For a long time, the American F-4 Phantom II multirole fighter, along with the B-52 Stratofortress strategic bomber, was a symbol of American combat aviation. Serial production of the first version of the F-4A began back in 1960. Various variants of the "Phantom", originally created as a fighter-interceptor, were in service with the US Air Force, Navy and ILC. It was the first among American fighters capable of searching and destroying targets independently, without the help of SAGE ground guidance stations, relying only on its own radar. This aircraft set 15 world records. So, the record for the speed of flight at low altitude - 1452 km / h, set in 1961, held out for sixteen years before the appearance of the F-15 fighter.
Fame for this very advanced machine for its time came after the successful use of "Phantoms" in the 60s and 70s in hostilities in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. However, the Phantom showed itself best of all not in air battles, but in striking ground targets, as a reconnaissance aircraft and a hunter for radars and anti-aircraft missile systems.
"Phantom" had a significant impact on the development of fighters in other countries, becoming the first tactical (front) aviation aircraft, which used powerful pulse-Doppler radar and medium-range air combat missiles. This fighter fully met the ideas of the military and designers about the future of fighter aircraft. In the 50-60s, it was believed that air combat would be reduced to supersonic interception and missile duels outside the line of sight. In this regard, the Phantom of the first modifications did not have a cannon, and the horizontal maneuverability of the aircraft left much to be desired.
The Soviet response to the F-4 Phantom II was the MiG-23 fighter, but its serial production began almost 10 years later. Unlike the Phantom, the Soviet aircraft was single-engine and had a variable sweep wing. The development of the MiG was delayed, due to the high complexity and a number of innovative solutions, the reliability of the MiG-23 of the first modifications was low, and the accident rate was very high. The Soviet fighter also carried medium-range missiles, but it never became a "universal soldier" like the Phantom. As a result, several specialized modifications were created on the basis of the MiG-23: the MiG-23ML is a lightweight air superiority fighter with a more powerful engine and improved maneuverability, the MiG-23P is an air defense interceptor, the MiG-23B is a fighter-bomber adapted for bombing. assault strikes.
In China, the "analogue" of the F-4 Phantom II was the JH-7 fighter-bomber, which appeared 30 years later. During the Vietnam War, "Phantom" made a very big impression on the "Chinese comrades", and after a detailed study of several not too damaged aircraft transported from the jungle of Southeast Asia to the PRC, they decided to copy the F-4. However, many American technologies were too tough for the Chinese and the creation of the aircraft was delayed. By its first flight in 1988, the Chinese Phantom had become outdated in many ways. However, with the help of Western specialists, the JH-7 (also known as the Flying Leopard) was brought to mass production. This attack vehicle uses licensed British Rolls-Royce Spey Mk.202 engines previously used on F-4K fighters. The Chinese Type 232H radar adopted the technical solutions of the American AN / APQ 120 radar of the F-4E fighter. However, due to the lack of the necessary element base in the PRC, there was a partial return to lamp circuits, which increased energy consumption, size and weight of equipment. In terms of its flight data and weight and size characteristics, the Flying Leopard is much closer to the Phantom than the MiG-23. The Chinese aircraft is almost completely focused on solving shock missions and has very modest maneuverability characteristics.
Very high flight performance, a high degree of technical excellence, a large range of weapons and payload led to the fact that the F-4 Phantom II, despite its high cost, became widespread. In addition to the United States, this aircraft was in service in Australia, Great Britain, Greece, Egypt, Israel, Iran, Spain, Turkey, Germany, South Korea and Japan. "Phantom" became one of the most widespread post-war fighters: only in the United States until 1979, 5195 aircraft were built, of which 1384 were transferred to the Allies. Until 1981, licensed production of the F-4E fighter-bomber was carried out in Japan at the enterprises of the Mitsubishi company (138 units were built). This aircraft with partially Japanese avionics received the designation F-4EJ.
Japanese F-4EJ
The United Kingdom became the first foreign recipient of the F-4 Phantom II aircraft. After the cancellation of a number of ambitious aviation projects in the UK, the Royal Air Force needed an aircraft capable of acting as an interceptor, fighter-bomber and tactical reconnaissance aircraft. In addition, the Royal Navy needed an interceptor capable of repelling the attacks of Soviet Tu-16 missile carriers carrying anti-ship missiles.
