Tag Archives: F-4E Phantom

Mosel Weasle Stack

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How about this great Cold War (circa late summer 1985) image showing two F-4E Phantoms flanking an F-4G Advanced Wild Weasel aircraft (center) from the 52nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Spangdahlem Air Base (hence the SP tail flash(, West Germany.

330-CFD-DF-ST-85-11181

And another one of the same group over the Mosel River in a banked formation.

330-CFD-DF-ST-85-11177

The aircraft are armed with an AGM-78 Standard anti-radiation missile (F-4G), AGM-45 Shrike air-to-surface missiles, AIM-7 Sparrow III, and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles. The aircraft are also equipped with ALQ-119 or ALQ-141 electronic countermeasures (ECM) jammer pods in the left forward slot while the Weasel is “hairy” with 52 interferometer antennae studded all along the bird. The F-4E in the top foreground is also toting at least four MK 82 500-pound general-purpose bombs.

The only frame I can figure a number for is the Weasel, 69-0248.

Built as a Block 42-MC F-4E in late 1969, she was first assigned to the 353rd TFS (401st TFW) in 1970 then assorted 50th, 36th, and 35th TFW units until converted to F-4G standard in 1979. She then went to Germany with the 52nd TFW until 1992, at which point she was one of the last Weasels in Europe, which included a combat deployment to Desert Storm. She finished her career stateside with the 57th FWW and was sent to AMARC in 1996. Converted to a drone, 69-0248 was expended in a test of Patriot SAM near Holloman AFB in 2002.

St. Louis Slugger

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No matter what you call it: The Double Ugly, Lead Sled, Flying Anvil, Flying Brick, Snoopy, Rhino, Old Smokey, the triumph of thrust over aerodynamics, et. al, the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom is a beautiful aircraft that looks fast even while sitting in a boneyard.

Speaking of which, check out this sweet 1980s Cold War image from the Museum of Missouri Military History showing this “Lindbergh’s Own” F-4E-44-MC Phantom 69-7267, complete with an “SL” St. Louis tail code for Lambert Field and a red Missouri ANG tail flash. This is appropriate as over 5,000 Phantoms were built (for 16 countries) at MDD’s St. Louis factory and another nickname for the bird was the “St. Louis Slugger.”

McDonnell Douglas plant in St Louis, with F4s and F15s running side by side in the late 1970s

A 1969 model, Baugher lists the above aircraft as being used by the Air Force’s 469th TFS (388th TFW)– which flew Fast FAC duty in Southeast Asia at the time– then the 34th TFS (also based at Korat through 1975) and the 35th TFW while on active duty for 27 years then in service with the Missouri ANG’s 110th TFS in 1986– dating the above image.

By 1987, she was with the California ANG’s 196th TFS, then served with the Indiana ANG’s 163rd TFS. Upgraded to F-4G standard in 1990, she then went back to “Big Blue,” serving another six years with the 81st TFS (52nd TFW) and later the 561st TFS (57th FWW) at Nellis AFB. Sent to the boneyard at AMARC as FP1015 in early 1996, she was sent to Tracor to be converted to a QF-4G drone, #AF132, flying out of Holloman AFB from 1997 until she was expended in a missile test on 27 July 2002, capping 33 years of service in one form or another.

As for the 110th TFS, since 2008 they have been the 110th Bomb Squadron (110 BS) at Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri, and operate the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber.

From Mississippi to Burg-Hohenzollern, 35 Years Ago

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Official caption: “Two F-4E Phantom II aircraft assigned to the 512th and 526th Tactical Fighter Squadrons fly one of their last aerial missions over Castle Burg-Hollenzollern [sic], near Ramstein Air Base. Both squadrons will replace their Phantoms with F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft. Tail No. 512 is piloted by Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Bruce Gillett and navigated by Captain (CPT) Mike Craig. LTC Tom Speelman is piloting tail No. 526 with 1st Lieutenant (1LT) John Rogers navigating, 3/20/1985”

USAF photo 330-CFD-DF-ST-86-11795 by SSGT F. Serna.

Note their twin AIM-9s on the outside pylons. These Phantoms are ready to party. USAF photo 330-CFD-DF-ST-86-11795 by SSGT F. Serna.

An additional photo from the same shoot shows the Phantoms to be air-to-air heavy with four AIM-7 Sparrows and four AIM-9 Sidewinders.

DF-ST-86-11794

The 526th TFS was formed in 1942 at Key Field in Mississippi and flew A-24 Banshees in North Africa before switching to P-47s for the Italian campaign. Upgrading to F-84s and later F-102s in the 1950s and 60s, they chopped to Phantoms in 1968. Based at Ramstein from 1952 through 1994, they missed out on Korea and Vietnam but were very active in the Cold War, often coming close to interloping Warsaw Pact MiGs during times of tension. They hung up their follow-on F-16s and inactivated in 1994.

Likewise, the 512th started at Key Field and flew P-47s in the ETO, being very active in smashing up the Germans in the tail-end of the Battle of the Bulge. After spending the 1950s and 60s flying F-84s and F-86s CONUS, they switched to Phantoms and headed to West Germany in 1976. They inactivated on 1 October 1994, their personnel and F-16s heading to Aviano.

Burg-Hohenzollern is, of course, still there.