Encyclopedia of the Persian Gulf War

Page 97

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F-4E Phantom II–Fuchs (Fox) M93 NBC Vehicle

F-4E Phantom II

See F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel.

F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel

The F-4G, nicknamed the Wild Weasel, is a two-seat, all-weather interceptor and attack craft with electronic warfare capabilities. These aircraft flew 2,683 sorties during Operation Desert Storm (a variant, the F-4E, flew only four missions).

Built by McDonnell Douglas, the F-4 (which first flew as the F4-H1 in 1958) is powered by two General Electric J79-15 afterburning turbojet engines delivering 17,900 pounds (8,120 kg) of thrust. The plane holds up to 16,000 pounds (7,258 kg) of armaments, including up to four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles or three AGM-65 Maverick missiles. The F-4Gs are specifically designed for electronic warfare; one source says that the plane “covers all dedicated EW and anti-SAM missions in which specially equipped electronic aircraft hunt down hostile SAM installations (using radar for lock-on, tracking or missile guidance) and destroy them before an attack by other friendly aircraft on nearby targets.”

See also

RF-4C Phantom II.

References:

Gunston, Bill, An Illustrated Guide to USAF: The Modern US Air Force (New York: Prentice Hall, 1991), 109;

“Wild Weasels: Electronic Wizards of Desert Storm,” Popular Science 238:5 (May 1991), 73.

F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel

The F-4G Phantom II Wild Weasel can hold up to 16,000 pounds of armaments and flew over 2,683 sorties during Operation Desert Storm.

F-14 Tomcat

The most formidable fighter of its kind, the two-seat F-14 is matched in the air only by its counterparts,

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