As a prototype for the Navy and Air Force, the British chose the improved carrier-based multi-role fighter F-4J, which first flew in 1966. At the same time, it was agreed that the Rolls-Royce Spey Mk.202 engines and British-made avionics would be installed on the Phantoms intended for the UK. Initially, it was supposed to purchase up to 400 Phantom FG.1 (fighter / attack aircraft) and Phantom FGR.2 (fighter / attack aircraft / reconnaissance aircraft), but in practice, the Air Force and Navy were limited to the purchase of 170 vehicles.
Originally, the FGR.2, better known as the F-4M, was used by fighter-bomber and reconnaissance squadrons stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany. Service FG.1 (F-4K) in the Royal Navy was not long.
Tests of the British carrier-based interceptor F-4K on the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle
The aircraft carrier HMS Eagle, converted in the second half of the 60s to host Phantoms and Bukanir bombers, was sent to the reserve in 1972 due to financial constraints, and the F-4K interceptors were transferred to the Air Force, where they were replaced in air defense squadrons. Lightning F.3 interceptors
British interceptors F-4K Phantom II and Lightning F.3
Subsequently, as the Jaguar fighter-bombers entered service, all British Phantoms were withdrawn from the continent and, after re-equipment, were oriented toward air defense missions. During the Cold War, British interceptors often met in the air with Soviet long-range bombers Tu-16 and Tu-95.
During the British-Argentine conflict in 1982, three F-4Ks were airlifted to Ascension Island to defend the base from air attack. The service of the last British "Phantoms" in the interceptor squadrons continued until 1992, when they were replaced by the PANAVIA Tornado F3.
Almost simultaneously with the RAF, deliveries of RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft began to the Luftwaffe. From the second half of 1969, West Germany received 132 Phantoms. In the 80s and 90s, the German RF-4E, F-4E and F-4F were repeatedly upgraded as part of a program to improve combat effectiveness. The last F-4F, owned by Jagdgeschwader 71 (JG 71), was decommissioned on June 29, 2013, after which this Witmund-based fighter wing was fully transferred to the Eurofighter Typhoon. From August 1973 until retirement, the F-4F spent a total of 279,000 hours in the air. Some West German "Phantoms" after the withdrawal from the combat squadrons were transferred to Turkey.
F-4F owned by JG 71
As of the second half of 2016, F-4E fighter-bombers and RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft have taken off in Egypt, Iran, Greece, the Republic of Korea, Turkey and Japan. It is quite obvious that all these aircraft, built at the latest in the second half of the 70s, are living out their days and are at the limit of their service life.
Tactical reconnaissance aircraft RF-4E Turkish Air Force
However, the Turkish Phantoms, modernized by the Israeli company Israel Aerospace Industries, continue to fight. On June 22, 2012, a Turkish reconnaissance aircraft RF-4E was shot down by Syrian air defense systems over Syrian territorial waters. In 2015 and 2016, RF-4Es made repeated reconnaissance flights over Syria, and F-4E fighter-bombers bombed Islamist positions in Iraq.
After the start of deliveries of the F-18, the American fleet hastened to part with the F-4S, the last time the Phantom took off from the deck of the aircraft carrier America in 1986. All naval squadrons providing air defense of aircraft carrier groups were re-equipped with F-14A carrier-based interceptors by the mid-80s. In combat squadrons of the US Air Force "Phantoms" in 1990 were finally supplanted by the 4th generation fighters F-15 and F-16. Until 1992, fighter-bombers and reconnaissance aircraft were operated in the US ILC aviation. The last US Phantom War was Desert Storm. In the fighting against Iraq, 24 F-4G Wild Weasel "radar hunters" and 6 RF-4C scouts took part. In many ways, the use of far from the newest machines was a forced step. At that time, the F-4G was the only specialized combat aircraft in the United States Air Force designed to suppress ground-based air defense. At the same time, the RF-4C was the only tactical reconnaissance aircraft equipped with high-resolution side-view cameras.
Phantoms were used extensively during the First Gulf War. The aircraft carried out combat missions almost daily. Moreover, RF-4C began to implement them even before the official start of the campaign against Iraq. During one of these sorties, the reconnaissance "Phantom" received serious damage from anti-aircraft fire, its engines stalled near its airbase, and the crew had to eject. In April 1996, the United States Air Force took a final farewell to the last F-4G Wild Weasel.
F-4G Wild Weasel
In the United States itself, aircraft of early modifications, as the resource was depleted and more advanced machines entered the troops, were used for various kinds of experiments. For example, the specialists of the Sandia National Laboratory in the course of research in the field of ensuring the safety of nuclear facilities used the decommissioned Phantom in a crash test, dispersed it on a special sled and smashed it against a concrete wall. The purpose of this experiment was to find out in practice the thickness of the walls of a reinforced concrete shelter necessary to protect a nuclear reactor in the event of an aircraft falling on it.
