Shenyang J-5, various users

The Shenyang J-5 was used not just by North Vietnam, but by many other countries all around the globe.

• Somalia: Many F-5s were serving with the Somalian Air Corps and were lost in 1977 during the Ogaden War. 
• Sudan: The Sudanese Air Force received some F-5s, together with some MiG-17s, after achieving independence in the mid-1950s. They were mainly used for ground attack missions against rebels with limited air defences. 
• Tanzania: It's known that the Tanzanian Air Force used F-5s for ground attack missions during the Uganda-Tanzania War in 1977-1978. They were bought shortly after independence in 1961. 
• Zimbabwe: Some of the first fighters in the Zimbabwe Air Force were F-5s which were piloted by Pakistani pilots. They were acquired in the 1970s, after having declared independence and nowadays they're not in the active role no more. As we couldn't find pictures of the F-5 under Zimbabwean use, the drawing should be considered as speculative.
• Albania: After the Soviet-Albanian split in 1961, the Albanian government sought for new military suppliers, so they turned their heads to China, who sold them loads of armament during the 1960s. Among the first military aid sold to Albania there were F-5 jets. They were kept in active use wheel until April 1999 when they were deployed in the north against the Yugoslav Air Incursion. The role of the F-5 was relatively unsuccessful due to its subsonic speed, and the aircraft were soon relegated once the Shenyang F-6 (the Chinese version of the Soviet MiG-19) was available, so the F-5 was put into storage.
• United States of America: In the 1980s the United States bought a number of J-5 aircraft, together with some FT-2 trainers from China via the Combat Core Certification Professionals Company. Those aircraft were used in a "mobile threat" test program at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, operated by the 4477th "Red Hats" Test and Evaluation Squadron of the United States Air Force. Now are believed to be in storage.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5

2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell F-15A Eagle

The largest operator of the McDonnell F-15A in the world is the United States Air Force who, in November 1974, took it into service. We are covering the next squadrons in this post:

• 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron: After 9 years of combat operations in Vietnam, the squadron returned to the United States in 1974 to Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona. There they replaced their F-4 Phantoms II for the F-15A and became part of the 405th Tactical Training Wing. They retained the Eagle until being deactivated in March 1994. 
• 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron: This squadron replaced their aging F-105 Delta Darts for the F-15 in 1984 and retained them until 1988 when it was deactivated. 
• 43rd Tactical Fighter Squadron: The 43rd was the first unit to convert to the F-15A Eagle in Elmendorg Air Force Base, in Alaska, where it developed its own training programme and made the very first low runway condition tests with the F-15A. They retained the F-15 until 1994 when it was deactivated.
• 461st Tactical Fighter Training Squadron: This one was reactivated in July 1977 at Luke Air Force Base, in Arizona. It was intended to be a Replacement Training Unit (RTU) for the F-15A. They had the F-15A until 1982 when it was replaced by the F-15B and F-15C.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15_Eagle

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/555th_Fighter_Squadron

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5th_Flying_Training_Squadron

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/43d_Fighter_Squadron

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/461st_Flight_Test_Squadron

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4N Phantom II

The McDonnell Douglas F-4N was an updated version of the original F-4B featuring, among others, smokeless engines and all those improvements made to the previous F-4J version. The projects started in 1972 and, by 1978 228 F-4B had been converted to the F-4N standard.
The next navy squadrons that used the F-4N are covered in this post:

• VF-151: This squadron received their F-4N in 1973 and kept them until 1977 when they were replaced by the F-4S.
• VF-201: This squadron received the F-4N in 1976 replacing the Vought F-8H Crusader. They served until 1984 when the squadron transitioned to the F-4S.
• VF-202: In 1976 too, they received the F-4N replacing the F-8H Crusader. The F-4N were replaced in the early 1980s by the F-4S.
• VF-301: The devil's advocates squadron replaced their F-8L Crusader with the F-4N in 1975. They served until 1980 when replaced by also the F-4S.

Sources:

1. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFA-151

3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VFA-201

4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VF-202

5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VF-301

6. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Part Four

Today we cover some more United States Navy's F-4J Phantom II squadrons:

• VF-194: Navy's Red Lightning Squadron were equipped with the F-4J in 1976 flying from USS Oriskany (CV-34) that was the last active Essex-class carrier. They were assigned to the Carrier Air Wing Fifteen and redeployed to USS Coral Sea (CV-43). It was disbanded in 1978. 
• VF-41: In 1974 the Black Aces squadron transitioned from F-4B to F-4J on board of USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42). They made their final cruise with the Phantoms in 1975 before being replaced by the F-14 Tomcat.
• VF-84: The Famous Jolly Rogers squadron received their F-4J in the early 1970s when on board of the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt (CV-42) serving with the Carrier Air Wing Six deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.  They transitioned to the F-14 Tomcat in 1976.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II_U.S._operators

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Part Three

The McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II was also used by the United States Marine Corps. Today we cover the next Marine Squadrons:

