Showing posts with label McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 June 2017

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, American Users

The F-4D was essentially an improved version of the F-4C designed by the United States Air Force to carry AIM-4 Falcon missiles and was introduced in June 1967.
However, considering how complicated the AIM-4 was to fire, as it was designed to shoot down heavy bombers, it was useless against fighters. That's why it was decided to re-equip the F-4D with Sidewinders in early 1968 and, by 1972 it was the preferred missile by the USAF pilots. Some of them were field-fitted with radar homing and warning antennas to detect Soviet S-75 Dvina surface-to-air missiles in Vietnam.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#United_States_Air_Force
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Wednesday, 14 June 2017

McDonnell Douglas F-4D, South Korean users

Back in 1968 the Republic of Korea's Air Force (ROKAF) bought a second hand batch of F-4D Phantom II in the operation Peace Spectator. The deliveries of those F-4D continued until as late as 1988.
A total of 92 F-4D were delivered and, by the year 2001, sixty of them were still in active service.
Initially, they served together with the Northrop F-5 Freedom Fighter from the base of Daegu,  in order to keep the South Korean airspace safe, specially after the skirmishes between both Koreas in the late 1960s.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#South_Korea
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

Monday, 12 June 2017

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II, Iranian users

During the 1960s and the 1970s, when Iran and the USA were friends, 225 McDonnell Douglas F-4D, F-4E and RF-4E Phantoms were sold to Iran and, some of them even saw some combat before the Iranian revolution when an Iranian F-4 was rammed by a Soviet MiG-21, resulting in the loss of the F-4 Phantom.
After the revolution, the Islamic Republic of Iran's Air Force, kept their F-4D in service and they were used in the Iran-Iraq war, mainly on strike operations. They served with various units, the 32nd Tactical Fighter Wing, the 316th Squadron and the 71st Squadron, among others and, during the Iran-Iraq war they operated from the Hor Air Base.










Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#Iran
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters