Subject: McDonnell F-4 Phantom (9 of 49)

From: [email-masked] (joseph.f.baugher)
Date: 15 May 94 23:58:45 GMT

The RF-4C (Model 98DF) was the unarmed photographic reconnaissance 
version of the USAF's F-4C.  The armament and radar of the fighter 
version was removed and replaced with equipment specialized for 
photographic reconnaissance.  Perhaps the most readily-noticeable 
difference between the F-4C and the RF-4C was the presence of a new, 
longer, and more pointed nose in which the fire control radar of the 
fighter was replaced by cameras, mapping radar, and infrared imaging 
equipment for the reconnaissance role.  

McDonnell had studied reconnaissance variants of the Phantom from the 
very start of the Model 98 project back in the early 1950s.  They had 
offered the 98F unarmed photographic reconnaissance version to the 
Navy as early as August 25, 1953.  

Eventually, McDonnell proposals for the Model 98AX (September 1958) 
and 98DF (January 1961) led to the issuance of Specific Operational 
Requirement 196, approved by the Air Force on December 31, 1962.  The 
SOR-196 project evolved in parallel with the development of the 
previously-described Model 98DH (RF-4B) for the Marine Corps.  The 
RF-4B and RF-4C differed from each other only in the 
previously-described changes between the F4H-1 and the F-110A.  

In May 1962, prior to the issuance of SOR 196, the Navy had instructed 
McDonnell to modify six F-4Bs into YRF-110A prototypes (62-12200 and 
62-12201) and RF-110A development aircraft (63-7740/7743).  The mockup 
was reviewed in October 1962, by which time the designation of the 
RF-110A had been changed to RF-4C.  Testing of optical and electronic 
reconnaissance systems was undertaken in 1963 at Holloman AFB with a 
bailed F-4B (BuNo 145310).  

The first YRF-4C (serial number 62-12200) took off on its maiden 
flight on August 9, 1963, William S. "Bill" Ross being at the 
controls.  This aircraft had the extended nose of the RF-4C, but was 
not fitted with cameras or other reconnaissance systems.  It was 
followed on September 30, 1963 by the second YF-4C (62-12201), which 
was fitted with high and low panoramic and frame cameras but still 
lacked most of the other systems that were planned for production 
aircraft.  

The RF-4C had three camera stations in the nose.  The Forward camera 
station (situated just behind the radar) could carry a single forward 
oblique or vertical KS-87 camera.  Behind that, in the number 2 or 
"Low Altitude" station, a KA-56 low-altitude camera could be carried, 
although this could be replaced by a trio of vertical, left, and right 
oblique KS-87 cameras.  Alternatively, a left or right oblique KS-87 
could be carried in this station.  A vertical KA-1 could be carried in 
the low-altitude station instead of the KS-87, or a KS-72 could 
replace a KS-87 in the 30-degree oblique position.  The third station 
(the "High Altitude" station) was just ahead of the cockpit under the 
nose, and normally carried a single KA-55A or KA-91 high-altitude 
panoramic camera in a stabilized mount.  Alternatively, two split 
vertical KS-87 cameras could be carried there, or KC-1 or T-11 mapping 
cameras could be installed.  The High Altitude station could also 
house an AN/AVD-2 laser reconnaissance set, but this was later 
withdrawn from use.  

The RF-4C was fitted with a photoflash ejection system for night 
photography.  The ejectors were fitted on the upper rear fuselage 
behind hydraulically-actuated doors.  Up to and including RF-4C serial 
number 71-0259, pairs of ejectors were fitted on each side, one with 
26 M112 cartridges and one with 10 M123 cartridges.  From RF-4C 
72-0145 onward, a single LA-249A ejector was carried, with 20 M185 
cartridges.  

The AN/APQ-72 radar in the nose of the F-4C was replaced by the very 
much smaller Texas Instruments AN/APQ-99 two-lobe monopulse J-band 
radar.  This radar had both terrain-avoidance and terrain-following 
modes, and has ground mapping capability.  This was later replaced by 
the Texas Instruments AN/APQ-172 in all surviving RF-4Cs.  

An AN/AAD-5 or AN/AAS-18 infrared detection set was installed just aft 
of the nose wheel bay.  The AAD-5 is an infrared linescan unit with 
high performance in dual fields and automatic control of 
velocity/height ratio and can convert video signals into a permanent 
film record.  The AN/AAS-18 offered improved optics and up to 350 feet 
of SO2498 film.  Some RF-4Cs have been fitted with the AN/AVQ-9 
infrared detection set and laser target designator to provide slant 
range for weapons aiming and high-resolution thermal imaging.  

