Vietnam War. How two enemies became friends.
In 1971, the U.S. Air Force offered a checkout in the McDonnell F4 to Republic F105 drivers who had completed a 100mission combat tour and were willing to volunteer for a second tour. I dearly loved the Thud, but its numbers dwindling due to combat losses made its future bleak.
He checked out in the F4 at Homestead Air Force Base in Florida and, in June, arrived at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand. The usual mission of the 13th Tactical Fighter Squadron was twoship bombing flights under forward air control in Laos and an occasional reconnaissance escort into southern North Vietnam. By protecting the recon guys from MiGs, aircrews felt they were really doing something productive and, according to the rules of engagement, if the recce airplanes were fired at, we could drop bombs.
In 1972, combat missions grew more challenging. More reconnaissance escorts were dropping bombs, and more F4s were sent on multipleflight missions against specific North Vietnam targets. On April 15, the air tasking order for the next day called for 20 airplanes to fly MiG patrol in the Hanoi area for bombing flights taking off from other F4 and F105 bases. The gloves were coming off.

At 8 a.m., the four airplanes of Basco Flight, each with three external fuel tanks and less than a full load of missiles, roared off Udorn's Runway 12, with Fred Olmsted and Stu Maas leading and Jeff Feinstein and me flying number 3. We jettisoned our empty centerline tanks and accelerated across the border into North Vietnam, heading straight for Hanoi. Enemy surfacetoair missile radars were on us immediately, but we ignored the warnings: Our mission was to kill MiGs...

F4 General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 63 ft 0 in (19.2 m)
Wingspan: 38 ft 5 in (11.7 m)
Width: 27 ft 7 in (8.4 m) wing folded
Height: 16 ft 5 in (5 m)
Wing area: 530 sq ft (49.2 m2)
Aspect ratio: 2.77
Airfoil: NACA 0006.4–64 root, NACA 000364 tip
Empty weight: 30,328 lb (13,757 kg)
Gross weight: 41,500 lb (18,824 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 61,795 lb (28,030 kg)
Maximum landing weight: 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)
Fuel capacity: 1,994 US gal (1,660 imp gal; 7,550 L) internal, 3,335 US gal (2,777 imp gal; 12,620 L) with 2x 370 US gal (310 imp gal; 1,400 L) external tanks on the outer wing hardpoints and either a 600 or 610 US gal (500 or 510 imp gal; 2,300 or 2,300 L) tank for the centerline station.
Powerplant: 2 × General Electric J79GE17A afterburning turbojet engines, 11,905 lbf (52.96 kN) thrust each dry, 17,845 lbf (79.38 kN) with afterburner
Performance

Maximum speed: 1,280 kn (1,470 mph, 2,370 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,000 m)
Maximum speed: Mach 2.23
Cruise speed: 510 kn (580 mph, 940 km/h)
Combat range: 370 nmi (420 mi, 680 km)
Ferry range: 1,457 nmi (1,677 mi, 2,699 km)
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
Rate of climb: 41,300 ft/min (210 m/s)
Lifttodrag: 8.58
Wing loading: 78 lb/sq ft (380 kg/m2)
Thrust/weight: 0.86 at loaded weight, 0.58 at MTOW
Takeoff roll: 4,490 ft (1,370 m) at 53,814 lb (24,410 kg)
Landing roll: 3,680 ft (1,120 m) at 36,831 lb (16,706 kg)
Armament
Emodel has a 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan cannon mounted internally under the nose, 640 rounds
Up to 18,650 lb (8,480 kg) of weapons on nine external hardpoints, including generalpurpose bombs, cluster bombs, TV and laserguided bombs, rocket pods, airtoground missiles, antiship missiles, gun pods, and nuclear weapons. Reconnaissance, targeting, electronic countermeasures baggage pods, and external fuel tanks may also be carried.
4× AIM9 Sidewinders on wing pylons, Israeli F4 Kurnass 2000 carried Python3, Japanese F4EJ Kai carry AAM3.
4× AIM7 Sparrow in fuselage recesses, upgraded Hellenic F4E and German F4F ICE carry AIM120 AMRAAM, UK Phantoms carried Skyflash missiles
6× AGM65 Maverick
4× AGM62 Walleye
4× AGM45 Shrike, AGM88 HARM, AGM78 Standard ARM
4× GBU15
18× Mk.82, GBU12
5× Mk.84, GBU10, GBU14
18× CBU87, CBU89, CBU58
Nuclear weapons, including the B28EX, B61, B43 and B57

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00:00:00 Daniel Cherry Introduction
00:01:51 295 Missions In Vietnam
00:02:44 Beginnings
00:09:57 First Mission. Everyone Is Afraid
00:19:48 Operation Linebacker
00:22:19 F105 Thunderchief
00:25:10 Teaching The Fighter Pilot
00:27:11 F4 Phantom
00:34:07 Basco Fligh
00:44:06 Meeting The Enemy Mig 21 Pilot
00:48:29 F105 Developement Footage
01:24:54 My Enemy, My Friends. Two Pilots Meet

#f4phantom #vietnamwar #aviation