TR F/RF-4E Phantom II in THE TURKISH AIRFORCE

[CAN_TR]

We could turn them to remote controlled aircrafts, even though i don't like the idea of turning them into targets to lure out enemy AD it's also a option or for strike missions if that's possible.

 

[Oublious]

Should upgrade it for air to ground or anti ship operations, a machine what will work 25 years later like the b52.

 

[Fatman17]

PHANTOM SURVIVORS: TURKISH TERMINATORS​

1. Aviation Features
2. Phantom Survivors: Turkish Terminators

By Onur Kurç and Tayfun Yaşar 9th March 2020
FEATURE
Having undergone a major re-shuffle in recent years, the Turkish Air Force has dramatically rationalized its F-4 Phantom II fleet as these warriors ultimately face retirement.
Eskişehir Air Base has housed every fast jet type operated by the Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force — THK) and it was heavily involved in the initial arrival of the F-4E Phantom II in Turkish service from 1974. It was a perfect match for Turkey’s demands at the time — therefore 40 F-4Es were ordered under the Peace Diamond I deal with the US. The era of the F-4 also heralded a step-change in air-to-ground capability with the likes of AGM-65A/B Maverick missiles, Pave Spike laser targeting pods, GBU-10/12 Paveway laser-guided bombs, electronic warfare pods and AIM-7 Sparrow medium-range air-to-air missiles. The F-4 was a huge leap forward for the THK.

171 Filo ‘Korsanlar’ markings have remained on some jets despite the rationalization under 111 Filo ‘Panterler’. All photos Rich Cooper unless stated otherwise
The first two aircraft (serials 73-1016 and 73-1017) were flown into Eskişehir by US Air Force pilots on August 30, 1974, and supplied to the 113 Filo. Deliveries continued in 1975, and by that time 22 aircraft equipped 112 Filo ‘Şeytanlar’ (Devils). The remaining 18 aircraft, which were received after an arms embargo ended in 1977, subsequently entered service with 171 Filo ‘Korsanlar’ (Pirates) in Erhaç.
In 1978, the THK ordered a second batch of 40 aircraft, consisting of 32 F-4Es and eight RF-4Es under ‘Peace Diamond II’. These jets joined 111 Filo ‘Panterler’ (Panthers) at Eskişehir and 172 Filo ‘Şahin’ (Hawk) in Erhaç. The charismatic RF-84Fs made way for the new RF-4Es, which joined 113 Filo ‘Işık’ (Light) in 1980.

Onur Kurç/Tayfun Yaşar
Expansion of the fleet continued and a further 14 F-4Es were acquired under ‘Peace Diamond III’ — these joining 173 Filo ‘Şafak’ (Dawn) also at Erhaç. ‘Peace Diamond IV’ followed for a further 15 jets, mainly as attrition replacements, with ‘Peace Diamond V’ adding another 40 surplus USAF F-4Es from October 1987, to finally see off the remaining F-100 Super Sabres at Konya with these Phantoms joining 131 Filo ‘Dragon’ and 132 Filo ‘Hançer’ (Dagger) there. The final batch of deliveries came shortly after the Gulf War ended in 1991, with another 40 F-4Es arriving from the US under ‘Peace Diamond VI’.
The end of the Cold War and the military drawdown in northern Europe also presented a new opportunity for Turkey. Surplus Luftwaffe RF-4Es were snapped up both by the THK and its neighbor Greece — with 46 of these jets (including 13 held in reserve as spares sources) delivered between 1992 and 1994. Under Project ‘Kaan’, Turkey upgraded these aircraft immediately, replacing the original AN/APQ-99 radar systems with the newer AN/APQ-172.
These jets boosted 113 Filo at Eskişehir and enabled the standardization of 20 aircraft per squadron. The remaining examples joined 173 Filo at Erhaç, thus standing up a new reconnaissance unit and pushing out the F-4Es to establish 172 Filo, alongside them at Erhaç. These ex-Luftwaffe jets initially retained their three-tone ‘Norm 83’ black and green camouflage, but later received a standardized South-east Asia green and brown scheme.

F-4E-2020 serial 77-0285 in special 111 Filo markings and carrying an AGM-142 Popeye stand-off missile. Onur Kurc/Tayfun Yasar

2020 Vision​

Faced with a decision to replace or modernize the F-4s in the 1990s, it was determined that upgrading the F-4 was likely to be one quarter of the cost of recapitalizing the fleet with a new type. Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) signed a $632-million contract on August 24, 1995, for the upgrade of 54 F-4Es — 28 of which were upgraded by IAI at its Bedek facility; the others were modernized by the 1st Air Supply Maintenance Center in Eskişehir.
Although the moniker ‘Terminator’ was used at the start of the project, this referred to the first squadron that received the aircraft. The upgrade was officially referred to as simply F-4E-2020, in recognition of its aims of keeping the jets in front-line service until after 2020.

THK F-4 pilots decked out in a typical array of F-4 patches.
The first two F-4Es (serials 73-1025 and 73-1032) were sent to Tel Aviv on February 24, 1997, and modification of the first example was completed on March 1, 1999, but the aircraft stayed in Israel for another year for testing and verification work. At the same time, 230 technicians slated to work on the 2020 program were trained in Israel. The first two completed F-4E-2020s (serials 73-1032 and 68-0498) were re-delivered to the 111 Filo at Eskişehir in January 2000. As the project ramped up, 171 Filo started to receive upgraded jets and from June 2002 the program continued at Eskişehir under the 1st Air Supply Maintenance Center until completion in July 2003. In fact, the work here was valuable to the THK and offered excellent experience, which proved advantageous in years to come.
Talk of a further batch of F-4E-2020s fell foul of cost and Israeli activities in Lebanon and instead Turkey opted to purchase 30 additional F-16s.
In addition to structural work, the 54 F-4E-2020 aircraft were equipped with the Elta EL/M-2032 multi-mode Fire Control Radar with a 144km range, ELOP 976 wide-angle head-up display (HUD), hands-on throttle and stick (HOTAS) controls, new UHF/VHF radio antennas, improved INS/GPS navigation, new multi-function cockpit displays, flight data recorders, a new Radar Warning Receiver (RWR) and Electronic Warfare upgrades. Airframe life was extended to 6,000 flight hours.