The RF-4C is also fitted with a Goodyear AN/APQ-102 side-looking 
mapping radar, with antennae on either side of the lower nose just aft 
of the optical reconnaissance bay.  This system was later replaced on 
some aircraft with the AN/APD-10 with a podded extended range antenna 
in a modified 600-gallon external fuel tank and a UPD-8 datalink 
assembly replacing the number 2 station door.  This datalink had a 
steerable antenna which made it possible to send radar images to 
ground stations in real time.  

The ARC-105 high-frequency radio required a giant shunt antenna which 
was recessed into both sides of the vertical fin.  This required that 
the upper pitot head on the vertical fin be deleted.  

The original nose shape featured a flat underside and an angled window 
projection for the High Altitude Station.  Many RF-4Cs were modified 
with an aerodynamically-refined nose with a bulging added to the 
camera housing which allowed larger cameras to be carried.  

>From aircraft 69-0375 onward, the low-altitude panoramic camera could 
be used in conjunction with an ejectable film cassette.  This was 
designed to get film into the hands of ground-based intelligence units 
as rapidly as possible.  Upon ejection, the film cassette deployed a 
parachute, and a transmitter was provided to aid in recovery.  
However, this system proved to be impractical in the field, and 
immediate postflight film processing capability and readout was 
provided by the use of film processing vans which were quickly 
deployed to Southeast Asia.  

The ECM capabilities of the RF-4C were progressively upgraded 
throughout its long service life.  Radar homing and warning systems 
were fitted.  Examples were the ALR-17, -31, -46, -50 or -126.  Newer 
electronic systems included the Litton AN/ALQ-125 Terec (originally 
known as the *Pave Onyx*) tactical electronic reconnaissance sensor 
with real-time datalink capability, the Lear Siegler AN/ARN-101 
digital modular avionics system navigational unit, the Electronic 
Wide-Angle Camera System (EWACS), the AN/AVQ-26 *Pave Tack* infrared 
detection set and laser target designator, and an upgraded APQ-172 
forward-looking radar.  

In 1970, 20 RF-4Cs were retrofitted with the ARN-92 LORAN-D navigation 
system with a "towel rail" antenna on the upper rear fuselage, which 
provided all-weather blind navigation capability.  These aircraft were 
all 18 of the Block-40 RF-4Cs and two from Block 41 (69-0349 and 0350) 

The RF-4C can also carry the gigantic General Dynamics HIAC-1 LOROP 
camera in a large G-139 pod mounted on the fuselage centerline.  This 
camera was originally developed for the General Dynamics/Martin 
RB-57F, and is capable of showing astonishing detail at standoff 
distances as large as 100 miles.  However, with such a large pod 
mounted underneath the fuselage, the performance of the RF-4C was 
severely compromised.  

Initially, the RF-4C carried no weapons, and the underfuselage Sparrow 
missile slots of the F-4C were omitted.  However, in an emergency the 
RF-4C could carry a nuclear weapon on the centerline position, but 
this was rarely done in practice.  Aircraft from the European-based 
10th TRW were eventually fitted with AJB-7 low-altitude bombing system 
system equipment just in case the delivery of nuclear weapons ever 
became necessary.  In later years, RF-4Cs were armed with AIM-9 
Sidewinder missiles carried on the inner underwing pylon for 
self-defense.  

The first production RF-4Cs went in September 1964 to the 33rd TRTS, a 
training unit based at Shaw AFB in South Carolina.  The first 
operational unit to receive the RF-4C was the 16th Tactical 
Reconnaissance Squadron of the 363rd TRW at Shaw AFB, achieving 
initial combat-readiness in August of 1965.  Even then, early RF-4Cs 
continued to fly without their full sets of operational equipment, and 
many of the components that they did carry were still unqualified.  

As part of the 460th TRW, the 16th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 
was deployed to Tan Sun Nhut in South Vietnam in October of 1965.  The 
second RF-4C squadron in action in Southeast Asia was the 15th TRS, 
which entered combat in February of 1967.  

Initial missions turned up a whole host of problems and deficiencies.  
The AN/APQ-102A side-looking radar had major teething troubles and was 
initially very unreliable in combat.  It took years before its 
problems were fully fixed.  The AN/AAS-18 infrared sensor was 
initially defective and had to be improved.  The RF-4C shared with the 
F-4C the problems with the defective potting compound in the 
electrical relays.  Airframe vibrations would often result in 
distorted images being taken by the cameras in the sensor bays.  

