the 23rd, 81st and 480th Tactical Fighter
Squadrons, ew both types. The F-4G was
developed from the F-4E especially for the
SEAD role. It was tted with the AN/APR-38
radar homing and warning (RHAW) system
which could locate and identify radar emitters.
This equipment was installed in the nose,
replacing the F-4E’s cannon; and was later
updated to the AN/APR-47. The weapons
used for this purpose were the AGM-65
Maverick missile and AGM-78 Standard Anti-
Radiation Missile (StARM). The latter sought
to address the de ciencies of the AGM-45
Shrike, the main SEAD weapon used in
Vietnam, which could be defeated by the
enemy radar operator switching his system
off so there were no signals to home in on.
However, the AGM-78 had limited range and
speed. In 1986, the more advanced AGM-88
High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missile (HARM)
entered service.
For self-protection the F-4G could carry
four AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles under
the fuselage and four AIM-9 Sidewinders in
pairs on the two inboard wing pylons. The
AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures
pod would also be carried; albeit displacing
an AIM-7 on one of the forward fuselage
hardpoints. The F-4G could also use
a variety of conventional and cluster
bombs. The ‘G’ model was a considerable
improvement on all the Weasels that had
gone before and was deemed by the USAF
to be well-equipped for its role.
The introduction of the AGM-88
HARM and the upgrading of the RHAW
considerably improved the capability of the
F-4G. The HARM has a higher velocity
than both of its predecessors, in excess
of Mach 2, and greater range. It has a
fragmentation warhead in order to ensuretotal destruction as well as its own guidance
system. It can operate in three ways:
in ‘pre-briefed’ mode the HARM can be
launched at maximum distance to a known
target. If ‘target of opportunity’ is selected
the missile seeker detects a radar emission
and can be red manually. When it gets
within detection range it homes in. The ‘self
protect’ option is when the APR-47 RHAW
identi es an emission and the Command
Launch Computer (CLC) programmes
the missile with the appropriate data and
launches it. In common with the Shrike
and StARM, the versions of the HARM
used by the F-16C/F-4G hunter/killer teams
could only be successful if the SAM radar
operator left their system functioning. Later
developments of the HARM got round this
problem by ‘remembering’ the location of the
enemy emitter.
Capt Bruce Benyshek (ret’d) ew the
F-4G with the 81st TFS from Spangdahlem.
He said of the aircraft: “I loved it, but it was
not an easy airplane to master. It was a
rugged airframe, [had] robust engines,
and you could hang an incredible amount
of stores on it. The centreline could hold
4,000lb. The F-4G was the best SEAD
aircraft ever built in spite of having relatively
low g-limits when full of fuel or carrying
combat stores. The high fuel consumption
limited endurance and loiter time. It had a
limited air-to-air radar capability, breaking
lock relatively easily. The radar did require a
lot of experience to work well and took lots
of verbal co-ordination between cockpits. It
also had the most sensitive and difficult pitch
control of any airplane I’ve own.”
Lt Col Karl Dittmer (ret’d) ew with the
23rd TFS in 1984 and also admired the
qualities of the F-4G in the SEAD role: “Ithttp://www.aviation-news.co.uk 37
Main image: An F-4G of the 480th TFS
with an F-16C wearing ‘sharkmouth’
nose art and the colours of the 52nd
TFW commander. Both aircraft are
armed with the AGM-88 HARM air-to-
surface missile. US National Archives
Below right: A hunter/killer team over
its home base of Spangdahlem. US
National Archives