instability requiring the addition of 5° dihedral to the wings.^[19] To avoid redesigning the titanium central section of the aircraft, McDonnell engineers angled up only the outer portions of the wings by 12°, which averaged to the required 5° over the entire wingspan. The wings also received the distinctive 'dogtooth' for improved control at high angles of attack. The all-moving tailplane was given 23° of anhedral to improve control at high angles of attack while still keeping the tailplane clear of the engine exhaust.^[18] In addition, air intakes were equipped with variable geometry ramps to regulate airflow to the engines at supersonic speeds. All-weather intercept capability was achieved thanks to the AN/APQ-50 radar. To accommodate carrier operations, the landing gear was designed to withstand landings with a sink rate of 23 ft/s (7 m/s), while the nose strut could extend by some 20 in (51 cm) to increase angle of attack at takeoff.^[19]

On 25 July 1955, the Navy ordered two XF4H-1 test aircraft and five YF4H-1 pre-production examples. The Phantom made its maiden flight on 27 May 1958 with Robert C. Little at the controls. A hydraulic problem precluded retraction of the landing gear but subsequent flights went more smoothly. Early testing resulted in redesign of the air intakes, including the distinctive addition of 12,500 holes to 'bleed off' the slow-moving boundary layer air from the surface of each intake ramp. Series production aircraft also featured splitter plates to divert the boundary layer away from the engine intakes. The aircraft soon squared off against the XF8U-3 Crusader III. Due to operator workload, the Navy wanted a two-seat aircraft and on 17 December 1958 the F4H was declared a winner. Delays with the J79-GE-8 engines meant that the first production aircraft were fitted with J79-GE-2 and −2A engines, each having 16,100 lbf (71.8 kN) of afterburning thrust. In 1959, the Phantom began carrier suitability trials with the first complete launch-recovery cycle performed on 15 February 1960 from Independence.^[19]

There were proposals to name the F4H 'Satan' and 'Mithras'.^[19] In the end, the aircraft was given the less controversial name 'Phantom II', the first 'Phantom' being another McDonnell jet fighter, the FH-1 Phantom. The Phantom II was briefly given the designation F-110A and the name 'Spectre' by the USAF, but neither name was officially used.^[20]

Production[edit]

Early in production, the radar was upgraded to the Westinghouse AN/APQ-72, an AN/APG-50 with a larger radar antenna, necessitating the bulbous nose, and the canopy was reworked to improve visibility and make the rear cockpit less claustrophobic.^[21] During its career the Phantom underwent many changes in the form of numerous variants developed.

The USN operated the F4H-1 (re-designated F-4A in 1962) with J79-GE-2 and -2A engines of 16,100 lbf (71.62 kN) thrust and later builds receiving -8 engines. A total of 45 F-4As were built and none saw combat and most ended up as test or training aircraft.^[22] The USN and USMC received the first definitive Phantom, the F-4B which was equipped with the Westinghouse APQ-72 radar (pulse only), a Texas Instruments AAA-4 Infra-red search and track pod under the nose, an AN/AJB-3 bombing system and powered by J79-GE-8,-8A and -8B engines of 10,900 lbf (48.5 kN) dry and 16,950 lbf (75.4 kN) afterburner (reheat) with the first flight on 25 March 1961. 649 F-4Bs were built with deliveries beginning in 1961 and VF-121 Pacemakers receiving the first examples at NAS Miramar.^[22]

The USAF received Phantoms as the result of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's push to create a unified fighter for all branches of the US military. After an F-4B won the 'Operation Highspeed' fly-off against the Convair F-106 Delta Dart, the USAF borrowed two Naval F-4Bs, temporarily designating them F-110A 'Spectre' in January 1962, and developed requirements for their own version. Unlike the US Navy's focus on air-to-air interception in the Fleet Air Defense (FAD) mission, the USAF emphasized both an air-to-air and an air-to-ground fighter-bomber role. With McNamara's unification of designations on 18 September 1962, the Phantom became the F-4 with the naval version designated F-4B and USAF F-4C. The first Air Force Phantom flew on 27 May 1963, exceeding Mach 2 on its maiden flight.^[23]

The F-4J had improved air-to-air and ground-attack capability; deliveries begun in 1966 and ended in 1972 with 522 built.^[24] It was equipped with J79-GE-10 engines with 17,844 lbf (79.374 kN) thrust, the Westinghouse AN/AWG-10 Fire Control System (making the F-4J the first fighter in the world with operational look-down/shoot-down capability),^[25] a new integrated missile control system and the AN/AJB-7 bombing system for expanded ground attack capability.^[26]

The F-4N (updated F-4Bs) with smokeless engines and F-4J aerodynamic improvements started in 1972 under a U.S. Navy-initiated refurbishment program called 'Project Bee Line'^[27] with 228 converted by 1978. The F-4S model resulted from the refurbishment of 265 F-4Js with J79-GE-17 smokeless engines of 17,900 lbf (79.379 kN), AWG-10B radar with digitized circuitry for improved performance and reliability, Honeywell AN/AVG-8 Visual Target Acquisition Set or VTAS (world's first operational Helmet Sighting System), classified avionics improvements, airframe reinforcement and leading edge slats for enhanced maneuvering.^[28] The USMC also operated the RF-4B with reconnaissance cameras with 46 built.^[29]

Phantom II production ended in the United States in 1979 after 5,195 had been built (5,057 by McDonnell Douglas and 138 in Japan by Mitsubishi).^[3] Of these, 2,874 went to the USAF, 1,264 to the Navy and Marine Corps, and the rest to foreign customers.^[3] The last U.S.-built F-4 went to South Korea, while the last F-4 built was an F-4EJ built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan and delivered on 20 May 1981.^[30] As of 2008, 631 Phantoms were in service worldwide,^[31] while the Phantoms were in use as a target drone (specifically QF-4Cs) operated by the U.S. military until 21 December 2016, when the Air Force officially ended use of the type.^[32]

World records[edit]

To show off their new fighter, the Navy led a series of record-breaking flights early in Phantom development:^[3] All in all, the Phantom set 16 world records. Except for Skyburner, all records were achieved in unmodified production aircraft. Five of the speed records remained unbeaten until the F-15 Eagle appeared in 1975.^[4]

