The F-4 Phantom in the Luftwaffe

[Pellson]

Completed a month ago, almost, I haven't been able to close the backstory until now, but here goes:

In 1967, after a few years of debating, NATO decided on a new "flexible response" doctrine. This left behind the total commitment to defence by nuclear retaliation, rather introducing conventional warfare and multiple-staged escalation as not only a possibility, but a preferred option. In this light, the main existing German air force combat type, the F-104 Starfighter, was deemed somewhat inadequate. Its limited conventional weapons load and range paired with the unexpectedly high losses the Luftwaffe had endured during the decade made the decision to look for something more capable. In particular, the reconnaissance RF-104 with its space-constrained equipment bay and associated limited capabilities made an improvement necessary.
Initially, a solution where the RF-104's would be upgraded was sought to limit cost, but the best Lockheed could do within airframe limits was to remodel the nose of an existing two-seat TF-104. When a fly-off was held against other types, including the USAF RF-4C Phantom, the superiority of the Phantom was more than obvious, and an order for 88 modified RF-4E's was placed in 1968.

For fighter and strike aircraft, the existing Starfighter/Fiat G.91 combination was initially deemed sufficient until the already planned PA200 Tornado and Alphajet were to enter service by the end of the following decade. The high Starfighter attrition in combination with an early on perceived multiyear delay of the Tornado already in 1969 drew attention to the capability gap expected to appear around 1975. After a quick evaluation, a simplified F-4E, lacking one of the fuselage fuel tanks as well as air-to-ground guided missile capacity was chosen. The new F-4F did, however, gain the maneuverability slats on the outer wings just introduced on the E model, but did not get the BVR SARH missile capability. This was a limitation Luftwaffe would have to live with through more than one and a half decade, but the Phantom was still a major upgrade from the troubled Starfighter.
175 F-4F airframes was ordered in 1971, just as the first recce Phantoms were delivered, and their fighter sisters followed three years later, in 1974, JG71 at Wittmundhafen being the first unit to hand over their Starfighters in exchange for their new mount and soon learned to greatly appreciate their big fighters, as had their reconnaissance colleagues with the RF-4E's.

Already when the first F-4F's rolled off the assembly lines in St Louis, USA, the lessons learned in Vietnam began to sink in, among them the fearful threat from mobile Soviet surface-to-air missile systems.
In Vietnam, USAF had developed so called Wild Weasel tactics where a small team of a few specially equipped aircraft went in just before the strike package, trying to draw fire from the AA batteries, just to kill them when they showed their locations. At first, this was done in two-seat F-100F's with the backseaters extra pair of eyes as the main sensor, but soon, various electronic systems began to appear, necessitating better trained WSO's and bigger, more capable aircraft. To meet the training need, electronic wizzs were drawn from Strategic Command where the big B-52's employed several in each crew. When these men, used to fly well above threats, learned that they were going to ride at Mach 1 at treetop level, driven by the most daring and reckless fighter jocks the Air Force could find, their legendary motto was born: YGBSM – You Gotta Be Shitting Me!!
Nevertheless, the tactics worked, and when developed into the powerful F-105G, legends were created by pilots like Leo Thorsness, of Norwegian ancestry, and his WSO Harold Johnson.

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In the early 1970's, just in time to participate in the final fighting in Vietnam, the mighty Phantom was chosen to be the next step, providing much needed additional maneuverability in addition to better fuel/weapon mixes. Thus was born the F-4G that became the final development of this distinguished type, and in early 1975, Luftwaffe placed an additional order for 45 Wild Weasel Phantoms to directly follow their fighters off the production line. This time, they did not defer any capabilities, going for exact copies of the USAF F-4G's. When they were delivered from 1979, they actually not only brought the SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) role to the Luftwaffe, but they also introduced proper BVR interception as they could carry and employ up to three AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. The G's were deployed as a third sqn in each JaboG 35 and 36, but tactics dictated that they mostly flew as a hunter add-on to twoship killer teams from one of the two other sqns of the wing.
The Luftwaffe F-4G's were upgraded tightly along their US sisters, gaining the AGM-88 HARM missile during the 2nd half of the 1980's, significantly enhancing their own lethality. They were slowly replaced in the SEAD role by the Tornado ECR variant in the early 1990's.