Several more fighters were transferred to NASA and were used in various tests of new rocket technology. So, in the second half of the 60s, the F-4A, removed from service in the Navy, accompanied the X-15 supersonic rocket plane at the initial stage of flight. Several times "Phantoms", accelerated to supersonic speed, filmed the launch vehicles launched from the Cape from Cape Canaveral. In the early to mid-80s, demilitarized F-4Cs flew in the course of biomedical research, which clarified the effect of various kinds of overloads on the human body.
Like many other outdated or hopelessly outdated combat aircraft in the 70s and 80s, the F-4s of early modifications were converted into radio-controlled targets. "Phantoms" due to their high flight speed, thrust-to-weight ratio and large practical ceiling could imitate not only manned aircraft, but also cruise missiles.
The use of fighters converted into radio-controlled targets makes it possible to reproduce the radar and thermal portrait of a real combat aircraft. In addition, the target based on "Phantom" made it possible to realistically assess the damaging factors of warheads of various missiles during contact and remote detonation, since the F-4 fighters had a considerable margin of safety and good survivability, which was repeatedly confirmed in hostilities.
The decommissioned Phantoms were used to test Patriot anti-aircraft missiles and new air-to-air missiles. The Navy and the Air Force independently modified F-4s built in the 60s into radio-controlled targets, while there was no single standard for aircraft conversion.
However, with a large flight resource "Phantoms" of later modifications were too valuable to shoot them as targets in significant numbers. The planes were handed over to the Allies or sent to the Davis-Montan for storage. In the 70s and 80s in the United States, there was still an abundance of obsolete F-86 Saber, F-100 Super Saber, F-102 Delta Dagger, F-8 Crusader, T-33 Shooting Star, F-106 Delta Dart - these the machines were being converted into radio-controlled targets, and the American Phantoms that took off their resource were waiting in the wings at the storage base in Arizona.
Radio-controlled target aircraft QF-4 Phantom II
This hour came in the second half of the 90s, when the decommissioned F-106 Delta Dart interceptors, suitable for conversion into targets, ran out at the "graveyard of bones" in "Davis-Montan". Approximately 15 years after the F-4s of all modifications were removed from service in the United States, and in the allied countries where there were Phantoms, they began to be replaced with more modern aircraft, it became clear that there were no prospects of returning the outdated ones to service, but there are still no strong enough fighters, and there is no point in keeping them any longer. But unlike the QF-106 radio-controlled targets, during the conversion of the Phantoms, the military decided to give them extended functions.
The aircraft retained the possibility of manned flight and the suspension of weapons. Some of the equipment unnecessary for an unmanned aircraft: an airborne radar, a 20-mm cannon, navigation equipment of the TACAN system and fuel receivers for refueling in the air were dismantled. At the same time, thanks to the installation of a very advanced computerized remote control equipment Gulf Range Drone Control (GRDCS), the unmanned Phantom was able to perform rather complex maneuvers that were previously inaccessible to other radio-controlled targets. Takeoff, landing and maneuvers on the flight route in unmanned mode can be carried out both in remote control mode and according to a predetermined program. The aircraft is equipped with a transponder and a satellite navigation system with equipment for transmitting data to a ground control station.
Ground control panel for target aircraft QF-4
On the QF-4, to increase the realism of the jamming environment in the exercises, devices for the ejection of dipole reflectors and heat traps are retained. In addition, some of the radio-controlled targets were adapted for hanging containers with equipment for jamming ground-based radars and anti-aircraft missile guidance stations. A radio-controlled explosive device is installed on an unmanned aircraft, designed to eliminate the aircraft in case of loss of control over it.
By the time the decision was made to re-equip the "Phantoms" in the United States, there were more than 400 aircraft of various modifications in storage, mainly: F-4E fighter-bombers, F-4G "air defense fighters" and RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft. Initially, the F-4E and F-4G were altered, as their reserves were depleted, it was the turn of the reconnaissance RF-4Cs. The earlier modifications, F-4D fighter-bombers and F-4S carrier-based interceptors, were decided to be used as a source of spare parts. At the moment, the Davis-Montan still has about a hundred Phantoms of early modifications, but these machines, most likely, will never take off.