• Operation Top Flight: On 6 December 1959, the second XF4H-1 performed a zoom climb to a world record 98,557 ft (30,040 m).^[5][33] Commander Lawrence E. Flint Jr., USN accelerated his aircraft to Mach 2.5 (2,660 km/h; 1,650 mph) at 47,000 ft (14,330 m) and climbed to 90,000 ft (27,430 m) at a 45° angle. He then shut down the engines and glided to the peak altitude. As the aircraft fell through 70,000 ft (21,300 m), Flint restarted the engines and resumed normal flight.^[34]
• On 5 September 1960, an F4H-1 averaged 1,216.78 mph (1,958.16 km/h) over a 500 km (311 mi) closed-circuit course.^[5]
• On 25 September 1960, an F4H-1F averaged 1,390.24 mph (2,237.37 km/h) over a 100 km (62.1 mi) closed-circuit course.^[5] FAIRecord File Number 8898.
• Operation LANA: To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Naval aviation (L is the Roman numeral for 50 and ANA stood for Anniversary of Naval Aviation) on 24 May 1961, Phantoms flew across the continental United States in under three hours and included several tanker refuelings. The fastest of the aircraft averaged 869.74 mph (1,400.28 km/h) and completed the trip in 2 hours 47 minutes, earning the pilot (and future NASA Astronaut), Lieutenant Richard Gordon, USN and RIO, Lieutenant Bobbie Young, USN, the 1961 Bendix trophy.^{[5][35][36][37]}
• Operation Sageburner: On 28 August 1961, a F4H-1F Phantom II averaged 1,452.777 kilometers per hour (902.714 miles per hour) over a 3 mi (4.82 km) course flying below 125 feet (38.1 m) at all times.^[5] Commander J.L. Felsman, USN was killed during the first attempt at this record on 18 May 1961 when his aircraft disintegrated in the air after pitch damper failure.^[38]
• Operation Skyburner: On 22 November 1961, a modified Phantom with water injection, piloted by Lt. Col. Robert B. Robinson, set an absolute world record average speed over a 20-mile (32.2 km) long 2-way straight course of 1,606.342 mph (2,585.086 km/h).^[5][39][40]
• On 5 December 1961, another Phantom set a sustained altitude record of 66,443.8 feet (20,252 m).^[5]
• Operation High Jump: A series of time-to-altitude records was set in early 1962: 34.523 seconds to 3,000 meters (9,840 ft), 48.787 seconds to 6,000 meters (19,700 ft), 61.629 seconds to 9,000 meters (29,500 ft), 77.156 seconds to 12,000 meters (39,400 ft), 114.548 seconds to 15,000 meters (49,200 ft), 178.5 seconds to 20,000 meters (65,600 ft), 230.44 seconds to 25,000 metres (82,000 ft), and 371.43 seconds to 30,000 metres (98,400 ft).^[41]

Design[edit]

Overview[edit]

The F-4 Phantom is a tandem-seat fighter-bomber designed as a carrier-based interceptor to fill the U.S. Navy's fleet defense fighter role. Innovations in the F-4 included an advanced pulse-Doppler radar and extensive use of titanium in its airframe.^[42]

Despite imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff weight of over 60,000 lb (27,000 kg),^[43] the F-4 has a top speed of Mach 2.23 and an initial climb rate of over 41,000 ft/min (210 m/s).^[44] The F-4's nine external hardpoints have a capability of up to 18,650 pounds (8,480 kg) of weapons, including air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, and unguided, guided, and thermonuclear weapons.^[45] Like other interceptors of its day, the F-4 was designed without an internal cannon.^[46]

The baseline performance of a Mach 2-class fighter with long range and a bomber-sized payload would be the template for the next generation of large and light/middle-weight fighters optimized for daylight air combat.^[47]

Flight characteristics[edit]

In air combat, the Phantom's greatest advantage was its thrust, which permitted a skilled pilot to engage and disengage from the fight at will.^[48] As a massive fighter aircraft designed to fire radar-guided missiles from beyond visual range, it lacked the agility of its Soviet opponents and was subject to adverse yaw during hard maneuvering. Although thus subject to irrecoverable spins during aileron rolls, pilots reported the aircraft to be very communicative and easy to fly on the edge of its performance envelope. In 1972, the F-4E model was upgraded with leading edge slats on the wing, greatly improving high angle of attack maneuverability at the expense of top speed.^[49]

The J79 engines produced noticeable amounts of black smoke (at mid-throttle/cruise settings), a severe disadvantage in that the enemy could spot the aircraft.^[50] This was solved on the F-4S fitted with the −10A engine variant which used a smokeless combustor.^[51]

The F-4's biggest weakness, as it was initially designed, was its lack of an internal cannon. For a brief period, doctrine held that turning combat would be impossible at supersonic speeds and little effort was made to teach pilots air combat maneuvering. In reality, engagements quickly became subsonic, as pilots would slow down in an effort to get behind their adversaries. Furthermore, the relatively new heat-seeking and radar-guided missiles at the time were frequently reported as unreliable and pilots had to fire multiple missiles (also known as ripple-firing), just to hit one enemy fighter. To compound the problem, rules of engagement in Vietnam precluded long-range missile attacks in most instances, as visual identification was normally required. Many pilots found themselves on the tail of an enemy aircraft but too close to fire short-range Falcons or Sidewinders. Although by 1965 USAF F-4Cs began carrying SUU-16 external gunpods containing a 20 mm (.79 in) M61A1 Vulcan Gatling cannon, USAF cockpits were not equipped with lead-computing gunsights until the introduction of the SUU-23, virtually assuring a miss in a maneuvering fight. Some Marine Corps aircraft carried two pods for strafing. In addition to the loss of performance due to drag, combat showed the externally mounted cannon to be inaccurate unless frequently boresighted, yet far more cost-effective than missiles. The lack of a cannon was finally addressed by adding an internally mounted 20 mm (.79 in) M61A1 Vulcan on the F-4E.^[49]

Costs[edit]

Note: Original amounts were in 1965 U.S. dollars.^[52] The figures in these tables have been adjusted for inflation to the current year.

Operational history[edit]

United States Air Force[edit]

In USAF service, the F-4 was initially designated the F-110 Spectre^[53] prior to the introduction of the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system. The USAF quickly embraced the design and became the largest Phantom user. The first USAF Phantoms in Vietnam were F-4Cs from the 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron arrived in December 1964.^[54]

Unlike the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps, which flew the Phantom with a Naval Aviator (pilot) in the front seat and a Naval Flight Officer as a radar intercept officer (RIO) in the back seat, the USAF initially flew its Phantoms with a rated Air Force Pilot in front and back seats. While the rear pilot (GIB, or 'guy in back') could fly and ostensibly land the aircraft, he had fewer flight instruments and a very restricted forward view. The Air Force later assigned a rated Air Force Navigator qualified as a weapon/targeting systems officer (later designated as weapon systems officer or WSO) in the rear seat instead of another pilot.^[55]

On 10 July 1965, F-4Cs of the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 15th TFW, on temporary assignment in Ubon, Thailand,^[56] scored the USAF's first victories against North Vietnamese MiG-17s using AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles.^[57] On 26 April 1966, an F-4C from the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron scored the first aerial victory by a U.S. aircrew over a North Vietnamese MiG-21 'Fishbed'.^[58] On 24 July 1965, another Phantom from the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first American aircraft to be downed by an enemy SAM, and on 5 October 1966 an 8th Tactical Fighter Wing F-4C became the first U.S. jet lost to an air-to-air missile, fired by a MiG-21.

Early aircraft suffered from leaks in wing fuel tanks that required re-sealing after each flight and 85 aircraft were found to have cracks in outer wing ribs and stringers.^[52] There were also problems with aileron control cylinders, electrical connectors, and engine compartment fires. Reconnaissance RF-4Cs made their debut in Vietnam on 30 October 1965, flying the hazardous post-strike reconnaissance missions. The USAF Thunderbirds used the F-4E from the 1969 season until 1974.^[10]

Although the F-4C was essentially identical to the Navy/Marine Corps F-4B in flight performance and carried the AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, USAF-tailored F-4Ds initially arrived in June 1967 equipped with AIM-4 Falcons. However, the Falcon, like its predecessors, was designed to shoot down heavy bombers flying straight and level. Its reliability proved no better than others and its complex firing sequence and limited seeker-head cooling time made it virtually useless in combat against agile fighters. The F-4Ds reverted to using Sidewinders under the 'Rivet Haste' program in early 1968, and by 1972 the AIM-7E-2 'Dogfight Sparrow' had become the preferred missile for USAF pilots. Like other Vietnam War Phantoms, the F-4Ds were urgently fitted with radar warning receivers to detect the Soviet-built S-75 Dvina SAMs.^[59]

From the initial deployment of the F-4C to Southeast Asia, USAF Phantoms performed both air superiority and ground attack roles, supporting not only ground troops in South Vietnam but also conducting bombing sorties in Laos and North Vietnam. As the F-105 force underwent severe attrition between 1965 and 1968, the bombing role of the F-4 proportionately increased until after November 1970 (when the last F-105D was withdrawn from combat) it became the primary USAF tactical ordnance delivery system. In October 1972 the first squadron of EF-4C Wild Weasel aircraft deployed to Thailand on temporary duty.^[60] The 'E' prefix was later dropped and the aircraft was simply known as the F-4C Wild Weasel.

Sixteen squadrons of Phantoms were permanently deployed between 1965 and 1973, and 17 others deployed on temporary combat assignments.^[61] Peak numbers of combat F-4s occurred in 1972, when 353 were based in Thailand.^[62] A total of 445 Air Force Phantom fighter-bombers were lost, 370 in combat and 193 of those over North Vietnam (33 to MiGs, 30 to SAMs, and 307 to AAA).^[62]

The RF-4C was operated by four squadrons,^[63] and of the 83 losses, 72 were in combat including 38 over North Vietnam (seven to SAMs and 65 to AAA).^[62] By war's end, the U.S. Air Force had lost a total of 528 F-4 and RF-4C Phantoms. When combined with U.S. Navy and Marine Corps losses of 233 Phantoms, 761 F-4/RF-4 Phantoms were lost in the Vietnam War.^[64]

On 28 August 1972, Captain Steve Ritchie became the first USAF ace of the war.^[6] On 9 September 1972, WSO Capt Charles B. DeBellevue became the highest-scoring American ace of the war with six victories.^[6] and WSO Capt Jeffrey Feinstein became the last USAF ace of the war on 13 October 1972.^[65] Upon return to the United States, DeBellevue and Feinstein were assigned to undergraduate pilot training (Feinstein was given a vision waiver) and requalified as USAF pilots in the F-4. USAF F-4C/D/E crews claimed 107½ MiG kills in Southeast Asia (50 by Sparrow, 31 by Sidewinder, five by Falcon, 15.5 by gun, and six by other means).^[62]

On 31 January 1972, the 170th Tactical Fighter Squadron/183d Tactical Fighter Group of the Illinois Air National Guard became the first Air National Guard unit to transition to Phantoms from Republic F-84F Thunderstreaks which were found to have corrosion problems.^[66] Phantoms would eventually equip numerous tactical fighter and tactical reconnaissance units in the USAF active, National Guard, and reserve.

On 2 June 1972, a Phantom flying at supersonic speed shot down a MiG-19 over Thud Ridge in Vietnam for the first supersonic gun kill. At a recorded speed of Mach 1.2, Major Phil Handley's shoot down was the first and only recorded gun kill while flying at supersonic speeds.^[67][68]

On 15 August 1990, 24 F-4G Wild Weasel Vs and six RF-4Cs were deployed to Shaikh Isa AB, Bahrain, for Operation Desert Storm. The F-4G was the only aircraft in the USAF inventory equipped for the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role, and was needed to protect coalition aircraft from Iraq's extensive air defense system. The RF-4C was the only aircraft equipped with the ultra-long-range KS-127 LOROP (long-range oblique photography) camera, and was used for a variety of reconnaissance missions. In spite of flying almost daily missions, only one RF-4C was lost in a fatal accident before the start of hostilities. One F-4G was lost when enemy fire damaged the fuel tanks and the aircraft ran out of fuel near a friendly airbase. The last USAF Phantoms, F-4G Wild Weasel Vs from 561st Fighter Squadron, were retired on 26 March 1996. The last operational flight of the F-4G Wild Weasel was from the 190th Fighter Squadron, Idaho Air National Guard, in April 1996.^[69] The last operational USAF/ANG F-4 to land was flown by Maj Mike Webb and Maj Gary Leeder of the Idaho ANG.

