Malaysian F-4D Phantom II

[comrade harps]

McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom II
#TUDM M22-04, 12 Sqd. Royal Malaysian Air Force
TUDM Butterworth, 9 February 1979
Personal mount of Lt. Col. Mokhtar Dahari (pilot) and Cpt. Santokh Singh (WSO)



When the UN was forced out of IndoChina in the wake of the disastrous Operation Half Back Flanker offensive into Laos and North Vietnam, Cambodia was occupied by the victorious Khmer Rouge, backed by troops from China and the Socialist Union (SU). The presence of these foriegn powers served to constrain the Khmer Rouge's worst excesses, so that the occupation period from 1973 to 1976 was tense but mostly peaceful. Once the foreign forces left, an internal power struggle resulted in leadership being gained by the Khmer Rouge's most violent and extremist elements, so that during 1977 the country would plunge into what became known as the killing fields of Year Zero. During the course of 1978, the Khmer Rouge would expel all foriegn citizens, mount genocidal campaigns against the country's non-Khmer ethnic minorities, make repeated violent incursions into Vietnam and implement a policy of autarky, which saw it tear up its agreements with its Red trading partners. By December, its socialist neighbours and erstwhile allies agreed that the Khmer Rouge had to go and China and the SU sanctioned a Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia.




Vietnam launched its invasion of Cambodia on 25 December, 1978 and advanced rapidly through the country. As the Khmer Rouge retreated towards Thailand, the Thai government became concerned about the growing refugee problem and the likelihood of border confrontations with the Vietnamese. Appealing to the UN for assistance, the UN voted to establish a Cambodian Peace Zone (CPZ) along a swathe of Cambodian territory roughly parallel to the Thai border. The Khmer Rouge and other anti-Vietnamese political and military groups formed the Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) and all associated with this umbrella group were allowed to operate freely within the CPZ, to the exclusion of Vietnam and its new Cambodian puppet government. Averse to putting UN boots in the ground, the UN agreed to feed, arm and train KPNLF forces and to defend the CPZ with airpower.



The Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF, Malay: Tentera Udara Diraja Malaysia; TUDM) received 26 ex-RAAF McDonnell Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs in 1970 in response to the growing Red threat to UN hegemony in the South China Sea. In the late 1960s, the Chinese began fielding Badger and Blinder bombers armed with anti-shipping missiles able to reach the southern regions of the South China Sea, including the so-called Malayasian Gap between the Malayan Peninsula and Borneo. To counter this threat, the RMAF raised a requirement in 1968 to acquire long-range interceptors capable of providing air superiority across this maritime region. With the RAAF standardised its F-4 fleet on the new F-4E, its F-4C and F-4D model Phantom IIs were released for export, Indonesia receiving 31 F-4Cs and Malaysia acquiring 26 F-4Ds. The F-4Ds met the RMAF's demand for a fighter to provide air defence across the Malayasian Gap and were issued to 6 Sqd at Labuan and 11 Sqd at Gong Kedak.

In 1975-76, the F-4Ds were supplemented by the delivery of 32 new F-4E Phantom IIs. These new aircraft replaced the F-4Ds of 6 and 11 squadrons in the air defence role and the F-4Ds were assigned to 12 squadron at Butterworth (replacing F-5A Freedom Fighters). Tasked with air-to-surface attack roles, the F-4Ds were customised by 1978 with an LORAN blind bombing capability, the integration of Pave Spike laser target pods and ALQ-119 ECM pods. Munitions included AGM-45B Shrikes, AGM-65B Mavericks, GBU.10 and GBU.12 Paveway IIs, Rockeye II CBUs and Brazillian Kormoran anti-shipping missiles.




The UN launched its defence of the CPZ on the morning of 9 February, 1979. By then the Vietnamese had control over about two thirds of Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge had retreated to defensive positions, making a stand at the city of Battabang. This was a strategic location, as it had an airfield and sat astride the Chas River, straddled the railway line between Thailand and Phnom Penh and sat across several major highway junctions. The plan was to draw the enemy into the open, providing targets for UN airpower.



As the four RMAF F-4Ds of Hornbill Fight neared the Thai coast that morning, the fighter controllers of an RAAF E-3A Sentry routed them through Thai airspace before requesting a turn towards the Cambodian border. In the lead were pilot Lt. Col. Mokhtar Dahari and his backseater Cpt. Santokh Singh flying their personal mount, TUDM M22-04. The 3 red stars on the plane's port splitter plate reference Lt. Col. Dahari's kills (2 Fitters and a Fishbed) over Cambodia in 1972 while flying an Australian-built Mirage IIIM. This aircraft and two others in the flight were equipped with 2 Mk.20 Rockeye II, 3 GBU-12 Paveway II, 2 TER, 2 AIM-7E-2 Sparrow, 2 AIM-9L Sidewinder and 1 each of the AGM-45B Shrike, and ALQ-119 ECM pod. Only Dahari's aircraft carried the AVQ-23E Pave Spike. The 4th F-4D in the flight carried 2 Shrikes and a pair of AGM-65B Mavericks.



Approaching Battambang, Hornbill Flight came under the control of a Thai Mirage IIIBT2 fast FAC crew. If Hornbill Fight was armed for bear, the Vietnamese were locked and loaded for buffalo. As the Thai crew cued the Malayasians onto tanks, APCs and artillery, the UN airmen dodged and duelled with triple-A and SAMs. Then came the Vietnamese Flogger Gs, followed soon after by a pair of RAAF F-15As. The resulting furball left the Thai Mirage shot down by an Strela SAM (its crew safely ejecting) and the Maverick-armed F-4D badly damaged by an SA-6 Gainful. Dahari and Singh got a good Sparrow shot on a Vietnamese Flogger, as did the RAAF's Flt. Lt. Tim Cahill: splash 2 Floggers! Along the way, the crews of Hornbill Flight claimed the (vigorously disputed) destruction of 3 T-55 tanks, 2 BTR-60 APCs, a Straight Flush radar and several artillery pieces.

[Pellson]

So nice!!
Being locked away from the hobby desk for a while, I have indulged in picture googling and whif-planning, some of it involving F-4's. I should really be focussed on where I am (and of what my desk already is full), but the mind wanders easily. And this Phabulous Phantom didn't make it any better.. 

[Dizzyfugu]

A pretty paint scheme. Quite Hellenic?

[chrisonord]

Marvellous back story and a very nice F-4 Comrade
Chris

[Old Wombat]

 

[zenrat]

Another great job Comrade.

[NARSES2]

Looks good 

[Pellson]

May I ask - what kit is this?

[comrade harps]

May I ask - what kit is this?

Italeri 1:72nd scale F-4D.

[Pellson]

May I ask - what kit is this?

Italeri 1:72nd scale F-4D.

Thanks. 

[DogfighterZen]

Great job, Comrade!

[Captain Canada]

Gorgeous. Great paint job and a nice little read. Cheers !

[comrade harps]

A pretty paint scheme. Quite Hellenic?

Yes and no. It started out with a low contrast Hellenic-ish selection of colours but ended up with a high contrast scheme in the vein of my Indian F-4EM:  "Indian Air Force McDonnell Douglas F-4EM Phantom 2000" https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=45907.0

[buzzbomb]

like it a lot 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Excellent story @ model!