• VMFA-334: The Marine "Falcons" squadron, transitioned from Vought F-8 Crusader to F-4J Phantom II in August 1968. They arrived in Da Nang Air Base, in the Republic of Vietnam. They were relocated to Chu Lai, a little bit to the South in 1969. They remained in Vietnam until September 1969 when they were relocated to MCAS Iwanuki, in Japan. Operating from there, they flew some support missions for USS Pueblo (AGER-2) that had been attacked and captured by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. They returned to MCAS El Toro, California in March 1971 and were disbanded in late December 1971.
• VMFA-212: The "Lancers" Squadron was re-equipped with F-4J Phantoms in 1974 when they were deployed in Japan. They remained in use until 1988 when they were replaced by the F/A-18C Hornet.
• VMFA-451: On 1st February 1968 the "Warlords" squadron replaced their F-8 Crusaders by the F-4J Phantom II when deployed in their homebase of MCAS Beaufort, in South Carolina. They were reassigned to the USS Forrestal (CV-59) for a Mediterranean Cruise, but it was cancelled and they remained at the homebase. The F Phantoms were replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet in 1987. 
• VMFA-235: The "Death Angels" Squadron received their F-4J Phantoms at MCAS Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii in September 1968. The Phantoms remained in service until November 1989 when they were replaced by the F/A-18 Hornet.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#Operators

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II_U.S._operators

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Part Two

The McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II was an improved version of the F-4B that was used by both the United States Navy and the United States Marines.
We cover the next squadrons in this post:

• VF-161: The Chargers squadron received their F-4J in 1977 that replaced the previous F-4N. They were assigned to USS Midway (CV-41) and were deployed to Gulf of Aden in order to relieve USS Constellation (CV-64) and keep a presence of carriers in the gulf, specially after the outbreak of the war between North and South Yemen and the fall of the Shah of Iran. When the Iran hostage crisis happened, the VF-161 remained on station in the gulf of Oman and was relieved in February 1980. They were embarked on USS Midway and operated off the coast of South Korea due to the Gwanju Uprising and the subsequent tensions. In 1981 the F-4J were replaced by the F-4S.
• VF-31: The Tomcatters squadron received the F-4J in 1966 replacing the F-4B. They took part in strike operations against North Vietnam and, in 1972 an aircraft from this squadron shot down a MiG-21. By doing so, this squadron became the only Naval one to achieve victories in three wars, the World War 2, The Korean War and the Vietnam War. The VF-31 stayed in service on board USS Saratoga (CV-60) for 24 years, the longest in US Naval History. The F-4J were replaced in early 1981 by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat.
• VF-101: The Grim Reapers squadron received the F-4J in August 1967 and, in 1971 one detachment was assigned to Key West, Florida and other one was assigned to Carrier Wing 8, on board of USS America (CVA-66), operating in the Mediterranean Sea. They operated there in the training role until the mid 1980s when the F-4J were replaced by the F-14 Tomcat.
• VF-92: The Silver Kings squadron received their F-4J in 1969 on board of USS Enterprise (CVN-65) and, in January 1970 two of them were destroyed in an on board fire. The squadron was later redeployed to USS America (CV-66) and sent to Vietnam where, on 25th July 1970 over the gulf of Tonkin an F-4J suffered control problems and the crew had to eject. The squadron wasa again redeployed to USS Constellation (CV-64) where they achieved an aerial victory shoting down a MiG-21 of the People's Republic of Vietnam Air Force. The squadron remained deployed on board of USS Constellation at intervals from 1973 to 1974. It was disbanded on 12th December 1975.

Sources:

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II#Operational_history

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II_U.S._operators

3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4J Phantom II. Part one.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4J was an improved version of the F-4B that featured improved air-to-air and ground-attack capabilities. Five-hundred and twenty-two aircrafts were manufactured and they were delivered from 1966 to 1972. It was upgraded with the General Electric J79-GE that could deliver 17844lbf (79374Kn) of thrust and the Westinghouse AN/AWG-10 fire control radar which made the F-4J the first fighter in the world with real look-down/shot-down capability, a new integrated missile system and the AN/AJB-7 bombing system in order to improve the ground-attack capabilities.
The squadrons covered in this post are:

• VX-4: The United States Navy's evaluation squadron tested the F-4J together with the F-8 Crusader in 1966. 
• VF-191: After returning from Vietnam, they replaced their F-8 Crusader with the F-4J which they retained until 1978 when they were deactivated.
• VF-74: In early 1972 they started to replace their F-4B by the F-4J, when they returned from Vietnam, where they didn't loose a single aircraft, on board USS America (CV-66). In 1975 they were assigned to the USS Nimitz (CVN-68) where they remained until being replaced in 1982 by the F-4S.
• VF-121: This fleet replacement group was equipped with F-4B and F-4J until it was disbanded in 1980.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_McDonnell_Douglas_F-4_Phantom_II_U.S._operators
3. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II, American users

The McDonnell Douglas F-4E featured many improvements from the previous version, the F-4D. Among them there were upgraded leading edge slats on the wings that improved greatly the high angle of attack and maneouvrability in expense of a lower top speed.
It was powered by a pair of General Electrics J79-GE-17A axial compressor turbojets that could deliver 11905lbf (52.9Kn) of thrust on dry and 17845lbf (79.4Kn) in afterburner. Those engines, however, produced a noticeable black smoke which made the aircraft really easy to spot being this way a sever disadvantage when hiding from the enemy. It wasn't solved until the F-4S was produced which introduced smokeless combustor.
It served as the main United States Air Force fighter from its introduction in 1967 until late 1970s when the F-16 was introduced as the replacement. Many of the F-4Es were upgraded to the F-4G and continued serving in the SEAD role during the 1980s.