Like the Navy, the Air Force has operated QF-4 target drones, serving with the 82d Aerial Targets Squadron at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, and Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico.^[70] It was expected that the F-4 would remain in the target role with the 82d ATRS until at least 2015, when they would be replaced by early versions of the F-16 Fighting Falcon converted to a QF-16 configuration.^[71] Several QF-4s also retain capability as manned aircraft and are maintained in historical color schemes, being displayed as part of Air Combat Command's Heritage Flight at air shows, base open houses, and other events while serving as non-expendable target aircraft during the week.^[72] On 19 November 2013, BAE Systems delivered the last QF-4 aerial target to the Air Force. The example had been in storage for over 20 years before being converted. Over 16 years, BAE had converted 314 F-4 and RF-4 Phantom IIs into QF-4s and QRF-4s, with each aircraft taking six months to adapt. As of December 2013, QF-4 and QRF-4 aircraft had flown over 16,000 manned and 600 unmanned training sorties, with 250 unmanned aircraft being shot down in firing exercises. The remaining QF-4s and QRF-4s held their training role until the first of 126 QF-16s were delivered by Boeing.^[73] The final flight of an Air Force QF-4 from Tyndall AFB took place on 27 May 2015 to Holloman AFB.^[74] After Tyndall AFB ceased operations, the 53d Weapons Evaluation Group at Holloman became the fleet of 22 QF-4s' last remaining operator. The base continued using them to fly manned test and unmanned live fire test support and Foreign Military Sales testing, with the final unmanned flight taking place in August 2016.^[75] The type was officially retired from US military service with a four–ship flight at Holloman during an event on 21 December 2016.^[76] The remaining QF-4s were to be demilitarized after 1 January 2017.^[77]

United States Navy[edit]

On 30 December 1960, the VF-121 'Pacemakers' at NAS Miramar became the first Phantom operator with its F4H-1Fs (F-4As). The VF-74 'Be-devilers' at NAS Oceana became the first deployable Phantom squadron when it received its F4H-1s (F-4Bs) on 8 July 1961.^[78] The squadron completed carrier qualifications in October 1961 and Phantom's first full carrier deployment between August 1962 and March 1963 aboard Forrestal.^[79] The second deployable U.S. Atlantic Fleet squadron to receive F-4Bs was the VF-102 'Diamondbacks', who promptly took their new aircraft on the shakedown cruise of Enterprise.^[80] The first deployable U.S. Pacific Fleet squadron to receive the F-4B was the VF-114 'Aardvarks', which participated in the September 1962 cruise aboard USS Kitty Hawk.^[78]

By the time of the Tonkin Gulf incident, 13 of 31 deployable navy squadrons were armed with the type. F-4Bs from Constellation made the first Phantom combat sortie of the Vietnam War on 5 August 1964, flying bomber escort in Operation Pierce Arrow.^[81] The first Phantom air-to-air victory of the war took place on 9 April 1965 when an F-4B from VF-96 'Fighting Falcons' piloted by Lieutenant (junior grade) Terence M. Murphy and his RIO, Ensign Ronald Fegan, shot down a Chinese MiG-17 'Fresco'. The Phantom was then shot down, probably by an AIM-7 Sparrow from one of its wingmen.^[19] There continues to be controversy over whether the Phantom was shot down by MiG guns or, as enemy reports later indicated, an AIM-7 Sparrow III from one of Murphy's and Fegan's wingmen.^[82] On 17 June 1965, an F-4B from VF-21 'Freelancers' piloted by Commander Louis Page and Lieutenant John C. Smith shot down the first North Vietnamese MiG of the war.^[83][84]

On 10 May 1972, Lieutenant Randy 'Duke' Cunningham and Lieutenant (junior grade) William P. Driscoll flying an F-4J, call sign 'Showtime 100', shot down three MiG-17s to become the first American flying aces of the war. Their fifth victory was believed at the time to be over a mysterious North Vietnamese ace, Colonel Nguyen Toon, now considered mythical. On the return flight, the Phantom was damaged by an enemy surface-to-air missile. To avoid being captured, Cunningham and Driscoll flew their burning aircraft using only the rudder and afterburner (the damage to the aircraft rendered conventional control nearly impossible), until they could eject over water.^[7]

During the war, U.S. Navy F-4 Phantom squadrons participated in 84 combat tours with F-4Bs, F-4Js, and F-4Ns. The Navy claimed 40 air-to-air victories at a cost of 73 Phantoms lost in combat (seven to enemy aircraft, 13 to SAMs, and 53 to AAA). An additional 54 Phantoms were lost in mishaps.^[85]

In 1984, all Navy F-4Ns were retired from Fleet service in deployable USN squadrons and by 1987 the last F-4Ss were retired from deployable USN squadrons. On 25 March 1986, an F-4S belonging to the VF-151 'Vigilantes,' became the last active duty U.S. Navy Phantom to launch from an aircraft carrier, in this case, Midway. On 18 October 1986, an F-4S from the VF-202 'Superheats', a Naval Reserve fighter squadron, made the last-ever Phantom carrier landing while operating aboard America. In 1987, the last of the Naval Reserve-operated F-4S aircraft were replaced by F-14As. The last Phantoms in service with the Navy were QF-4N and QF-4S target drones operated by the Naval Air Warfare Center at NAS Point Mugu, California.^[19] These airframes were subsequently retired in 2004.^[86]

United States Marine Corps[edit]

The Marine Corps received its first F-4Bs in June 1962, with the 'Black Knights' of VMFA-314 at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California becoming the first operational squadron. Marine Phantoms from VMFA-531 'Gray Ghosts' were assigned to Da Nang airbase on South Vietnam's northeast coast on 10 May 1965 and were initially assigned to provide air defense for the USMC. They soon began close air support missions (CAS) and VMFA-314 'Black Knights', VMFA-232 'Red Devils, VMFA-323 'Death Rattlers', and VMFA-542 'Bengals' soon arrived at the primitive airfield.^[87] Marine F-4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs (two while on exchange duty with the USAF) at the cost of 75 aircraft lost in combat, mostly to ground fire, and four in accidents.

The VMCJ-1 Golden Hawks (later VMAQ-1 and VMAQ-4 which had the old RM tailcode) flew the first photo recon mission with an RF-4B variant on 3 November 1966 from Da Nang AB, South Vietnam and remained there until 1970 with no RF-4B losses and only one aircraft damaged by anti-aircraft artillery (AAA) fire.^[88]VMCJ-2 and VMCJ-3 (now VMAQ-3) provided aircraft for VMCJ-1 in Da Nang and VMFP-3 was formed in 1975 at MCAS El Toro, CA consolidating all USMC RF-4Bs in one unit that became known as 'The Eyes of the Corps.' VMFP-3 disestablished in August 1990 after the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System was introduced for the F/A-18D Hornet.^[22]

The F-4 continued to equip fighter-attack squadrons in both active and reserve Marine Corps units throughout the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s and into the early 1990s. In the early 1980s, these squadrons began to transition to the F/A-18 Hornet, starting with the same squadron that introduced the F-4 to the Marine Corps, VMFA-314 at MCAS El Toro, California. On 18 January 1992, the last Marine Corps Phantom, an F-4S in the Marine Corps Reserve, was retired by the 'Cowboys' of VMFA-112 at NAS Dallas, Texas, after which the squadron was re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets.^[89]

Aerial combat in the Vietnam War[edit]

The USAF and the US Navy had high expectations of the F-4 Phantom, assuming that the massive firepower, the best available on-board radar, the highest speed and acceleration properties, coupled with new tactics, would provide Phantoms with an advantage over the MiGs. But in confrontations with the lighter MiG-21, F-4s did not always succeed and began to suffer losses.^[90] Over the course of the air war in Vietnam, between 3 April 1965 and 8 January 1973, each side would ultimately claim favorable kill ratios.^[91]

During the war, U.S. Navy F-4 Phantoms downed 40 air-to-air victories at a loss of seven Phantoms to enemy aircraft.^[85] USMC F-4 pilots claimed three enemy MiGs at the cost of one aircraft in air-combat. USAF F-4 Phantom crews scored 107½ MiG kills (including 33½ MiG-17s, eight MiG-19s and 66 MiG-21s) at a cost of 33 Phantoms in air-combat.^[62] F-4 pilots were credited with a total of 150½ MiG kills at a cost of 42 Phantoms in air-combat.

According to the VPAF, 103 F-4 Phantoms were shot down by MiG-21s at a cost of 54 MiG-21s downed by F-4s.^[92] During the war, the VPAF lost 131 MiGs in air combat (63 MiG-17s, eight MiG-19s and 60 MiG-21s) of which one half were by F-4s.^[93] From 1966 to November 1968, in 46 air battles conducted over North Vietnam between F-4s and MiG-21s, VPAF claimed 27 F-4s were shot down by MiG-21s at a cost of 20 MiG-21s^[94] In 1970, one F-4 Phantom was shot down by MiG-21.^[95] In 1972, total of 201 air battles took place between American and Vietnamese airplanes. The VPAF lost 54 MiGs (including 36 MiG-21s and one MiG-21) and claimed 90 U.S aircraft were shot down, including 74 F-4 Phantoms and two spy RF-4C (MiG-21s shot down 67 enemy aircraft. MiG-17 shot down 11 and MiG-19 shot down 12 enemy aircraft.)^[96]

The struggle culminated on 10 May 1972, with VPAF aircraft completing 64 sorties, resulting in 15 air battles. The VPAF claimed seven F-4s were shot down, while U.S. confirmed five F-4s were lost.^[95] The Phantoms, in turn, managed to destroy two MiG-21s, three MiG-17s, and one MiG-19.^[94] On 11 May, two MiG-21s, which played the role of 'bait', brought the four F-4s to two MiG-21s circling at low altitude. The MiGs quickly engaged and shot down two F-4s. On 18 May, Vietnamese aircraft made 26 sorties in eight air engagements, which cost 4 F-4 Phantoms; Vietnamese fighters on that day did not suffer losses.^[94]

Non-U.S. air forces[edit]

The Phantom has served with the air forces of many countries, including Australia, Egypt, Germany, United Kingdom, Greece, Iran, Israel, Japan, Spain, South Korea and Turkey.

Australia[edit]

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) leased 24 USAF F-4Es from 1970 to 1973 while waiting for their order for the General Dynamics F-111C to be delivered. They were so well-liked that the RAAF considered retaining the aircraft after the F-111Cs were delivered.^[97] They were operated from RAAF Amberley by No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron.^[98]

Egypt[edit]

In 1979, the Egyptian Air Force purchased 35 former USAF F-4Es along with a number of Sparrow, Sidewinder, and Maverick missiles from the U.S. for $594 million as part of the 'Peace Pharaoh' program.^[99] An additional seven surplus USAF aircraft were purchased in 1988.^[100] Three attrition replacements had been received by the end of the 1990s.^[97]

Germany[edit]

The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) initially ordered the reconnaissance RF-4E in 1969, receiving a total of 88 aircraft from January 1971.^[101] In 1982, the initially unarmed RF-4Es were given a secondary ground attack capability; these aircraft were retired in 1994.^[102]

In 1973, under the 'Peace Rhine' program, the Luftwaffe purchased the F-4F (a lightened and simplified version of the F-4E) which was upgraded in the mid-1980s.^[103] 24 German F-4F Phantom IIs were operated by the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing of the USAF at Holloman AFB to train Luftwaffe crews until December 2004. In 1975, Germany also received 10 F-4Es for training in the U.S. In the late 1990s, these were withdrawn from service after being replaced by F-4Fs.^[104] Germany also initiated the Improved Combat Efficiency (ICE) program in 1983. The 110 ICE-upgraded F-4Fs entered service in 1992,^[103] and were expected to remain in service until 2012.^[105] All the remaining Luftwaffe Phantoms were based at Wittmund with Jagdgeschwader 71 (fighter wing 71) in Northern Germany^[106] and WTD61 at Manching. Phantoms were deployed to NATO states under the Baltic Air Policing starting in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. The German Air Force retired its last F-4Fs on 29 June 2013. German F-4Fs flew 279,000 hours from entering service on 31 August 1973 until retirement.^[107][108]

Greece[edit]

In 1971, the Hellenic Air Force ordered brand new F-4E Phantoms, with deliveries starting in 1974. In the early 1990s, the Hellenic AF acquired surplus RF-4Es and F-4Es from the Luftwaffe and U.S. ANG.^[109][110]

Following the success of the German ICE program, on 11 August 1997, a contract was signed between DASA of Germany and Hellenic Aerospace Industry for the upgrade of 39 aircraft to the very similar 'Peace Icarus 2000' standard.^[19] The Hellenic AF operated 34 upgraded F-4E-PI2000 (338 and 339 Squadrons) and 12 RF-4E aircraft (348 Squadron) as of September 2013.