Satellite image of Google Earth: taken from the conservation F-4 Phantom II at the Davis-Montan airbase in 2009
Before being converted into targets, the Phantoms, removed from storage, underwent diagnostics and a complex of restoration measures. Technicians of the Davis-Montan airbase bring the aircraft to flight condition, after which they fly around. Here is what the official website of the Eglin airbase wrote about this in April 2013:
Fully refurbished by the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG), the F-4 Phantom II made its last flight over Davis-Montan Air Force Base in Tucson, Arizona, before heading to Mojave, pcs. California.
The RF-4C Phantom, numbered 68-0599, was delivered to AMARG for storage on 18 January 1989 and has not flown since. Technicians re-installed hundreds of parts on the plane and performed thousands of hours of work to get the plane back to flying condition. This aircraft is the 316th F-4, removed from storage for the implementation of the FSAT (full-scale aerial target) program of the Combat Aviation Command.
BAE Systems will convert this aircraft into a QF-4C target aircraft and will ultimately be transferred to the 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron (ATRS) at Tyndall AFB. Florida.
Using the Phantom as an example, the American system for storing and restoring combat aircraft put into reserve has once again confirmed its effectiveness. It was possible to return to the flying state the aircraft released in the mid-60s and stored at the base in Arizona for more than 20 years.
The contract for the direct re-equipment of the reactivated Phantoms in a target in the United States was won by the American branch of the British corporation BAE Systems - BAE Systems Inc (BAE Systems North America). From the Davis-Montan airbase, the aircraft are transported to the Mojave airfield in California, where a set of digital remote control equipment is installed on them.
Satellite image of Google Earth: QF-4 at the Mojave airfield
It is worth adding that Arizona's Mojave Airfield, also known as the Civic Aerospace Center, is in many ways an iconic location for American companies engaged in breakthrough aviation and rocket science research. The center, due to its unique location and the infrastructure available here, has become a base and a testing ground for small companies looking for a place to develop space technologies. It is the first aerodrome licensed in the United States for horizontal launches of reusable spacecraft. Here, in addition to purely civilian research under contracts with the US Department of Defense, work is being carried out on military topics. In the same hangars, where, until recently, the Phantoms were refurbished, refurbishment and refurbishment were carried out in accordance with American airworthiness standards for the MiG-29 and Su-27 fighters received from Ukraine.
Phantoms next to BAE Systems Inc hangar at Mojave airfield
Approximately 10 years ago, during the conversion to QF-4 aircraft, they began to install an automatic threat recognition system developed by BAE Systems, which makes it possible to get as close to the combat situation as possible during control and training firing. Suspended equipment with optoelectronic and radar sensors, detecting an approaching missile or radar radiation, automatically selects the optimal countermeasures from those available on board the aircraft and develops an evasion maneuver.
QF-4 taking off from the Mojave airfield
According to information published in open sources, in 2011 the cost of the procedure for re-equipping one "Phantom" cost the American budget more than $ 800,000 and from the moment of withdrawal from the storage base took about 7 months. The assigned flight life of the QF-4, which has undergone refurbishment and refurbishment, is 300 hours. In the process of re-equipment of the wing console, the tail unit of target aircraft is painted red to facilitate their visual identification.
After control tests and overflights, the QF-4s are transferred to the 82nd Unmanned Target Squadron (82 ATRS) based at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and to the 53rd Weapon Assessment and Test Group (53 WEG) at the airbase. Tyndall in Florida. In 2005-2008, the Tyndall airbase also underwent evaluation tests of the MiG-29 fighters received from the countries of Eastern Europe.
Satellite image of Google Earth: QF-4 at Tyndall AFB
According to satellite imagery, the largest number of QF-4s at Holloman and Tyndall airbases were available as of 2012. Now the number of Phantoms converted into targets has been reduced by about half. In Florida, new versions of AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles were tested on QF-4 unmanned targets over the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, and Lockheed Martin tested at the White Sands proving ground in New Mexico. Phantoms Patriot Advanced Capability SAM (PAC-3). It is noted that thanks to the BAE Systems Common Missile system installed on the Phantoms, the targets managed to evade missiles with a radar guidance system in 10-20% of launches, and from the AIM-9X Sidewinder with the massive use of heat traps in 25-30% of cases. As a rule, during the tests, missiles with an inert warhead were used, and the destruction of the QF-4 target occurred only in the event of a direct hit. In 2013, during field tests of medium-range air defense systems MEADS (Medium Extended Air Defense System) at the White Sands missile range, QF-4 and OTR Lance, flying at supersonic speed from different directions, were almost simultaneously destroyed.
