Phantom Weapon Load

[Herod]

A quick question for those that know. What would be a typical weapon load for the RAF Phantom in its various roles?

[weemonkey]

Shiploads of everything.

Now if it got near a target.......................

[SASless]

Here is one example of a US Military F-4 weapons array.

[RAFEngO74to09]

QRA (N) - Bruggen: 1 x US B43 / B57 "special weapon" [Jun 72 > Oct 76 under Project E] on centerline + 2 x Sparrow + 2 x underwing tanks

QRA(I) - RAFG Battle Flight - Wildenrath: 4 x Sparrow then Skyflash / 4 x Sidewinder / 1 x SUU-23A Gunpod (M-61 20mm 6-barrel Vulcan "Gatling") / 2 x underwing tanks - centerline fuel tanks available

QRA(I) - UK - Leuchars / Coningsby / Wattisham: 4 x Sparrow then Skyflash / 4 x Sidewinder / 2 x underwing tanks + centerline tank - SUU-23A Gunpod available

Recce: EMI Recce Pod on centerline / Strike Recce Camera (forward port Sparrow station) / 2 x underwing tanks

Attack (before my RAF service so may not be 100% correct):
Carrier Bomb Triple Ejector (CBTE) - UK Only version of US Triple Ejector Rack (TER) - which could carry 1000-lb Bomb / SNEB Rocket Pod / BL-755 - could be carried on all 4 x underwing pylons (outers could have 2 x underwing tank instead)
SUU-23A Gunpod on centerline or centerline tank
4 x Sparrow / 4 x Sidewinder
RN Phantom FG1 could carry Lepus flares on centerline for night illumination during attacks

Various publicity shots of the era showed RAF / RN Phantoms completely tooled up in "everything but the kitchen sink" configurations that would have been a little range limited in practice !

[RAFEngO74to09]

Only 30 x Phantom FGR2 were wired to carry the EMI Recce Pod for use by 2 Sqn (Laarbruch) and 41 Sqn (Coningsby).

[tartare]

What is the heaviest weapon load ever that an F-4 carried?

[Davef68]

Originally Posted by RAFEngO74to09

Recce: EMI Recce Pod on centerline / Strike Recce Camera (forward port Sparrow station) / 2 x underwing tanks

One of the underwing tanks could be the modified version used to carry photoflash for night time operations. Not sure how widespread that was, but you can see it on this pic of XV406 (which was the Recce trials aircraft, so carries the pod and modified tank in spite of being with 111 at the time)

[57mm]

Don't forget the baggage pod......

[Herod]

Thank you all, especially RAFEngO. That's given me some stuff to sort through.

[Asturias56]

You know looking back it was quite a remarkable aircraft ...............

[Chris Kebab]

....flown by equally remarkable chaps

[pr00ne]

CBTE could be carried on the centre line pylon as well, certainly on the 38 Group Squadrons.

When I went through it was the favoured destination of all at Valley, except for a few Lightning weirdo’s.

Sad to see in later years it became the destination of the least capable, in a hierarchy extending from Harrier at number one to the F-4 at the bottom, just above Canberra.

Odd and surreal to think that the QRA(N) Bruggen fit was the most commonly uploaded but most rarely, if ever, flown.

[Davef68]

Originally Posted by pr00ne

Odd and surreal to think that the QRA(N) Bruggen fit was the most commonly uploaded but most rarely, if ever, flown.

or photographed.

[Vzlet]

The classic air-to-air fit, as seen recovering to Ramstein in 1981:

Zulu Recovery, Ramstein, 1981 by Vzlet, on Flickr

[Minnie Burner]

Googled, RAF phantom full load (not too difficult!)

[Minnie Burner]

RN "max" load 13x540

[Pontius Navigator]

Following Pr00ne's lead, 3xAIM7, 4xAIM9, 2x3x1,000lb, SUU-23 and a strike camera.

[57mm]

Vzlet, the Rhino in your pic appears to be fitted with the TISEO pod on the port wing. 23rd TFS out of Spang had them when we met them for DACT at Deci; made for some interesting tussles in our trusty F4Ms.

[Treble one]

Fascinating stuff. Just one question. Did we not have our own 'Special weapons' by the early 70's (was thinking Red Beard/ WE177 that would probably pair with a Phantom). Didn't the Buccaneer carry Red Beard prior to WE177 in the nuclear strike role in the 70's/80's?

Cheers TO

[dctyke]

Mid 70's it was definitely WE177 on the buccaneers out of laarbruch