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

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

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II, USAF Users, part three

The F-4C was initally flown for the first time on 27th May 1963 and it differed from the Navy's F-4B in having dual controls, a boom-type flight refuelling system, low pressure tyres and different electronic equipment in order to make it suitable both for air superiority and ground attack roles. It was powered by two General Electric J79-GE-15 that have a a thrust of 10900lb (4944kgp) on dry and 17000lb st (7711kgp) with afterburner. When on air-to-air combat, it was equipped with four AIM-7 Sparrow III Missiles. In total 583 F-4Cs were manufactured, 40 of which were exported to Spain that it was the only foreign country to use that variant.

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

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II, USAF Users, part two

On 10th July 1965, some F-4C from the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron, of the 15 Tactical Fighter Wing, operating from Ubon, in Thailand, scored USAF's first aerial victory against a North Vietnamese MiG-17 with an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile.
Later, on 26th April 1966, a MiG-21 was shot down by an F-4C of the 480th Tactical Fighter Squadron and, a little bit earlier, on 24th July 1965 another F-4C from the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron became the first American aircraft to be shot down by an enemy surface-to-air-missile (SAM). On 5th October 1966 another F-4C became the first American aircraft to be shot down by an air-to-air missile shot from a North Vietnamese MiG-21.
The earliest versions suffered from leaks in wing fuel tanks that had to be re-sealed after each flight and at least 85 of them were found to have crack in outer wing ribs and stringers. Problems were also found in aileron control cylinders, electrical connectors, and engine compartment fires.

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

McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II, USAF Users, part one

Initially the F-4C in the United States Air Force, was going to be called F-110 Spectre, before the introduction of the 1962 Tri-Service designation system. As the aircraft proved to be a very nice one, they quickly adopted it and became it's largest user.

The first Phantoms to serve in Vietnam with the USAF were the F-4Cs from the 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron, that arrived in December 1964. Differing from the navy and marine counterparts where a naval aviator sat in the front place and a naval flight officer in the back, acting as an interceptor officer, the USAF's ones employed two pilots on each Phantom, on both seats. The one in the back could also pilot the airplane, albeit having less flying instruments and worse visibility. Later it was decided that a qualified Air Force Navigator acting as a weapons/targeting systems officer in the rear, instead of another pilot. However, every Phantom serving with the USAF retained their dual controls.

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

McDonnell Douglas F-4B Phantom II, part three

There's not any doubt that the Phantom II was the most successful fighter design of the 1960s. It was powered by two General Electrics J79-GE 8A, 8B or 8C, depending on the sub-variant, rated all of them at 10900lb st of thrust (48.49Kn).
Six hundred and forty-nine F-4Bs were built between June 1961 and March 1967 both for the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.
These featured the APQ-72 fire control radar and was armed with four or six AIM-9 Sidewinders, but could carry a wide load of bombs and air-to-ground missiles.
The famous airplane with the Japanese flag in the tail, served with the VF-111 Squadron, on board of the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) and it was delivered on 6th May 1966. It served until 1976 when it was upgraded to F-4N.

Sources:
1. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters

McDonnell F-101B Voodoo, American users

The McDonnell F-101B was first deployed into service on 5th January 1959, serving with the 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and it was produced until March 1961. It had many new features, a coockpit to carry a crew of two, with a larger and more rounded forward fuselage to hold the Hughes MG-13  fire control radar and a data link to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system. It was also powered by the new and more powerful version of the Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 engines, making the Voodoo not using the -13 engines.
It was stripped of the four M39 cannons, and carried four AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles arranged in a two apiece rotating pallet in the fuselage weapons bay. Late versions could carry two 1.7 kiloton MB-1/AIR-2 Genie Nuclear Rockets on one side of the pallet with infrarred guided GAR-2A (AIM-4C) on the other side.
It was manufactured in greater numbers than the F-101A and F-101C with a total of 479 of them delivered in 1961. Most of them served with the Air Defence Command (ADC) beginning in January 1959. It was withdrawn from active service from 1969 to 1972, with many of them being transferred to the Air National Guard where it replaced the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger serving until 1982.
The RF-101B were a batch of ex-Canadian machines that were returned to the United States Air Force and were reconverted into reconnaissance machines with the weapons replaced by cameras and with an in-flight refuelling probe added. They served with the 192nd Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the Nevada Air National Guard only, until 1975. As they were expensive to operate and maintain, they were discontinued.

Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell_F-101_Voodoo#F-101B_.2F_CF-101B_.2F_EF-101B
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters