 |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
| Description | |||
| Manufacturer: | McDonnell-Douglas | ||
| Designation: | F-4 | ||
| Version: | C | ||
| Nickname: | Phantom II | ||
| Equivalent to: | F-110A | ||
| Type: | Fighter | ||
| Specifications | |||
| Length: | 62' 10' | 18.90 M | |
| Height: | 16' 6" | 5.03 M | |
| Wingspan: | 38' 5" | 11.71 M | |
| Wingarea: | 530.00 Sq Ft | 49.23 Sq M | |
| Empty Weight: | 28276.0 lbs | 12823.0 Kg | |
| Gross Weight: | 50341.0 lbs | 22830.0 Kg | |
| Max Weight: | 58000.0lbs | 26303.0 Kg | |
| Propulsion | |||
| No. of Engines: | 2 | ||
| Powerplant: | General Electric J79-GE-15 (A/B 17,000Lb/7,711Kg) | ||
| Thrust (each): | 10900 | 4944 | |
| Performance | |||
| Range: | 1375 miles | 2214.00 Km | |
| Cruise Speed: | 587.00 mph | 945.00 Km/H | 510.81 Kt |
| Max Speed: | 1459.00 Mph | 2349.00 Km/H | 1269.73 Kt |
| Climb: | 48300.0 Ft/min | 14721.1 M/min | |
| Ceiling: | 59400.0 Ft | 18104.0 M | |
The F-4 was designed in 1958 as a company venture by McDonnell Douglas to meet future needs and it turned into the greatest post World War II fighter ever built. Considered by some the fastest, most versatile and effective aircraft ever built. The F-4 was initially designed as an attack bomber without internal weapons. The Phantom carried a greater bomb load than a B-29, yet was an effective fighter shooting down 106 out of 137 Migs destroyed in the Vietnam War. Israel has used F-4's in all of its major confrontations, at one time shooting down over 70 Syrian aircraft without a Phantom lost. The F-4E was flown by the US Air Force Demonstration team The Thunderbirds from 1969 through the mid 1970's. F-4E's were also flown as aircraft known as Wild Weasels and were active in the Persian Gulf War.
RF-4 recon aircraft have a longer nose order to carry optical, infrared and forward looking radar. Over twenty foreign countries have flown the F-4 as standard front line combat aircraft and the Phantom can match the latest designed fighters in almost every performance category.
More than 1,200 F-4's have been stored at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center (AMARC) at Davis-Monthan AFB near Tucson, Arizona. Most of these stored aircraft will eventually be expended as target drones like the F-86's, F-100's, and F-102's before them.
In 1962, the USAF began equipping the Tactical Air Command with the F-4C, similar to the U.S. Navy F-4B. In 1964, an improved version, the F-4D, was introduced. Large numbers of C and D Phantoms flew in Southeast Asia between 1966 and 1973.
This F-4C aircraft, serial number 63-7693, was manufactured by McDonnell Aircraft, St. Louis, Missouri, and delivered to the USAF on 1 Feb 1965. It has served with 8th TFW, 479th TFW, 431st TFS all at George AFB between 1965-1967; 8th TFW at Ubon, RTAFB, Thailand, in 1967; 366th TFW, Da Nang AB, South Vietnam, 1967; 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing, Luke AFB, AZ, in 1971; 1633rd TASG, Ontario AP, in 1982. This is one of the F-4's flown by the late Capt Dean Paul Martin, USAF Reserves, who was killed in the crash of an F-4. He was the son of famed entertainer Dean Martin. This aircraft is on loan from the USAF.
According to the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA/RSA), Maxwell AFB, AL, the museum's F-4C has the following history:
F-4C, s/n 63-7693, was manufactured by McDonnell Aircraft, St Louis, MO and delivered to the USAF on 1 Feb 1965. Its assignments were:
Feb 1965 - To 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), George AFB CA
Nov 1965 - To 479th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), George AFB CA
Apr 1966 - To 431st Tactical Fighter Squadron (TAC), George AFB CA
Feb 1967 - To 4525th Fighter Weapons Wing (TAC), Nellis AFB
12 May 67 - To 479th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), George AFB CA
30 May 67 - To 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (PACAF), Ubon RTAFB Thailand
Nov 1967 - To 366th Tactical Fignter Wing (PACAF), Da Nang AB SVN
Feb 1968 - To Ogden Air Materiel Area UT
Mar 1968 - To 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing (TAC), Davis Monthan AFB AZ
Apr 1971 - To Ogden Air Materiel Area UT
Aug 1971 - To 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing (TAC), Luke AFB AZ
Apr 1977 - Unit becomes 58th Tactical Training Wing
Nov 1982 - To 163rd Tactical Air Support Group (ANG), Ontario AP CA
Mar 1984 - Unit (163rd Tactical Fighter Group) transfers to March AFB CA
May 1987 - Dropped from USAF inventory by transfer to museum or school.with total of 5,123 flight hours
"You Are Not Forgotten"
About the Memorial crew of "693"
On August 30, 1966 an F-4C S/N 63-7503, lead aircraft in a flight of three Phantoms assigned to the 497th Tactical Fighter Squadron / 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, call sign Anvil, departed Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base on a night reconnaissance mission. The primary target on this ROLLING THUNDER 51 armed reconnaissance mission was fowled by weather, so the flight diverted to the secondary target over Quang Binh Province, North Vietnam.
Anvil lead was piloted that night by Capt. Kenneth D. Robinson, 31, of Indianapolis Indiana and his systems officer and pilot 1st Lt. Sammie D. Hoff, 24, of Kenedy Texas.
While engaging an enemy ground target, Anvil Lead was struck by 37/57mm anti-aircraft artillery. The accompanying aircraft reported a ground explosion at
17°-37'N/106°-19'E, but that they were in brief radio contact with Lt. Hoff, this meaning he had successfully ejected from the aircraft. It is unknown if Capt. Robinson ejected from the aircraft prior to it impacting the ground, but it was assumed he had. Search and rescue units were immediately notified and arrived at the location that night.
A search from the air revealed the crash site with no apparent survivors and due to the hostile threat on the ground, no ground search was authorized.
In 1973, the Vietnamese government denied any knowledge of either of the crew, and they were not among the 591 Americans released in February of that year.
The two men had been listed as missing in action [MIA] since August 1966, until presumptive findings of death were approved by the Secretary of the Air Force on March 3, 1978 for Lt. Hoff and on December 2, 1979 for Capt. Robinson. As such, their status changed to killed in action / body not recovered [KIA/BNR].
Remains unilaterally returned by Vietnam and repatriated on December 15, 1988 were identified as those of Capt. Robinson and Lt. Hoff in February 1989, and the Armed Forces Identification Review Board approved the identification for both men on April 18, 1989.
The crew of Anvil Lead had returned from their mission after twenty-two years seven months and nineteen days.
The circumstances of their fate, is unknown … It is unknown how the Vietnamese came to posses their remains - or when.
While listed as missing, Captain Robinson was promoted to the rank of Colonel, and First Lieutenant Hoff was promoted to the rank of Major.
This aircraft, F-4C S/N 63-7693, served with the 497th TFS / 8th TFW based at Ubon RTAFB, Thailand from May 30, 1967 until November 27, 1967 The March Field Air Museum has dedicated the restoration of "693" to the memory of Colonel Robinson and Major Hoff, and to the sacrifices made by the personnel of the 497th TFS, and of the 8th TFW "The Wolf Pack" during the Vietnam War.
About the POW/MIA symbol on this aircraft
This is the symbol of The National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. This organization was incorporated in the District of Columbia on May 28, 1970. The sole purpose of this organization is to obtain the release of all prisoners, the fullest possible accounting for the missing, and the repatriation of all recoverable remains of those who died serving our nation during the Vietnam War.
The number of Americans still missing and unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War is 1,891
You can contact this organization at:
1005 North Glebe Road, Suite 170
Arlington, Virginia 22201
http://www.pow-miafamilies.org/index.html
Information on the ongoing recovery of the missing from WWII, Korea, and Southeast-Asia:
U.S. Army Central Identification Laboratory, Hawaii
http://www.cilhi.army.mil/
