MOTORBOOKS PHANTOMS FOREVER USAF TFW
TRW USN VF USMC VMFA VMFAT ANG RAF JASDF THK
BY
ROBERT F. DOOR
SOFTBOUND
BOOK
McDONNELL
DOUGLAS F-4 PHANTOM II
US
NAVY (F-4J VF-74 BE-DEVILERS USS FORRESTAL CV-59, KEITH FERRIS EXPERIMENTAL
CAMOUFLAGE SCHEME, VF-103 NAS OCEANA USS SARATOGA, VF-171 F-4J NAS KEY WEST,
NATC PATUXENT RIVER, F-4B VF-301 DEVIL’S DISCIPLES NAS MIRAMAR, NAVAL MISSILE
TEST CENTER POINT MUGU, F-4S NMC PT MUGU)
UNITED
STATES MARINE CORPS USMC (VMFA-531 GRAY GHOSTS DAN NAGN AB VIETNAM, VMFA-321
HELL’S ANGELS, VMFAT-101 MCAS YUMA F-4N, VMFA-112 NAS DALLAS, VMFA-251 F-4N
THUNDERBOLTS MCAS BEUAFORT, VMFA-323 DEATH RATTLERS USS CORAL SEA CV-43, VMFA-312
CHECKERBOARDS MCS BEAUFORT, RF-4B PHOTO PHANTOM)
UNITED
STATES AIR FORCE USAF (F-4D 52ND TFW SPANGDAHLEM AB, F-4E GEORGE AFB
35TH TFW, 550TH TFTS LUKE AFB, RF-4E PHOTO PHANTOM TRW
TRS, 414TH FWS NELLIS AFB, 4TH TFW SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB,
58TH TFTW LUKE AFB)
AIR
NATIONAL GUARD ANG (INDIANA ANG F-4C, RF-4C KENTUCKY ANG, MICHIGAN ANG, NEW
YORK ANG NIAGRA FALLS, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ANG 113TH TFW F-4D,
TEXAS ANG, CALIFORNIA ANG, MISSOURI ANG)
McD
F-4G PHANTOM WILD WEASEL
VIETNAM
WAR MIG-KILLER COLOR MARKINGS
ROYAL
NAVY / ROYAL AIR FORCE (PHANTOM FGR.2, No.10 SQN, F-4J No.74 SQN, No.19 SQN,
No.92 SQN, OPERATION CORPORATE FALKLAND ISLANDS, No.23 SQN)
TURKISH
AIR FORCE THK
JASDF
JAPAN
GERMAN
LUFTWAFFE (F-4F, RF-4E)
EGYPTIAN
AIR FORCE F-4E
----------------------------------------------------------------
Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia
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. 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 wings.
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
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, including an absolute speed record, and an absolute altitude
record.
The F-4 was used extensively during the Vietnam
War. It served as the principal air superiority fighter for both the Navy and
Air Force, and became important in the ground-attack and aerial reconnaissance
roles late in the war. The Phantom has the distinction of being the last U.S.
fighter flown by pilots who attained ace status in the 20th century. During the
Vietnam War, one U.S. Air Force pilot and two weapon systems officers (WSOs),
and one U.S. Navy pilot and one radar intercept officer (RIO) became aces by
achieving five aerial kills against enemy fighter aircraft. 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 in the U.S. Air Force, the Grumman 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. 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). 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 in
the Iran–Iraq War. Phantoms remain in front line service with five countries.
Phantom production ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195 built, making
it the most numerous American supersonic military aircraft.
The F-4 remains in service with Iran, Japan, South
Korea, and Turkey. It has been used in combat against the Islamic State.
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, and variants powered by two Wright J65 engines, or two
General Electric J79 engines. 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.
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.
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.
Wind tunnel testing had revealed lateral
instability requiring the addition of 5° dihedral to the wings. 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.
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.
Early in production, the radar was upgraded to the
Westinghouse AN/APQ-72, and 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. During its career the
Phantom underwent many changes in the form of numerous variants developed.