On average, the annual loss of Phantoms during control test launches is 10-15 targets in Tyndall and 4-5 in Holloman. In addition to testing in the areas of these two air bases, QF-4s regularly participate in exercises taking place elsewhere. While the QF-4s are controlled by the GRDC ground system over the New Mexico test site, two specially converted E-9A aircraft are used when flying in Florida and other parts of the United States. These aircraft were created by Boeing on the basis of the civilian DHC-8 Dash 8 DeHavilland Canada turboprop airliner.
Control aircraft E-9A
The E-9A has a side-looking radar on the right side of the fuselage and a search one at the bottom. There is also equipment for remote control of targets and removal of telemetry from tested missiles.
As already mentioned, QF-4 aircraft have the ability to operate in a manned mode, for which all controls and necessary instruments are preserved. QF-4 flights with pilots in the cockpit are carried out mainly at the Holloman airbase. In this case, "Phantoms" save the resource of combat aircraft by testing radar systems and training air defense crews and interceptor pilots, without using weapons.
QF-4 landing at Nellis Air Force Base
Manned QF-4s regularly make "tours" to other airbases, where they are involved in various exercises and training, portraying enemy bombers. Phantoms often land at Nellis airbase. It is here that the "US Air Force Combat Training Center" is located, and in the vicinity of the airbase is the largest air range in the United States.
Manned QF-4, owned by 82 ATRS
Unlike the QF-4, used in unmanned missions, aircraft flying on a regular basis with pilots in the cockpit are painted in camouflage typical for combat vehicles. But on the tail unit, in contrast to the "red-winged" drones, it must be indicated that it belongs to the 82nd squadron of unmanned targets. For manned flights, the least worn out converted F-4G Wild Weasel, built in the late 70s, are used. Since 2005, these aircraft, in addition to "combat" service, regularly participate in various air shows in the United States.
Six Air Force pilots and approximately 10 retirees working with the US Department of Defense under contract are allowed to fly the QF-4. They are all very experienced pilots who have flown an F-4 Phantom II for at least 1000 hours in the past.
Service QF-4 at different airbases is carried out in different ways. At Tyndall AFB, where Phantoms mostly fly unmanned and mostly one-way, less attention is paid to keeping the entire fleet of targets flying. Specific aircraft are prepared for the flight, often borrowing the necessary parts and components from other aircraft. At the same time, the current repair and maintenance of the QF-4 is carried out mainly by military personnel.
At Holloman airbase, where the QF-4 loss is much less, target aircraft are treated more carefully. Here, more attention is paid to maintaining the flight condition of the machines on which manned flights are carried out. At the same time, the fleet of "red-winged" targets, which is less numerous in comparison with the Tyndall airbase, has a higher percentage of aircraft ready for flight. At the Holloman airbase, the Phantoms are serviced by the same elderly, like the aircraft, pensioners working under a contract.
In addition to testing air defense systems and radars in manned mode and using them as unmanned targets, another application was found for honored aircraft. In January 2008, an AGM-88 HARM combat anti-radar missile launched from a QF-4 unmanned aircraft first hit a radar simulator at the Nellis training ground.
Launch of PRR AGM-88 HARM from the QF-4 drone
Thus, the Phantoms, converted into drones, were able to suppress enemy air defense systems. It is assumed that the unmanned QF-4, equipped with PRR and electronic reconnaissance means, are able to take the main blow of anti-aircraft missiles, identify and partially suppress the unmasked positions of the radar and air defense systems. And significantly reduce losses among pilots when performing operations to suppress enemy air defense systems.
Satellite image of Google Earth: QF-4 and at QF-16 Holloman airbase
Nevertheless, the age of even unmanned Phantoms is coming to an end. The newest aircraft built in the United States are approaching 40 years old. At the Davis-Montan airbase, there were practically no rebuildable aircraft of this type, and at the end of 2016 it was announced that the Air Force would no longer order the conversion of F-4 fighters into QF-4s. Since 2012, early modifications of the F-16A / B Fighting Falcon have been converted into an unmanned radio-controlled version of the QF-16.
In this regard, celebrations dedicated to the F-4 Phantom II aircraft were held at the Holloman airbase in New Mexico on December 16, 2016. Four QF-4s marched in a ceremonial formation over the airstrip of the airbase. However, this does not mean that the service of unmanned Phantoms is over. At two airbases in New Mexico and Florida, there are about fifty unmanned red-winged targets left. Taking into account the rate of "natural" decline, they will be enough for several more years.
