One of the most successful fighter designs of all time was the McDonnell Douglas "Phantom II" twin-seat, twin-jet multirole fighter. Nearly 5,200 of the type were produced from 1958 until 1981 and the aircraft was taken into service with many American allies during the lengthy Cold War period (1947-1991) including Australia, West Germany, Israel, Japan, and the United Kingdom. In time, the excellent airframe was modified to cover other over-battlefield roles including that of the radar-hunting "Wild Weasel", remote-controlled target drone, and tactical reconnaissance. The F-4 series has the distinction of having operated with three of the four major United States armed forces simultaneously - the United States Air Force (USAF), United States Navy (USN), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) - such was its value.
In the tactical reconnaissance role, the aircraft was designated the "RF-4" and carried over all of the excellent traits of the F-4 fighter.
The RF-4B (F4H-1P), built from the F-4B fighter mark, were tactical reconnaissance mounts developed for the USMC. Changes to the base design included an extension of the fuselage in which the frontal section gained over four feet of length. A more compact form of the AN/APQ-99 series radar was fitted and, beyond this, the aircraft held three camera bays to house various camera fits for the role. It also carried the ALQ-126 series Electronic CounterMeasures (ECM) suite and the AN/AAD-4 InfraRed (IR) reconnaissance system. A first-flight for this mark was had on March 12th, 1965 and 46 of this mark were built.
The RF-4C was an all-weather reconnaissance model developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) with two YRF-110A (YRF-4C) prototypes used to prove the design sound. These carried the AN/APQ-99 radar set at first before graduating to the AN/APQ-172 series. There was broader support for available camera fits and the HIAC-1 LOROP (long Range Oblique Photography) pod could be carried along its fuselage centerline (ventrally). The hardpoint also supported a single nuclear bomb if needed. Total production of this mark ended at 503 units.
RF-4Cs participated in the Gulf War of 1991 and its reworked nose was reused in the F-4E fighter models which integrated the M61 Vulcan internal cannon as part of the Phantom II's standard, fixed armament. The RF-4C(H) was a proposed offshoot of the C-model reconnaissance birds and intended to carry IR equipment for the "night hunter" role. The design was to emerge from converting existing RF-4C models but the project was not advanced.
The RF-4E was an unarmed export version offered to U.S. allies. Total production yielded 149 of the mark. The RF-4EJ was a local Japanese air service model with a nose-mounted M61 Vulcan cannon. 15 aircraft were converted to the standard. The final variant of the RF-4 became the RF-4/TM "Isik" operated by the Turkish Air Force - having since been thoroughly modernized to keep up with battlefield requirements and emerging threats.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
Length
58.1 ft (17.70 m)
Width/Span
38.4 ft (11.71 m)
Height
16.5 ft (5.02 m)
MTOW
58,004 lb (26,310 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the McDonnell Douglas RF-4C production variant)
Installed:
2 x General Electric J79-GE-15 afterburning turbofan engines developing 17,000lb of thrust each.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the McDonnell Douglas RF-4C production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 5
RF-4 "Phantom II" - Base Series Designation.
RF-4B - USMC operational model; AN/APQ-99 radar fit; lengthened nose section; three camera bays; ALQ-126 ECM suite; 46 examples completed.
YRF-4C (YRF-110A) - RF-4C developmental prototypes.
RF-4C - USAF operational model; AN/APQ-99 and AN/APQ-172 radar fits used; centerline HIAC-1 LOROP pod; nuclear bomb delivery capability retained; 503 examples completed.
RF-4C(H) - Proposed Night Hunter model with IR equipment.
RF-4E - Unarmed reconnaissance export model; 149 examples completed.
RF-4EJ - Local Japanese model; nose-mounted M61 Vulcan cannon; 15 conversions.
RF-4E/TM "Isik" - Turkish Air Force models.
RF-4M - Proposed RAF export model; internal equipment fit.
RF-4X - Proposed Israeli Air Force model born from the proposed (abandoned) F-4X high-performance reconnaissance model.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
1 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
2 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
3 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
4 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
5 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
6 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
7 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
8 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
9 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
10 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
11 / 11
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
West Germany; Japan; Turkey; United States
