McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II non-U.S. operators

+ ReceivedIn service as of 2001in service as of 2024Australia24 F-4ENone NoneEgypt45 F-4E30 F-4Eretired / in reserveGermany88 RF-4E175 F-4F10 F-4E145 F-4F ICE NoneGreece121 F-4E and RF-4E62 F-4E AUP and RF-4E33Iran32 F-4D177 F-4E16 RF-4E15 F-4D29 F-4E3 RF-4E63Israel206- 210 F-4E12 RF-4E40 F-4E53 F-4E Kurnass 2000 NoneJapan140 F-4EJ14 RF-4E109 F-4EJ Kai12 RF-4ENoneSouth Korea27 RF-4C92 F-4D103 F-4E18 RF-4C60 F-4D70 F-4ENone Spain40 F-4C18 RF-4C14 RF-4C NoneTurkey237 F-4E and RF-4E163 F-4E 44 RF-4E19United Kingdom15 F-4J(UK)50 F-4K116 F-4MNoneNone

F-4 Phantom II non-U.S. operators are the non-U.S. nations with air forces that operate or used to operate the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The Phantom II entered service with the U.S. military in 1960 and served until 1996. During this time it was the primary interceptor, air superiority fighter and fighter bomber with the U.S. Navy, Marines and Air Force.

The Phantom II was exported to 11 other nations, and continues to serve in a military role in some parts of the world.

Australia

In March 1963, McDonnell Douglas offered to provide the RAAF with a modified version of the F-4C, the model 98DX, fitted with SNECMA Atar 9 engines. This engine was already used in the RAAF's Mirage IIIOs, but the French turbojet was inferior to the General Electric J79, and the RAAF chose instead to order the F-111C Aardvark which had a greater range.Baugher, Joseph F. "Phantom with Royal Australian Air Force." Phantom II, December 1999. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.

Since the development of the F-111 was plagued with many setbacks, it was expected that the order for the RAAF would not be ready before 1974, leaving the Australian air force short of a suitable aircraft. The need to replace their Canberra B.20s left the RAAF frustrated by the delay in the development of the F-111.

The solution was to loan F-4Es to the RAAF, under the Peace Reef program. On 22 June 1970, the contract was signed, and the first of 24 new F-4Es arrived the following September. They served with Nos. 1 and 6 Squadrons, both based at RAAF Base Amberley. The Australian aircrews praised the choice and the F-4Es were so well received that their popularity threatened the F-111C order at one point. F-4E was proving its value as a fighter for the US in Vietnam and to Israel. It offered air-to-air capabilities that the F-111 could not offer. Australia also had Mirage III fighters which could do the job. In the end what was important for Australia was that the F-111 outperformed any F-4 variant in ground attack missions as it was one of the best attack planes in the world.

The first six aircraft were returned in October 1972, with another five returned in November 1972. The first six F-111Cs were delivered in June 1973, and the rest of the F-4Es were returned to the United States Air Force.Lake 1992.

In 1972 the United States offered to sell the leased aircraft to Australia. Earlier, the Americans had offered to sell 48 aircraft, including RF-4Es if the RAAF had cancelled the F-111C. On balance, the F-4 would in theory need to be supported by at least eight Boeing KC-135 Stratotankers to achieve the endurance required in Australian service with in-flight refueling, making the whole package expensive and uneconomical compared to the F-111C with its greater range. Also, acquisition of the Phantom would have required disbanding at least one Mirage III squadron in order to provide the necessary aircrew and meet budget limits (The No. 82 Wing's aircrew were to be converted to the F-111). The F-111C program was resumed in December 1971.

One Phantom (69-7203) was lost in an accident during Australian service, off Evans Head, New South Wales during night bombing practice on 16 June 1971, while the others went on to follow a long career with the United States Air Force, with 21 examples later modified to F-4G Wild Weasel specifications and used by the 35th and 52nd Tactical Fighter Wings (TFWs).

Units Royal Australian Air Force No. 1 Squadron RAAF No. 6 Squadron RAAF

Egypt

The Al Quwwat al Jawwiya il Misriya (Egyptian Air Force or EAF) encountered Israeli F-4s during fighting between the two states, especially during the later stages of the War of Attrition and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. These encounters gave the EAF a measure of the type's effectiveness, especially as a bomber.

After the Camp David Accords, and the Egypt–Israel peace treaty signed on 26 March 1979, Egypt ended its military dependence on the Soviet Union. It also lost the financial support of the other Arab states, and Saudi Arabia cancelled its plans to send Egypt 50 F-5s. The U.S. State Department proposed trading Egypt new military hardware in exchange for military aircraft made in the USSR, including MiG-21s, and the newer MiG-23s delivered to them by the Soviets prior to their breakdown of relations in 1976.Baugher, Joseph F. "Phantom with Egypt." Phantom II, January 2000. Retrieved: 27 December 2010.

Under the September 1977 Peace Pharaoh agreement, 35 ex-31 TFW F-4Es along with a number of Sparrow, Sidewinder and Maverick missiles were supplied to the EAF for US$594 million and served with 76 and 78 Squadrons of the 222 Fighter Regiment.Fricker 2000, p. 59. Initially, Egyptian ground crews found their maintenance far more complex than required for Soviet aircraft and consequently there was an average of only nine F-4s serviceable during 1982, a 26% serviceability rate. To correct the situation, Egypt considered selling some of the F-4s to Turkey and buying extra General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcons. However, assistance from U.S. advisors in 1985 made it possible to reach a reasonable serviceability rate, and in 1988 another seven F-4s were delivered. While further purchases of F-4s and upgrades were considered, these plans were rejected in favour of additional orders for F-16s.Fricker 2000, p. 60.