On 5 May 2017, the Hellenic Air Force officially retired the RF-4E Phantom II during a public ceremony.^[111]

Iran[edit]

In the 1960s and 1970s when the U.S. and Iran were on friendly terms, the U.S. sold 225 F-4D, F-4E, and RF-4E Phantoms to Iran. The Imperial Iranian Air Force saw at least one engagement, resulting in a loss, after an RF-4C was rammed^[112] by a Soviet MiG-21 during Project Dark Gene, an ELINT operation during the Cold War.

The Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force Phantoms saw heavy action in the Iran–Iraq War in the 1980s and are kept operational by overhaul and servicing from Iran's aerospace industry.^[113] Notable operations of Iranian F-4s during the war included Operation Scorch Sword, an attack by two F-4s against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor site near Baghdad on 30 September 1980,^[114] and the attack on H3, a 4 April 1981 strike by eight Iranian F-4s against the H-3 complex of air bases in the far west of Iraq, which resulted in many Iraqi aircraft being destroyed or damaged for no Iranian losses.^[115]

On 5 June 1984, two Saudi Arabian fighter pilots shot down two Iranian F-4 fighters. The Royal Saudi Air Force pilots were flying American-built F-15s and fired air-to-air missiles to bring down the Iranian planes. The Saudi fighter pilots had KC-135 aerial tanker planes and Boeing E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance planes assist in the encounter. The aerial fight occurred in Saudi airspace over the Persian Gulf near the Saudi island Al Arabiyah, about 60 miles northeast of Jubail.^[116]

Iranian F-4s were in use as of late 2014;^[117] the aircraft reportedly conducted air strikes on ISIS targets in the eastern Iraqi province of Diyala.^[118]

Israel[edit]

Super Phantom F 4

The Israeli Air Force was the largest foreign operator of the Phantom, flying both newly built and ex-USAF aircraft, as well as several one-off special reconnaissance variants. The first F-4Es, nicknamed 'Kurnass' (Sledgehammer), and RF-4Es, nicknamed 'Orev' (Raven), were delivered in 1969 under the 'Peace Echo I' program. Additional Phantoms arrived during the 1970s under 'Peace Echo II' through 'Peace Echo V' and 'Nickel Grass' programs. Israeli Phantoms saw extensive combat during Arab–Israeli conflicts, first seeing action during the War of Attrition.^[119] In the 1980s, Israel began the 'Kurnass 2000' modernization program which significantly updated avionics.^[19] The last Israeli F-4s were retired in 2004.^[120]

Japan[edit]

From 1968, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) purchased a total of 140 F-4EJ Phantoms without aerial refueling, AGM-12 Bullpup missile system, nuclear control system or ground attack capabilities.^[121][122] Mitsubishi built 138 under license in Japan and 14 unarmed reconnaissance RF-4Es were imported. One of the aircraft (17-8440) was the very last of the 5,195 F-4 Phantoms to be produced. It was manufactured by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries on 21 May 1981. 'The Final Phantom' served with 306th Tactical Fighter Squadron and later transferred to the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron.^[123]

Of these, 96 F-4EJs were modified to the F-4EJ Kai (改, modified) standard.^[124] 15 F-4EJs were converted to reconnaissance aircraft designated RF-4EJ, with similar upgrades as the F-4EJ Kai. Japan had a fleet of 90 F-4s in service in 2007. After studying several replacement fighters^[125][126] the F-35 Lightning II was chosen in 2011.^[127] Delays with the F-35 program have meant that some F-4s have remained in service. The 302nd Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first JASDF F-35 Squadron at Misawa Air Base when it converted from F-4EJ Kais on 29 March 2019.^[128] The remaining two squadrons, the 301st Tactical Fighter Squadron and 501st Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron (both based at Hyakuri Air Base in Ibaraki prefecture north of Tokyo), are schedule to retire their F-4EJ Kais and RF-4EJs in 2020.^[129] Some F-4s are also operated by the Air Development and Test Wing in Gifu Prefecture.

South Korea[edit]

The Republic of Korea Air Force purchased its first batch of secondhand USAF F-4D Phantoms in 1968 under the 'Peace Spectator' program. The F-4Ds continued to be delivered until 1988. The 'Peace Pheasant II' program also provided new-built and former USAF F-4Es.^[130]

Spain[edit]

The Spanish Air Force acquired its first batch of ex-USAF F-4C Phantoms in 1971 under the 'Peace Alfa' program. Designated C.12, the aircraft were retired in 1989. At the same time, the air arm received a number of ex-USAF RF-4Cs, designated CR.12. In 1995–1996, these aircraft received extensive avionics upgrades. Spain retired its RF-4s in 2002.^[131][132]

Turkey[edit]

The Turkish Air Force (TAF) received 40 F-4Es in 1974, with a further 32 F-4Es and 8 RF-4Es in 1977–78 under the 'Peace Diamond III' program, followed by 40 ex-USAF aircraft in 'Peace Diamond IV' in 1987, and a further 40 ex-U.S. Air National Guard Aircraft in 1991.^[133] A further 32 RF-4Es were transferred to Turkey after being retired by the Luftwaffe between 1992 and 1994.^[133] In 1995, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) implemented an upgrade similar to Kurnass 2000 on 54 Turkish F-4Es which were dubbed the F-4E 2020 Terminator.^[19] Turkish F-4s, and more modern F-16s have been used to strike Kurdish PKK bases in ongoing military operations in Northern Iraq.^[134] On 22 June 2012, a Turkish RF-4E was shot down by Syrian air defenses while flying a reconnaissance flight near the Turkish-Syrian border.^[135][136] Turkey has stated the reconnaissance aircraft was in international airspace when it was shot down, while Syrian authorities stated it was inside Syrian airspace.^[137] Turkish F-4s remained in use as of 2015.^[117]

On 24 February 2015, two RF-4Es crashed in the Malatya region in the southeast of Turkey, under yet unknown circumstances, killing both crew of two each.^{[138][139][140]} On 5 March 2015, an F-4E-2020 crashed in central Anatolia killing both crew.^[141][142] After the recent accidents, the TAF withdrew RF-4Es from active service. Turkey was reported to have used F-4 jets to attack PKK separatists and the ISIS capital on 19 September 2015.^[143] The Turkish Air Force has reportedly used the F-4E 2020s against the more recent Third Phase of the PKK conflict on heavy bombardment missions into Iraq on 15 November 2015, 12 January 2016, and 12 March 2016.^{[144][145][146]}

United Kingdom[edit]

The United Kingdom bought versions based on the U.S. Navy's F-4J for use with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. The UK was the only country outside the United States to operate the Phantom at sea, launching them from HMS Ark Royal. The main differences were the use of the British Rolls-Royce Spey engines and of British-made avionics. The RN and RAF versions were given the designation F-4K and F-4M respectively, and entered service with the British military aircraft designations Phantom FG.1 (fighter/ground attack) and Phantom FGR.2 (fighter/ground attack/reconnaissance).^[147][148] Initially, the FGR.2 was used in the ground attack and reconnaissance role, primarily with RAF Germany, while 43 Squadron was formed in the air defence role using the FG.1s that had been intended for the Fleet Air Arm for use aboard HMS Eagle. The superiority of the Phantom over the English Electric Lightning in terms of both range and weapon load, combined with the successful introduction of the SEPECAT Jaguar, meant that, during the mid-1970s, most of the ground attack Phantoms in Germany were redeployed to the UK to replace air defence Lightning squadrons.^[149] A second RAF squadron, 111 Squadron, was formed on the FG.1 in 1979 after the disbandment of 892 NAS.