The RF-4C flew day missions over South Vietnam and Laos until 1972.  
The aircraft posted an impressive record during the most intense years 
of the war.  Heavy ground fire resulted in numerous losses, but 
considering the total number of missions flown, the loss rate was 
relatively low.  

The last of 503 production RF-4C was delivered in December of 1973.  
The RF-4C had been in production for over ten years, longer than any 
Phantom variant except the F-4E.  

The following outfits flew the RF-4C: 

10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
66th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
75th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
432nd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 
460th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing 

The RF-4C was the first version of the Phantom to reach the squadrons 
of the Air National Guard.  The first ANG unit to receive the RF-4C 
was the 106th TRS of the 117th TRW of the Alabama ANG, which received 
its RF-4Cs in February of 1971, replacing that unit's RF-84F 
Thunderflashes.  

The following ANG squadrons were eventually equipped with RF-4Cs: 

106th TRS, 117th TRW, Alabama ANG 
153rd TRS, 186th TRG, Mississippi ANG 
160th TRS, 187th TRG, Alabama ANG 
165th TRS, 123rd TRW, Kentucky ANG 
173rd TRS, 155th TRG, Nebraska ANG 
179th TRS, 148th TRG, Minnesota ANG 
189th TRTF, 124th TRG, Idaho ANG 
190th TRS, 124th TRG, Idaho ANG 
192nd TRS, 152nd TRG, Nevada ANG 
196th TRS, 163rd TRG, California ANG 

The RF-4C was still in service at the time of *Desert Storm*.  In 
response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, the 106th TRS of the 117th 
TRW of the Alabama ANG was deployed to Sheika Isa in Bahrain.  This 
unit was relieved by the 192nd TRS of the Nevada ANG.  Later, the 
192nd was joined by RF-4Cs from the USAF's 12th TRS/67th TRW and the 
28th TRS/26th TRW.  Many of these planes were veterans of combat in 
Vietnam.  When the first strikes against Iraq took place on January 
17, 1991, the RF-4Cs were in action from the start.  At first, they 
were limited to daylight operations, flying over Kuwait almost every 
day in search of Republican Guard units.  They flew over Baghdad 
looking for such targets as rocket fuel plants, chemical weapons 
plants, and command and communications centers.  The RF-4Cs were 
repeated diverted from other photographic missions to go and look for 
Scud launchers hiding in western Iraq.  None were lost in action, 
although one (64-1044) was lost in a pre-war accident.  

Following the end of *Desert Storm*, all of the remaining RF-4Cs were 
withdrawn from USAF service.  The 26th TRW was deactivated in April of 
1991 and its RF-4Cs were relegated to storage.  The 91st TRS of the 
67th TRW deactivated in September of 1991, and the 12th TRS and the 
remainder of the wing was scheduled to stand down in 1994.  The RF-4G 
still serves with Alabama, Nebraska, California, and the Idaho ANG, as 
well as with the 189th TRTF of the Idaho ANG.  The last of these is 
expected to remain in service until 1996.  

Twelve RF-4Cs were subsequently transferred to the Spanish Air Force.  
Two were loaned to Israel in 1970-71.  Twelve ex-USAF RF-4Cs were 
transferred to Korea in 1989.  

After the completion of the original test program, YRF-4C 62-12200 was 
modified to serve as the aerodynamic prototype of the F-4E version, 
flying in this configuration on August 7, 1965.  It was later used in 
*Project Agile Eagle* to test leading edge maneuvering slats that were 
fitted to late production F-4Es.  The YRF-4C was later fitted with a 
slotted stabilator and was fitted with various composite material 
components such as a beryllium rudder.  In April 1972, it was modified 
as a test bed for a fly-by-wire control system.  In 1974, it was 
fitted with canard surfaces and special controls as part of the 
Precision Aircraft Control Technology (PACT) program.  It first flew 
in this configuration on April 29, 1974.  In January 1979, 62-12200 
was donated to the USAF Museum at Wright-Patterson AFB in Ohio, where 
is is now on display.  