An F-4E pilot acknowledges the camera as he returns from a mission during exercise ‘Anatolian Eagle’.
Another capability for the 2020 was the addition of the AGM-142 Popeye long-range air-to-ground missile. While having the ability to carry a pair of the 3,000lb (1,361kg) weapons, operationally THK Phantoms tend to fly with a single weapon on the port inner station, plus the data link on the opposite side.

Indigenous Upgrades​

A modest upgrade for 16 older F-4Es was completed by Turkish aerospace company Aselsan from 2006 under the ‘Simsek’ (Lightning) program. This was for jets from 112 Filo, which were then known as F-4E-TM (Turkish Modernization) and received some air-to-ground targeting upgrades and improved navigation and communications kit. After modernization at Eskişehir, the first upgraded aircraft was delivered to 112 Filo in March 2010.
Project ‘Işık’ (Light) preceded this F-4ETM work and was actually the first national aircraft modernization program for Turkey. This project was aimed to extend the service life of the RF-4E fleet. Aselsan led the task, alongside the 1st Air Supply Maintenance Center, which made good use of its experience with the F-4E-2020 work. Seven RF-4Es from the original batch plus 11 ex-Luftwaffe jets received LN-100GT INS/GPS precision navigation, updated electronic warfare and CDU-900 control indicator systems, MFX-484 UHF/VHF radio, ARC-190 HF radio, and new Radar Warning Receiver systems. In addition, five ex-Luftwaffe examples were equipped with the KS-146B LOROP (Long Range Oblique Photography) pod, which updated the total number of aircraft with the ability to carry these pods to 12 and increased the THK’s ability to acquire high-resolution imagery from high altitude.

F-4E-2020s on the flight line at Eskişehir — the aircraft nearest the camera carries the old Pave Spike targeting pod.
The first RF-4E-TM carried out its maiden flight on December 19, 2008, and the project was completed by 2010, equipping 113 and 173 Filo and earning the motto, ‘Lonely, unarmed and fearless’.

The ‘Rhino’ Remains​

Having pressed the upgraded RF-4E-TMs into service, poor availability plagued the two squadrons and led directly to the decision to decommission 113 Filo on April 21, 2014, with all remaining aircraft transferred to 173 Filo.
On June 22, 2012, an RF-4E-TM (77-0314) was shot down by Syrian air defense systems as it flew over the eastern Mediterranean, with both pilots killed. Then, on February 24, 2015, a mid-air collision during a night mission saw the loss of four pilots.
Meanwhile, the Turkish Airborne Reconnaissance Program (TARP) had started integrating the Ultra Electronics DB-110 pod onto the F-16. Plans to retire the RF-4Es were accelerated due to the misfortune that had hit 173 Filo, and the decommissioning process of the eight remaining aircraft was brought forward. On March 12, 2015, the last reconnaissance mission was carried out by aircraft serial 77-0315 at Erhaç, bringing an end to the ‘recce’ Phantom in Turkey.
The situation with the RF-4s was actually being felt elsewhere. Age was hitting the THK F-4 inventory fast — even for the upgraded F-4E-2020s. The F-4E-TMs were withdrawn and soon the dwindling number of F-4E-2020s was in high demand.
In 2014, 132 Filo ‘Hançer’ stepped out of the F-4 world, donating its ‘2020s’ to 111 Filo ‘Panterler’ at Eskişehir and 171 Filo ‘Korsanlar’ in Erhaç. 112 Filo ‘Şeytanlar’ stood down in June 2015, with its F-4E-2020s also sent to ‘Panterler’.

Having initially worn the brown and green South-east Asia camouflage, the THK standardized on ‘European One’ two-tone gray in later years.
The net result of all the re-shuffling and retirements was that by early 2016, just two THK squadrons continued to fly the F-4 — ‘Panterler’ at Eskişehir and ‘Korsanlar’ at Erhaç.
Things were about to get even worse for the Turkish Phantoms. After a coup d’etat attempt against the Turkish government on July 15, 2016, 171 Filo was immediately shut down as a huge re-shuffle hit the THK. 111 Filo ‘Panterler’ was spared and today stands as the only Turkish F-4 unit, flying the remaining F-4E-2020s and still based Eskişehir.
From a total of 236 Phantom IIs delivered to Turkey that served with nine squadrons at three main jet bases, just a handful now remains. Turkey has become a major operator of the F-16, but was turning its attention to the F-35 Lightning II, as well as an indigenous TF-X fighter program.
Turkey’s ejection from the F-35 program in 2019 due to its acceptance of Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile systems means the F-4s have taken on renewed importance. TF-X is still in its infancy and, despite plans to retire the F-4s this year, there is hope they will continue in service with ‘Panterler’.

Topics​

Read more about

• McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II
• Turkey
• Turkish
• Turkish Air Force

Originally published in Combat Aircraft Journal​

 

[Fuzuli NL]

 

[Slayer]

Just love that plane.