50th Anniversary of F-4E in service with Turkish Air Force

The sound of the twin General Electric J79-GE-17 jet engines on the McDonnell F-4E Phantom II are a cacophony of noise at the best of times, but when there are 20 of them in tandem then its just a sound, and a sight, to behold. This was just one of the highlights at Eskisehir air base in Turkey as the Turkish Air Force celebrated the 50th anniversary of entry into service of the Phantom, and as the 10 aircraft taxied along the runway in an ‘elephant walk’ Pixelsnipers photographer Mark Rourke was there to witness it. Here Alfie Colville gives a brief rundown of the history of the F-4 in Turkey.

First entering in service in 1974, the order for the first 40 F-4E aircraft was made in 1972 between the governments of Turkey and the United States. Initial training on the F-4E took place between 1973 and 1974 and the first two aircraft arrived at 1st Main Jet Base Eskisehir at 1430 on August 30th 1974. The first unit to operate the Phantom was 113 Squadron, named Tayfun, but initially only 8 aircraft arrived before an embargo was placed on the aircraft in 1975. Once the issue was resolved the following 32 F-4s duly arrived.

The Turkish Air Force also ordered 8 RF-4E reconnaissance version of the Phantom on the next order of 40 aircraft. More F-4Es arrived right up until 1987 as the country grew a large fleet of the legendary fighter. These aircraft, new build and recently retired United States Air Force (USAF) F-4Es were also supplemented later with 32 ex West German Air Force RF-4Es. Turkey bought a total of 182 F-4Es and 52 RF-4Es altogether.

The F-4E gave the Turkish Air Force for the first time the ability for precision ground attack with tv guided AGM-65A/B Mavericks, laser guided Paveway bombs and the Dave Spike laser targeting pod. For self defence and interception duties the AIM-7E Sparrow and AIM-9B/P Sidewinder missiles alongside the internal cannon, worked in cohesion with the powerful APQ-120 radar giving the Turkish Air Force an all weather combat aircraft able to operate day and night.

The three air bases that operated the F-4 were Eskisehir, Konya and Erhac-Malatya. The unit run down was as follows;
1st Main Air Base (Eskisehir)
111 Squadron ‘Panther’ (F-4E/F-4E-2020)
112 Squadron ‘Devil’ (F-4E)
113 Squadron ‘Light’ (RF-4E)
401 Test Squadron
3rd Main Air Base (Konya)
131 Squadron ‘Dragon’ (F-4E initial training squadron)
132 Squadron ‘Dagger’ (F-4E/F-4E-2020 Weapons and Tactical training)
7th Main Air Base (Erhac-Malatya)
171 Squadron ‘Pirate’ (F-4E/F-4E-2020)
172 Squadron ‘Falcon’ (F-4E)
173 Squadron ‘Dawn) (RF-4E)

As good as the F-4 is, it was becoming obvious the aircraft was showing its legs as the next generation of combat aircraft such as the General Dynamics F-16 became the backbone of the Turkish Air Force. But there was life in the old dog yet and it was decided to modernise the F-4E with the F-4E-2020 ‘Terminator’ project. In conjunction with Israel Aerospace Industries, 54 Turkish F-4Es were converted altogether of which 26 were done in Israel and 28 at the 1st Air Supply Maintenance Center Command in Turkey. Included in the update was a thorough structural life extension and installation of the ELTA 2032 fire control radar. These Phantoms are the ultimate and most lethal of over 5000 Phantoms built since 1958. The F-4E-2020 is set to remain in service until at least 2030, proving this rugged airframe, first flown in 1958, as one of the most capable and durable combat aircraft ever built.