Serials of the RF-4C:

62-12100/12101 		McDonnell RF-110A Spectre -- redesignated
					RF-4C-14-MC
63-7740/7742		McDonnell RF-4C-17-MC Phantom
63-7743/7749		McDonnell RF-4C-18-MC Phantom
63-7750/7763		McDonnell RF-4C-19-MC Phantom
64-0997/1017		McDonnell RF-4C-20-MC Phantom
64-1018/1037		McDonnell RF-4C-21-MC Phantom
64-1038/1061		McDonnell RF-4C-22-MC Phantom
64-1062/1077		McDonnell RF-4C-23-MC Phantom
64-1078/1085		McDonnell RF-4C-24-MC Phantom
65-0818/0838		McDonnell RF-4C-24-MC Phantom
65-0839/0864		McDonnell RF-4C-25-MC Phantom
65-0865/0901		McDonnell RF-4C-26-MC Phantom
65-0902/0932		McDonnell RF-4C-27-MC Phantom
65-0933/0945		McDonnell RF-4C-28-MC Phantom
66-0383/0386		McDonnell RF-4C-28-MC Phantom
66-0387			McDonnell RF-4C-29-MC Phantom
66-0388			McDonnell RF-4C-28-MC Phantom
66-0389/0406		McDonnell RF-4C-29-MC Phantom
66-0407/0428		McDonnell RF-4C-30-MC Phantom
66-0429/0450		McDonnell RF-4C-31-MC Phantom
66-0451/0472		McDonnell RF-4C-32-MC Phantom
66-0473/0478		McDonnell RF-4C-33-MC Phantom
67-0428/0442		McDonnell RF-4C-33-MC Phantom
67-0443/0453		McDonnell RF-4C-34-MC Phantom
67-0454/0461		McDonnell RF-4C-35-MC Phantom
67-0462/0469		McDonnell RF-4C-36-MC Phantom
67-0462/0469		McDonnell RF-4C-36-MC Phantom
68-0548/0561		McDonnell RF-4C-37-MC Phantom
68-0562/0576		McDonnell RF-4C-38-MC Phantom
68-0577/0593		McDonnell RF-4C-39-MC Phantom
68-0594/0611		McDonnell RF-4C-40-MC Phantom
69-0349/0357		McDonnell RF-4C-41-MC Phantom
69-0358/0366		McDonnell RF-4C-42-MC Phantom
69-0367/0375		McDonnell RF-4C-43-MC Phantom
69-0376/0384		McDonnell RF-4C-44-MC Phantom
71-0248/0252		McDonnell RF-4C-48-MC Phantom
71-0253/0259		McDonnell RF-4C-49-MC Phantom
72-0145/0150		McDonnell RF-4C-51-MC Phantom
72-0151/0153		McDonnell RF-4C-52-MC Phantom
72-0154/0156		McDonnell RF-4C-53-MC Phantom

Specification of the RF-4C: 

Two General Electric J79-GE-15 turbojets, 10,300 lb.s.t. dry, 17,000 
lb.s.t. with afterburner.  Maximum speed 1459 mph at 48,000 feet 
(Mach 2.21), 834 mph at sea level (Mach 1.09).  Cruising speed 587 
mph.  Landing speed 143 mph.  Inital climb rate 48,300 feet per 
minute.  Service ceiling 59,400 feet.  Combat range 840 miles, maximum 
range 1750 miles with maximum external fuel.  28,276 pounds empty, 
39,788 pounds gross, 39,773 pounds combat weight, 58,000 pounds 
maximum takeoff weight.  Wingspan 38 feet 5 inches, wing area 530 
square feet, length 62 feet 11 inches, height 16 feet 6 inches.  
Maximum internal fuel in the fuselage tanks was 1260 gallons for 
aircraft up to production block 40 and 1142 US gallons in block 41 and 
beyond.  An additional 630 gallons of fuel could be carred in the 
wings.  Maximum external fuel load was 600 US gallons in a centerline 
tank that could be carried underneath the fuselage plus 370 US gallons 
in each of two tanks that could be carried underneath the outer 
underwing pylons.  

Sources:

  The World's Fighting Planes, William Green, Doubleday, 1964.

  McDonnell F-4 Phantom: Spirit in the Skies.  Airtime Publishing, 1992.

  Modern Air Combat, Bill Gunston and Mike Spick, Crescent, 1983.

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

  United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and
  Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

  The Fury of Desert Storm--The Air Campaign, Bret Kinzey, McGraw-
  Hill, 1991.

  Post-World War II Fighters: 1945-1973, Marcelle Size Knaac,
  Office of Air Force History, 1986.

  The World Guide to Combat Planes, William Green, Macdonald, 1966. 

  The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Armament, Bill Gunston,
  Orion, 1988. 

Joe Baugher			**************************************
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