McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II--Bicentennial
Under pressure from the Kennedy administration to reduce the military budget by having more commonality between the services, the USAF evaluated the US Navy's F4H-1 Phantom II against the F-105 Thunderchief (as a tactical fighter), the F-106 Delta Dart (as an interceptor), and the RF-101 Voodoo (as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft). To the USAF's surprise, the F4H-1 outperformed all three, and was capable of doing all three missions with the same general type of aircraft.
Impressed, the USAF asked for the loan of two F4H-1s for further evaluation preparatory to purchase. These were painted in overall ADC Gray and redesignated F-110A Spectre in 1961. Soon thereafter, it was announced that the USAF would purchase the F-110A as its standard tactical fighter, to replace the F-105 (the F-106 would remain the USAF's standard interceptor), while the RF-110A would replace the RF-101. However, to eliminate confusion over aircraft types, the Tri-Service Aircraft Designation System was adopted in 1962; both the F4H-1 and F-110 were renamed simply the F-4. The Spectre name was dropped (though it would be adopted later for the Lockheed AC-130) in favor of the Navy's Phantom II. The Navy and USAF variants were designated F-4B and F-4C respectively, though the F-4C would be modified slightly for USAF requirements. This included wider main landing gear tires (which resulted in a bulge in the upper wing), flight controls for the backseater, and boom/plug refueling rather than probe/drogue.
In combat, the F-4C was something of a mixed bag. It was still an interceptor rather than a dogfighter, and over Vietnam, where it was pitted against more agile MiG-17s and MiG-21s, the Phantom was at a disadvantage. Its raw speed allowed its crews to pick and choose a fight, but it could not turn with the smaller North Vietnamese fighters. Its biggest problem was the lack of an internal gun, especially since the AIM-7 Sparrows and AIM-9 Sidewinders that formed its normal warload were unreliable. Finally, a lack of dogfight training left USAF pilots at a disadvantage. Though tactics would change and missiles would improve, F-4C crews were barely reaching parity with an enemy the USAF outnumbered and outgunned. There was nothing wrong with the aircraft itself: it was simply being committed to a role it was not designed for.
The F-4C was gradually replaced in Vietnam by improved F-4D/E variants, though C models would be involved until the end of the war. Following the end of American involvement, the F-4C was relegated to Air National Guard interceptor units. These would remain in service until the early 1990s, when they were retired in favor of the F-15 Eagle.
This aircraft, 63-7676, was one of the most famous of F-4Cs, as it received a special Bicentennial scheme in 1976--appropriate for an aircraft with the tail number 7676! It visited Malmstrom AFB's Bicentennial airshow in 1976, where Dad got this picture. The Bicentennial sticker on the intake was carried on many aircraft that year, but what made 63-7676 unique was its tail markings, and the name of the crew in red, white and blue. (The tail markings can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16076162475/in/datepos...)
That year, it carried the name of then-Brigadier General Fred Haeffner, the commander of the 57th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (TFTW) at Luke AFB, Arizona. Haeffner had scored one confirmed and two probable MiG kills over Vietnam in 1967, which was why 63-7676 carried two kills; the aircraft itself never scored a kill, though it is sometimes confused with 64-7776, which was credited with three. (64-7776 is at the Museum of Flight, seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/15890076799/in/datepos...)
This view shows off the extensive white stenciling carried on USAF F-4s immediately after the Vietnam War, which essentially gave instructions on every bit of F-4 ground operations! It was thought this would help ground crews, but as it disrupted the camouflage (at this point, still the older version of Southeast Asia camouflage), it was reduced and toned down after 1977.
63-7676 would later be relegated to the 199th FIS (Hawaii Air National Guard) in 1983. It would then be assigned to the 123rd FIS (Oregon ANG), but was sadly lost in January 1989, when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean with the loss of one of its crew.
McDonnell Douglas F-4C Phantom II--Bicentennial
Under pressure from the Kennedy administration to reduce the military budget by having more commonality between the services, the USAF evaluated the US Navy's F4H-1 Phantom II against the F-105 Thunderchief (as a tactical fighter), the F-106 Delta Dart (as an interceptor), and the RF-101 Voodoo (as a tactical reconnaissance aircraft). To the USAF's surprise, the F4H-1 outperformed all three, and was capable of doing all three missions with the same general type of aircraft.
Impressed, the USAF asked for the loan of two F4H-1s for further evaluation preparatory to purchase. These were painted in overall ADC Gray and redesignated F-110A Spectre in 1961. Soon thereafter, it was announced that the USAF would purchase the F-110A as its standard tactical fighter, to replace the F-105 (the F-106 would remain the USAF's standard interceptor), while the RF-110A would replace the RF-101. However, to eliminate confusion over aircraft types, the Tri-Service Aircraft Designation System was adopted in 1962; both the F4H-1 and F-110 were renamed simply the F-4. The Spectre name was dropped (though it would be adopted later for the Lockheed AC-130) in favor of the Navy's Phantom II. The Navy and USAF variants were designated F-4B and F-4C respectively, though the F-4C would be modified slightly for USAF requirements. This included wider main landing gear tires (which resulted in a bulge in the upper wing), flight controls for the backseater, and boom/plug refueling rather than probe/drogue.
In combat, the F-4C was something of a mixed bag. It was still an interceptor rather than a dogfighter, and over Vietnam, where it was pitted against more agile MiG-17s and MiG-21s, the Phantom was at a disadvantage. Its raw speed allowed its crews to pick and choose a fight, but it could not turn with the smaller North Vietnamese fighters. Its biggest problem was the lack of an internal gun, especially since the AIM-7 Sparrows and AIM-9 Sidewinders that formed its normal warload were unreliable. Finally, a lack of dogfight training left USAF pilots at a disadvantage. Though tactics would change and missiles would improve, F-4C crews were barely reaching parity with an enemy the USAF outnumbered and outgunned. There was nothing wrong with the aircraft itself: it was simply being committed to a role it was not designed for.
The F-4C was gradually replaced in Vietnam by improved F-4D/E variants, though C models would be involved until the end of the war. Following the end of American involvement, the F-4C was relegated to Air National Guard interceptor units. These would remain in service until the early 1990s, when they were retired in favor of the F-15 Eagle.
This aircraft, 63-7676, was one of the most famous of F-4Cs, as it received a special Bicentennial scheme in 1976--appropriate for an aircraft with the tail number 7676! It visited Malmstrom AFB's Bicentennial airshow in 1976, where Dad got this picture. The Bicentennial sticker on the intake was carried on many aircraft that year, but what made 63-7676 unique was its tail markings, and the name of the crew in red, white and blue. (The tail markings can be seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16076162475/in/datepos...)
That year, it carried the name of then-Brigadier General Fred Haeffner, the commander of the 57th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (TFTW) at Luke AFB, Arizona. Haeffner had scored one confirmed and two probable MiG kills over Vietnam in 1967, which was why 63-7676 carried two kills; the aircraft itself never scored a kill, though it is sometimes confused with 64-7776, which was credited with three. (64-7776 is at the Museum of Flight, seen here: www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/15890076799/in/datepos...)
This view shows off the extensive white stenciling carried on USAF F-4s immediately after the Vietnam War, which essentially gave instructions on every bit of F-4 ground operations! It was thought this would help ground crews, but as it disrupted the camouflage (at this point, still the older version of Southeast Asia camouflage), it was reduced and toned down after 1977.
63-7676 would later be relegated to the 199th FIS (Hawaii Air National Guard) in 1983. It would then be assigned to the 123rd FIS (Oregon ANG), but was sadly lost in January 1989, when it crashed into the Pacific Ocean with the loss of one of its crew.