By the end of the 1990s, three aircraft had crashed but were replaced with three others.Lake 1992, p. 209.Egyptian Air Force Order of Battle . Scramble Magazine, 18 November 2007. Retrieved: 29 January 2008. As of 2018 the two squadrons of F-4s are retired and are in storage/reserve.

Units Egyptian Air Force 222nd TFB (Wing) (Cairo West Air Base) 76th Squadron 78th Squadron

Germany

The German Luftwaffe was the 3rd largest operator of exported Phantoms, (Behind Iran and Israel) operating around 175 F-4Fs, 10 F-4Es for training purposes and 88 RF-4Es from its introduction into service until the aircraft's retirement in 2013.

At the start of the 1960s, NATO began to gradually abandon its 1950s era-policy against the Soviet Union from "massive retaliation" in case of a nuclear war, to adopting a more strategic concept of a "flexible response". As a result, the Luftwaffe were forced to increase their conventional capabilities, which meant the need to replace their fleet of Lockheed F-104 Starfighters in the reconnaissance and air superiority roles.

In 1968, the Luftwaffe signed a deal with McDonnell Douglas to purchase 88 RF-4Es, which was at the time the largest order for Phantoms outside the United States Air Force. The contract also included several industrial offsets for the German industry, particularly production work for Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm who manufactured and supplied F-4 components to McDonnell Douglas' Phantom production facility in St. Louis.

On 16 January 1971, the first RF-4E, dubbed the "Spirit of St. Louis", flew from the United States, with a stopover in Spain, and finally into West Germany. The next day, at Bremgarten Airfield, the aircraft was officially accepted into service by the Commander of the Luftwaffe, Gunther Rall.Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 52.

The West German RF-4E was equipped similarly to the RF-4Cs in service at the time with the USAF, using the latest F-4E airframe and more-powerful engines. The RF-4Es were employed as a day/night reconnaissance aircraft, equipped with four cameras with the ability to cover 180 degrees.Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 51. There were special flares for night use and two night/all-weather reconnaissance systems. One was the IRRS (Infrared Recognition System) and the other was the SLAR (Side-Looking Airborne Radar), mounted in the side of the fuselage. The aircraft had the capability to develop photos in flight and then drop them using special cartridges. Missions were generally flown at low level and high speed, using the installed APQ-99 radar for navigation. Deliveries were completed in May 1972 and the previously employed RF-104Gs were modified to serve in strike or fighter units.

The Luftwaffe also intended to equip two fighter and two bomber wings with a simplified single-seat version of the F-4E which had already been proposed for the TFX Program introduced in 1962. This was reconsidered due to the cost of that version and instead, under the Peace Rhine program, the Luftwaffe purchased the F-4F, which was based on the F-4E.

The F-4F had one of the seven fuselage fuel tanks omitted along with the capability to carry AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and bombs. It was equipped with air combat maneuvering leading edge slats and had a higher thrust to weight ratio, approaching 1:1 when fuel was low. The first example, serial number 3701, first flew on 18 March 1973. The first eight were sent to George AFB where crew training was carried out. In 1976, these trainers were replaced with 10 F-4Es, which stayed in the U.S. One of the "F"s, serial number 72-118, remained at Eglin AFB as an experimental project aircraft.Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 51.

Units equipped with the F-4F included Jagdgeschwader 71 based in Wittmund and Jagdgeschwader 74 in Neuburg an der Donau. In April 1975, deliveries started to JaboG 36, and finally JaboG 35 at Pferdsfeld. Operationally, the F-4Fs used by JG-71 and JG-74 were employed in the air-to-air role, while those used by the former JaboG 35 and 36 units were used in air-to-air and air-to-ground roles.Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 51.

Weapons used on the F-4F included the Mk 82 unguided bomb, BL755 cluster bomb unit and AIM-9 Sidewinders.Niccoli and Sacchetti 1991, p. 51. Later on, the capability to use the AGM-65 Maverick was added, with a pair of missiles housed in a single launcher.

RF-4E upgrades and disposal Reconnaissance Phantom updates were carried out during several separate programs. Under the Peace Trout program, one RF-4E upgrade had an ELINT system installed in the nose, based on the APR-39 of the F-4G. Another RF-4E update was the installation of provision for bombs with up to six BL-755, or 5,000 lb (2,268 kg) of other external stores, and an ALE-40 chaff launcher along with a bombing system and newer cameras. In 1988, the aircraft were stood down from this dual role due to cost and this capability was removed.Thornborough and Davies 1994, p. 233.

After the reduction of conventional forces in Europe, the Luftwaffe began phasing out the RF-4Es in 1993 and 1994. The surplus aircraft were supplied to Allied NATO nations, with 32 sent to Turkey and 20 to Greece. AG 51 received Panavia Tornados as a replacement, while AG 52 was disbanded.

F-4F upgrades and disposal

A total of 12 F-4Fs were initially modified for dual controls and were later de-modified. In 1980–83, the F-4F fleet was fitted with air-refueling probes, utilizing USAF tankers to make longer flights to Canada and Spain. The AIM-9B and F were replaced with the "L" version Sidewinder.