In 1982, during the Falklands War, three Phantom FGR2s of No. 29 Squadron were on active Quick Reaction Alert duty on Ascension Island to protect the base from air attack.^[150] After the Falklands War, 15 upgraded ex-USN F-4Js, known as the F-4J(UK) entered RAF service to compensate for one interceptor squadron redeployed to the Falklands.^[103]

Around 15 RAF squadrons received various marks of Phantom, many of them based in Germany. The first to be equipped was No. 228 Operational Conversion Unit at RAF Coningsby in August 1968. One noteworthy operator was No. 43 Squadron where Phantom FG1s remained the squadron equipment for 20 years, arriving in September 1969 and departing in July 1989. During this period the squadron was based at Leuchars.^[151]

The interceptor Phantoms were replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3 from the late 1980s onwards, and the last British Phantoms were retired in October 1992 when No. 74 Squadron was disbanded.^[19][151]

Specifications^[149]

Civilian use[edit]

Sandia National Laboratories used an F-4 mounted on a 'rocket sled' in a crash test to see the results of an aircraft hitting a reinforced concrete structure, such as a nuclear power plant.^[152]

One aircraft, an F-4D (civilian registration N749CF), is operated by the Massachusetts-based non-profit organization Collings Foundation as a 'living history' exhibit.^[19][153] Funds to maintain and operate the aircraft, which is based in Houston, Texas, are raised through donations/sponsorships from public and commercial parties.^[154][155]

NASA used the F-4 to photograph and film Titan II missiles after launch from Cape Canaveral during the 1960s. Retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Jack Petry described how he put his F-4 into a Mach 1.2 dive synchronized to the launch countdown, then 'walked the (rocket's) contrail' up to the intercept point, tweaking closing speed and updating mission control while camera pods mounted under each wing shot film at 900 frames per second.' Petry's Phantom stayed with the Titan for 90 seconds, then broke away as the missile continued into space.^[156]

NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center acquired an F-4A on 3 December 1965. It made 55 flights in support of short programs, chase on X-15 missions and lifting body flights. The F-4 also supported a biomedical monitoring program involving 1,000 flights by NASA Flight Research Center aerospace research pilots and students of the USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School flying high-performance aircraft. The pilots were instrumented to record accurate and reliable data of electrocardiogram, respiration rate and normal acceleration. In 1967, the Phantom supported a brief military-inspired program to determine whether an airplane's sonic boom could be directed and whether it could be used as a weapon of sorts, or at least an annoyance. NASA also flew an F-4C in a spanwise blowing study from 1983 to 1985, after which it was returned.^[157]

Variants[edit]

F-4A, B, J, N and S

Variants for the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Marine Corps. F-4B was upgraded to F-4N, and F-4J was upgraded to F-4S.

F-110 Spectre, F-4C, D and E

Variants for the U.S. Air Force. F-4E introduced an internal M61 Vulcan cannon. The F-4D and E were the most numerously built, widely exported, and also extensively used under the Semi Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) U.S. air defense system.

F-4G Wild Weasel V

A dedicated SEAD variant for the U.S. Air Force with updated radar and avionics, converted from F-4E. The designation F-4G was applied earlier to an entirely different U.S. Navy Phantom.

F-4K and M

Variants for the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, respectively, re-engined with Rolls-Royce Speyturbofans.

F-4EJ

Simplified F-4E exported to and license-built in Japan.

F-4F

Simplified F-4E exported to Germany.

QRF-4C, QF-4B, E, G, N and S

Retired aircraft converted into remote-controlled target drones used for weapons and defensive systems research by USAF and USN / USMC.

RF-4B, C, and E

Tactical reconnaissance variants.

Operators[edit]

• Australia
  • Royal Australian Air Force (returned)
• Egypt
  • Egyptian Air Force (retired)
• Germany
  • German Air Force (retired)
• Greece
  • Hellenic Air Force (RF-4E retired, F-4E AUP in service)
• Iran
  • Imperial Iranian Air Force (former)
• Israel
  • Israeli Air Force (retired)
• Japan
• Spain
  • Spanish Air Force (retired)
• South Korea
• Turkey
• United Kingdom
  • Royal Air Force (retired)
  • Fleet Air Arm (retired)
• United States
  • United States Air Force (retired)
  • United States Navy (retired)
  • United States Marine Corps (retired)

Culture[edit]

Nicknames[edit]

You Serial Numbers

The Phantom gathered a number of nicknames during its career. Some of these names included 'Snoopy', 'Rhino', 'Double Ugly',^[158] 'Old Smokey',^[55] the 'Flying Anvil', 'Flying Footlocker', 'Flying Brick', 'Lead Sled', the 'Big Iron Sled' and the 'St. Louis Slugger'.^[159] In recognition of its record of downing large numbers of Soviet-built MiGs,^[160] it was called the 'World's Leading Distributor of MiG Parts'.^[158] As a reflection of excellent performance in spite of its bulk, the F-4 was dubbed 'the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics.'^[161] German Luftwaffe crews called their F-4s the Eisenschwein ('Iron Pig'), Fliegender Ziegelstein ('Flying Brick') and Luftverteidigungsdiesel ('Air Defense Diesel').^[162]

Imitating the spelling of the aircraft's name, McDonnell issued a series of patches. Pilots became 'Phantom Phlyers', backseaters became 'Phantom Pherrets', fans of the F-4 'Phantom Phanatics', and call it the 'Phabulous Phantom'. Ground crewmen who worked on the aircraft are known as 'Phantom Phixers'.^[3]

The Spook[edit]

The aircraft's emblem is a whimsical cartoon ghost called 'The Spook', which was created by McDonnell Douglas technical artist, Anthony 'Tony' Wong, for shoulder patches. The name 'Spook' was coined by the crews of either the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing or the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing at MacDill AFB. The figure is ubiquitous, appearing on many items associated with the F-4. The Spook has followed the Phantom around the world adopting local fashions; for example, the British adaptation of the U.S. 'Phantom Man'^[158] is a Spook that sometimes wears a bowler hat and smokes a pipe.^[163]

F-4 Phantom Serial Numbers List

Aircraft on display[edit]

There are many F-4 Phantom IIs on display worldwide.