The USAF received Phantoms as the result of
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara's push to create a unified fighter for all
branches of the 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 navy's focus on
interception, the USAF emphasized a 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.
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. 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.
The F-4J had improved air-to-air and ground-attack
capability; deliveries begun in 1966 and ended in 1972 with 522 built. 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), a new
integrated missile control system and the AN/AJB-7 bombing system for expanded
ground attack capability.
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" 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. 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). Of these, 2,874 went to the USAF, 1,264 to the Navy and Marine
Corps, and the rest to foreign customers. 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. As of 2008, 631 Phantoms were
in service worldwide, while the Phantoms were in use as a target drone
(specifically QF-4Cs) operated by the U.S. military until December 21, 2016,
when the Air Force officially ended use of the type.
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.
Despite imposing dimensions and a maximum takeoff
weight of over 60,000 lb (27,000 kg), 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). 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. Like other interceptors of its day, the F-4 was designed
without an internal cannon.
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.
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. 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.
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. This was solved on the F-4S fitted with the
−10A engine variant which used a smokeless combustor.
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 use multiple shots (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.
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. The squadron completed carrier qualifications in October 1961 and
Phantom's first full carrier deployment between August 1962 and March 1963
aboard Forrestal. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
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.
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. 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.
VMCJ-1 Golden Hawks (now VMAQ-1 and VMAQ-4 which has the old RM tailcode) flew
the first RF-4B photo recon mission on 3 November 1966 from Da Nang and
remained there until 1970 with no RF-4B losses and one damaged by AAA. 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-4-Bs 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-18 Hornet. The F-4 continued to equip fighter-attack
squadrons in both Marine Corps active and reserve 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, after which the
squadron was re-equipped with F/A-18 Hornets.
In USAF service, the F-4 was initially designated
the F-110 Spectre 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 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron "Triple Nickel", which arrived in
December 1964.
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.
However, all USAF Phantoms retained dual flight controls throughout their
service life.
On 10 July 1965, F-4Cs of the 45th Tactical Fighter
Squadron, 15th TFW, on temporary assignment in Ubon, Thailand, scored the
USAF's first victories against North Vietnamese MiG-17s using AIM-9 Sidewinder
air-to-air missiles. 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". 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. 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.
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 homing and warning (RHAW) antennas to
detect the Soviet-built S-75 Dvina SAMs.
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. The "E" prefix was later dropped and the
aircraft was simply known as the F-4C Wild Weasel.
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. They were
operated from RAAF Amberley by No. 1 Squadron and No. 6 Squadron.
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. An additional seven surplus USAF aircraft were purchased
in 1988. Three attrition replacements had been received by the end of the
1990s.
The German Air Force (Luftwaffe) initially ordered
the reconnaissance RF-4E in 1969, receiving a total of 88 aircraft from January
1971. In 1982, the initially unarmed RF-4Es were given a secondary ground
attack capability; these aircraft were retired in 1994.
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. 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. Germany also initiated the Improved
Combat Efficiency (ICE) program in 1983. The 110 ICE-upgraded F-4Fs entered
service in 1992, and were expected to remain in service until 2012. All the
remaining Luftwaffe Phantoms were based at Wittmund with Jagdgeschwader 71
(fighter wing 71) in Northern Germany and WTD61 at Manching. 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.
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.
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 operates 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.
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 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. 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, 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.
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 Gulf near the Saudi island Al
Arabiyah, about 60 miles northeast of Jubail.
Iranian F-4s were in use as of late 2014; the
aircraft reportedly conducted air strikes on ISIS targets in the eastern Iraqi
province of Diyala.
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 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). 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. 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. 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.
Around 15 RAF squadrons received various marks of
Phantom, many of them based in Germany. The first to be equipped was No. 6
Squadron at RAF Leuchars in July 1969. One noteworthy deployment was to 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.
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.