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The kit is a renovated old Italeri F-4G I build in my youth. I believe I've already told most of that story, so I'll leave it out for now, but let me just say it really was nice fiddling with it, remembering my dad taking a rather keen interest in it when I first built it. It's really nice having done something pretty of it.

I'm particularly pleased with the aircraft callsign numbers. Dizzy will undoubtedly see it instantly, but for the rest of you, I'll spill the beans and say that the last Luftwaffe F-4F was coded 38+75..

[Pellson]

In my never ending laziness, I'm expanding this thread to cater for my German fighter and recon Phantoms as well. Both are refurbished old models, the RF-4E less so than the F-4F, but it was nice setting them all to standard. Both are Italeri kits bought and built in the 1980's.

The RF-4E was the first in German service. In my application, I would have liked them re-engined to Kfir-derivative J79's, and some obvious electronics upgrades. Otherwise a good tactical recce bird in its own right, and I think she looks nice in the all-green Norm 83 camo.

The F-4F started in the experiment "Polizei" scheme that was one of the experiments leading up to the Norm 81. Layer, I repainted it in the all grey Norm 95, but
A) not too well done, and
B) boring!
..so having developed my take on the Norm 81 for the ex-NVA MiGs, I took the opportunity to give thins one a workover as well.

The observant will notice a rather BVR-biased weapon load, but as the Phantom isn't a dogfighter, I think it's appropriate. The two Sidewinders are German-built AIM-9P's, several of which were upgraded with all-aspect seeker heads producing an almost as good as AIM-9L missile. And there were stocks, so why not?
You'll see more of these missiles on my Luftwaffe builds.

Pictures? OK, then.
Let's start with the recce bird.

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As can be seen (maybe), I've cheated by putting the ASTAC pod on the wing pylon to be able to carry a SLAR pod simultaneously, if you want. Also, she's carrying a German Cerberus 2 ECM pod.

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The F-4F KWS 2 is in my eyes quite a lot prettier in her Norm 81 scheme (I know, I know. I've said it before, but it IS pretty!)
I think it turned out really nice, not least due to the stencilling that brought some extra life to the model without adding glare.

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[Gondor]

Nice 

What's on the bottom of the triple launcher of the F-4F?

Gondor

[Old Wombat]

Very nice!  

[scooter]

Ah, reminds me of the halcyon days spent in the Triple A/HAS section of NASKEF, watching Luftwaffe F-4s come visit.

[Pellson]

Nice 

What's on the bottom of the triple launcher of the F-4F?

Gondor

An AGM-65 Maverick for SEAD cooperation with the threadleader on top. 

[killnoizer]

I am in love with the flying brick since childhood, watching them flying deep in northern Germany in the 70's , we had a house near south of Munster in the Lüneburger Heide , the greatest training ground in Germany. My father was a radar operator in the German Army .
And we were guests in 2013 at the great Phantom Pharewell in Wittmundhafen . At that day the Airforce gave full speed to their birds ,whit full afterburners engaged  . That is NOT usual in Germany because the great restrictions on airshows since the Rammstein accident. 

[NARSES2]

A cracking pair 

[Dizzyfugu]

Norm '81 rules! 

Nice combo! And there were many experimental paint schemes before the Norm '81 scheme that might be worth more Luftwaffe Phantoms... 

[Pellson]

I am in love with the flying brick since childhood, watching them flying deep in northern Germany in the 70's , we had a house near south of Munster in the Lüneburger Heide , the greatest training ground in Germany. My father was a radar operator in the German Army .
And we were guests in 2013 at the great Phantom Pharewell in Wittmundhafen . At that day the Airforce gave full speed to their birds ,whit full afterburners engaged  . That is NOT usual in Germany because the great restrictions on airshows since the Rammstein accident.

There's always >>THIS<< cool display from Malta in -93. 

[Rheged]

Another fine piece of work!

[PR19_Kit]

There's always >>THIS<< cool display from Malta in -93. 

Jeeoers, he was pushing his G limits the whole time!   

[McColm]

Well done 

[Old Wombat]

There's always >>THIS<< cool display from Malta in -93. 

Awesome!

[kerick]

The phabulous Phantoms look great! I've got to try those German paint jobs once.