• A F-4E is on display in Lowry, Colorado in Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum.^[164]
• A F-4 Phantom is on display in Grove, Oklahoma on land donated by Ferra Aerospace corporation.^[165]
• 65-0749 – F-4D airworthy with the Collings Foundation in Stow, Massachusetts. It is operated as a 'living history' exhibit.^{[19][166][167]}
• 145310 – F4H-1 under restoration to airworthy with F4 Phantom II Corporation in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was previously located at the Wings and Rotors Air Museum in Murrieta, California.^{[168][169][170][171]}
• A F-4E is displayed at the Royal Australian Air Force Museum in Melbourne, Australia.^[172]
• A RF-4C variant is on display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in Brussels, Belgium.^[173]
• A F-4G is on display at Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.^[174]
• A F-4C is on static display at the entrance to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan.^[175]
• A F-4C, made famous by Pardo's Push, is on static display at the Fairmount, Indiana American Legion.^[176]

Notable accidents[edit]

• On 6 June 1971, Hughes Airwest Flight 706, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 collided in mid-air with a United States Marine Corps F-4B Phantom above the San Gabriel Mountains, while en route from Los Angeles International Airport to Salt Lake City. All 49 on board the DC-9 were killed, while the pilot of the F-4B was unable to eject and died when the aircraft crashed shortly afterwards. The F-4B's Radar Intercept Officer successfully ejected from the plane and parachuted to safety, being the sole survivor of the incident.
• On 9 August 1974, a Royal Air Force Phantom FGR2 was involved in a fatal collision with a civilian PA-25-235 Pawnee crop-sprayer over Norfolk, England.
• On 21 March 1987, Captain Dean Paul Martin (son of entertainer Dean Martin), a pilot in the 163d Tactical Fighter Group of the California Air National Guard, crashed his F-4C into San Gorgonio Mountain, California shortly after departure from March AFB. Both Martin and his weapon systems officer (WSO) Captain Ramon Ortiz were killed.^[177]

Specifications (F-4E)[edit]

Data fromThe Great Book of Fighters^[103] Quest for Performance,^[18]Encyclopedia of USAF Aircraft,^[52] and McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies^[178]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
• Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.7 m)
• Height: 16 ft 5 in (5 m)
• Wing area: 530 sq ft (49.2 m²)
• Aspect ratio: 2.77
• Airfoil:NACA 0006.4–64 root, NACA 0003-64 tip
• Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
• Gross weight: 41,500 lb (18,824 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
• Maximum landing weight: 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)
• Fuel capacity: 1,994 US gal (1,660 imp gal; 7,550 l) internal, 3,335 US gal (2,777 imp gal; 12,620 l) with 2x 370 US gal (310 imp gal; 1,400 l) external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal (500 or 510 imp gal; 2,300 or 2,300 l) tank for the center-line station.
• Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J79-GE-17A after-burning turbojet engines, 11,905 lbf (52.96 kN) thrust each dry, 17,845 lbf (79.38 kN) with afterburner

Performance

• Maximum speed: 1,280 kn (1,470 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
• Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
• Cruise speed: 510 kn (580 mph, 940 km/h)
• Combat range: 370 nmi (420 mi, 680 km)
• Ferry range: 1,457 nmi (1,677 mi, 2,699 km)
• Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)
• Lift-to-drag: 8.58
• Wing loading: 78 lb/sq ft (380 kg/m²)
• Thrust/weight: 0.86 at loaded weight, 0.58 at MTOW
• Takeoff roll: 4,490 ft (1,370 m) at 53,814 lb (24,410 kg)
• Landing roll: 3,680 ft (1,120 m) at 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)

Armament

• E-model has a 20 mm (0.787 in)M61A1 Vulcan cannon mounted internally under the nose, 640 rounds
• Up to 18,650 lb (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including general-purpose bombs, cluster bombs, TV- and laser-guided bombs, rocket pods, air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship missiles, gun pods, and nuclear weapons. Reconnaissance, targeting, electronic countermeasures and baggage pods, and external fuel tanks may also be carried.
• 4× AIM-9 Sidewinders on wing pylons, Israeli F-4 Kurnass 2000 carried Python-3, Japanese F-4EJ Kai carry AAM-3
• 4× AIM-7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses, upgraded Hellenic F-4E and German F-4F ICE carry AIM-120 AMRAAM, UK Phantoms carried Skyflash missiles^[179]
• 6× AGM-65 Maverick
• 4× AGM-62 Walleye
• 4× AGM-45 Shrike, AGM-88 HARM, AGM-78 Standard ARM
• 4× GBU-15
• 18× Mk.82, GBU-12
• 5× Mk.84, GBU-10, GBU-14
• 18× CBU-87, CBU-89, CBU-58
• Nuclear weapons, including the B28EX, B61, B43 and B57

See also[edit]

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

Related lists

F4 Phantom Serial Numbers

References[edit]

F-4 Phantom Ii Serial Numbers

Notes[edit]

1. ^The aircraft was originally designated the AH, and later re-designated F4H, by the United States Navy, while the original designation by the U.S. Air Force was 'F-110A Spectre'. The F-4 designation came about in 1962 when the designation systems for all branches of the U.S. military were unified by the order of U.S. Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. Within McDonnell Aircraft, the F-4 was referred to as Model 98.^[2]

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177. ^'The Son Of Singer Dean Martin Killed While Flying His Military Phantom Jet.'Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machineavstop.com. Retrieved: 9 April 2011.
178. ^Lake 1992, pp. 92–111.
179. ^From 1978 replacing the AIM-7 Sparrow

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External links[edit]

• ''Silver Lobos' fly into retirement', af.mil'. Archived from the original on 12 December 2012. Retrieved 23 December 2004.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
• A film clip of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is available at the Internet Archive