PHANTOM II !

[Robbie Stuart]

USFG PHOTO
OVER FLORIDA -- A formation of F-4 Phantom II fighter aircraft fly in formation during a heritage flight demonstration here. The heritage flight program was established in 1997 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the U.S. Air Force.

USFG PHOTO
Formation of NATO fighters on 1 May 1995:
- two U.S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcons of the 31st Fighter Wing from Aviano air base, Italy;
- two Italian Air Force Lockeed/Fiat F-104S Starfighters;
- two German Luftwaffe McDonell Douglas F-4F Phantom IIs of the "Jagdgeschwader 73 (JG 73)" (73rd Fighter Wing), based at Laage, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany;
- two German Luftwaffe Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29A Fulcrums, also from JG 73.

USFG PHOTO
U.S. Air Force Brigadier General Cecil W. Powell, commander, 316th Air Division, speaks during a ceremony marking the arrival of the first General Dynamics F-16C Fighting Falcon aircraft to be assigned to the U.S. Air Force Europe on 21 December 1985. The F-16C was replacing the McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II aircraft of the 512th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 86th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ramstein Air Base, Rheinland-Pfalz (Germany). Parked in the background are, from left to right, an F-4E, a double-seated F-16D and a single-seated F-16C.

USFG PHOTO
Two U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighters of the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron taking off, about 1975. The 32nd TFS was stationed at Soesterberg Air Base in the Netherlands as a detachment of the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The aircraft in front is the F-4E-61-MC, s/n 74-0054, which crashed on 24 March 1980.

USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel aircraft from the 81st Tactical Fighter Squadron, 52nd Tactical Fighter Wing is serviced on the flight line prior to departing for Sheikh Isa Air Base, Bahrain, during Operation "Desert Shield" in late 1990. The F-4G is armed with AGM-88 HARM missiles.

USFG PHOTO
A photo of two U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighters (s/n 66-0300, 66-0370) intercepting a Soviet Tu-95 Bear D aircraft on 28 September 1980. The F-4Es were assigned to the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at Keflavik Air Base, Iceland. Both Phantoms were sold to Turkey in 1987. A plane bearing the serial number is 66-0300 is today on outdoor display at Keflavik AB, but it is not actually the original 66-0300.

USFG PHOTO
A McDonnellDouglas F-4B Phantom II (BuNo 149430) of fighter squadron VF-111 Sundowners about to be launched from the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CVA-43) during a deployment to Vietnam in 1971/72. The F-4B is armed with AIM-9D Sidewinder missiles and Mk 82 (500 lb/227 kg) bombs. The relatively small weapons load was typical for Coral Sea due to the limited catapult capacity.

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A U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II (BuNo 155899) from Marine fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-251 Thunderbolts at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina (USA), in 1979.

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A U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell F-4N Phantom II aircraft (BuNo 150480) of Marine fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-323 Death Rattlers on the aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea (CV-43) in April 1980. Sailors are applying black-red-black identification stripes for the (later aborted) attempt to rescure U.S. hostages from Iran, code named "Operation Eage Claw" (or "Evening Light").

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An F-4G Phantom II aircraft shows its undercarriage holding four different missiles: one each AGM-45, AGM-65, AGM-78, AND AGM-88.

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A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II from fighter squadron VF-74 Be-Devilers of Attack Carrier Air Wing Eight (CVW-8) lands aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66) off Vietnam in 1972/73.

UDFG PHOTO
A U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas RF-4B Phantom II (BuNo 153110) of Marine tactical reconaissance squadron VMFP-3 Eyes of the Corps taxiing out from the flightline at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California (USA), on 21 September 1982. An F-4N of Marine fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-531 Grey Ghosts (BuNo 152230) is visible in the background.

USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Navy pilot sits in the cockpit of a Naval Air Test Center McDonnell F-4G Phantom II aircraft (BuNo 150489) parked on an elevator aboard the aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66), circa 1965. The Phantom was one of the short-lived USN-F-4Gs, 12 were converted from F-4Bs with AN/ASW-12 two-way datalink communication system and approach power compensator which, coupled with the shipboard AN/SPN-10 radar and AN/USC-1 datalink allowed hands-off carrier landings. It was converted to F-4B again in December 1969, and modernized to F-4N in March 1974. It was finally placed in storage at the Naval Weapons Center China Lake, California, on 27 August 1982. Notice the retractable radar reflector immediately ahead of the nose-wheel bay, typical for the U.S. Navy F-4G.

USFG PHOTO
Group photograph of U.S. Air Force Fast Forward Air Controllers ("Wolf FACs") of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Royal Thai AB in June 1968. Drawn from the four squadrons assigned to the wing, these pilots volunteered for the Fast FAC missions. The McDonnell F-4D Phantom II is from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and the squadron’s "Night Owl" symbol is just behind the air inlet.

UDFG PHOTO
A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II (s/n 66-8738) from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing has its weapons armed at a 'last chance' checkpoint at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base prior to a mission in North Vietnam in September 1972. A Royal Thai Air Force North American T-28D Trojan is also waiting for take-off. The black-bellied F-4D 66-8738 was equipped with AN/ARN-92 LORAN-D equipment (note antenna) and was one of only two F-4Ds fitted with the AVQ-11 Pave Sword precision attack sensor. However, it was shot down by a North Vietnamese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 with an Atoll-missile on 5 October 1972. The crew was taken prisoner but was released in 1973.

USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II aircraft of the New Jersey Air National Guard flying in close formation with a Royal Norwegian Air Force Northrop F-5A "Freedom Fighter" aircraft during exercise Coronet Rawhide on 1 September 1982.
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[12XU2A3X3]

141st TFS! more!

[The Inspector]

Thanks for posting these, you don't see a great deal of stuff from USAFE/NATO. I never knew about the F4G mod, if it worked (?) why was it kanked? Also I'd like to see pictures of the full boat "Eagle Claw" markings, it would be an interesting thing on a model Phantom-

[PropsRule]

The only thing I don't like about these photos is that they make me feel old.

The mixed-type formation shots are great! Thanks for posting them.

[Robbie Stuart]

A FEW MORE.
USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas F-4S Phantom II fighter (BuNo 155749) from Marine fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-235 Death Angels on the flightline at Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida, in 1982. This aircraft had been produced as an F-4J and was credited with a MiG-17 kill on 10 May 1972 while in service with U.S. Navy fighter squadron VF-96. In 1979 it was converted to an F-4S, originally without new leading edge slats (as seen in the photo). After retirement it was converted to an QF-4S drone. It crashed at an air show at Naval Air Station Point Mugu, California (USA), on 20 April 2002. Both crew ejected, but were killed, because they hit the ground before their chutes could open.

USFG PHOTO
A South Korean Air Force Northrop F-5E Tiger II aircraft and a McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II aircraft fly in formation with a U.S. Air Force General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon, an F-4E (both from the 51st Tactical Fighter Wing), and a McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle aircraft (from the 18th TFW) during the joint US/South Korean Exercise "Team Spirit '84" on 15 March 1984.

USFG PHOTO
McDonnell Douglas F-4N Phantom II (BuNo 152323) from U.S. Marine Corps fighter-bomber squadron VMFA-531 Grey Ghosts being maneuvered into its parking area at the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California (USA), on 21 September 1982.

USFG PHOTO
U.S. Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4G Phantom II aircraft (s/n 69-7231) of the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing launches an AGM-45 Shrike missile near George Air Force Base, California (USA) on 1 August 1988. This aircraft was retired to the AMARC as FP0838 on 17 April 1992 and later converted to an QF-4G drone.

USFG PHOTO
An F-4 PHANTOM II AIRCRAFT LANDS DURING EXERCISE BRIM FROST '83.

USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Air Force McDonnell F-4D Phantom II from the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, taxies at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force base in 1971. The aircraft is armed with two BOLT-117 (BOmb, Laser Terminal-117). The BOLT-117 was later redesignated as the GBU-1/B (Guided Bomb Unit) and was the world's first laser guided bomb. The aircraft and carries a AN/ALQ-72 jamming pod under the wings, and an unknown device in the forward left missile bay.

USFG PHOTO
Col. Robin Olds preflights his F-4C Phantom before a mission in Southwest Asia. He was the commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand, and was credited with shooting down four enemy MiG aircraft in aerial combat over North Vietnam.

USFG PHOTO
A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II aircraft (BuNo 155799) from fighter squadron VF-92 Silver Kings in flight with a North American RA-5C Vigilante (BuNo 156614) from heavy reconnaissance squadron RVAH-11 Red Checkertails over Oahu, Hawaii (USA), in 1971. Both aircraft were working up before a combat deployment to Vietnam as part of Carrier Air Wing 9 (CVW-9) aboard the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CVA-64) from 1 October 1971 to 1 July 1972.

USFG PHOTO
F-4J and SH-3G on USS America (CVA-66) 1972-73.JPEG

A U.S. Navy McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II from fighter squadron VF-74 Be-Devilers is prepared for launch during flight operations aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS America (CVA-66). VF-74 was assigned to Attack Carrier Air Wing 8 (CVW-8) aboard the America for a deployment to Vietnam from 5 June 1972 to 24 March 1973. In the background is a Sikorsky SH-3G Sea King helicopter from helicopter combat support squadron HC-2 Det.66 Fleet Angels.
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[12XU2A3X3]

USFG PHOTO

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