Need help with F-4B loadout

Modeling Subjects Aircraft
1

Howdy FSMers,

I’m hoping someone can help me out. I’m building an early F-4B (mid-60s time frame) and I need some loadout info. My jet will have a belly tank and two AIM-9s and two AIM-7s. My question is, would both Sidewinders be installed on the same pylon (one side loaded, one side empty), or would they be installed one on each pylon (L & R)? If they were installed on each pylon, would they be loaded on the inboard or outboard rail, or did it matter? Also, would the belly tank affect where the Sparrows would go? Would they beinstalled in the fore or aft wells?

Thanks in advance for the info gang. Much appreciated.

Cheers!
-O

2

Try this web site:

http://www.dstorm.eu/pages/loadout/loadout.html

3

Thanks medic, but those are all late model Phantoms in Desert Storm. Good resource for current subjects, but my Phantom’s an “old timer.” I’m talking 1965ish.

Thanks anyway!

-O

4
5

Hey Berny,

Am I missing something? Doesn’t look like you posted anything. Would you mind re-posting? I’ve been having problems with FSMs site, so it could be that I’m having issues viewing your message.

Thanks!

6

Just out of curiousity, why did you pick that particular loadout?

Mark

7

Go back up and read my post again. This time read between the lines. [:P]

AIM-9’s will be on the inboard launchers. Aim-7’s on the aft stations.

8

Hey there Mark,

I’m currently working on 3 Phantoms for the FSM Phantom GB. One will be done with no weapons, just the three fuel tanks, one will be done with a serious air-to-ground load-out, and the third I wanted to build with a “light” air-to-air load. I’ve picked through Google & Yahoo images and found a few pix of Phantoms, like this one and this one, with load-outs similar to what I wanted to do. I just thought it would be a little different than the usual 4x4 air-to-air loads.

Just for gits and shiggles, here’s another.

Anyway, hope that answers your question.

Cheers!

-O

9

Hey Omar, way to pay attention to detail. DUH!

Thanks Berny. I saw that you quoted my post but didn’t even think to read it for your embedded reply. Hey Berny, one more thing if I may. Since the -9s would be on the inboard launchers, would the empty outboard launchers still be installed? Removed? Either?

Thanks again for the beta!

Cheers!

-Omar

10

Well whaddaya know…

I happened to find an answer to my questions. I was wondering, with my particular load-out, where would the AIM-7s be installed, and would the empty Sidewinder launchers be removed from the pylons? Well, I ran across this grainy picture that shows (as best as I can tell) the Sparrows installed in the aft wells and the empty launchers removed.

How about that?

-O

11

On Navy F-4’s in the 70’s, I know that the aft wells were used when carrying only two AIM-7’s, but seem to remember that the outboard rails were used on the wing pylons when carrying single AIM-9’s on each side. I also don’t ever remember unused AIM-9 rails being removed.

Mark

12

O, there is another cool variation on an F-4B,well, two actually,one is 6 Sparrows,VF-74’s skipper says in one F-4 book “we never carried that”,then a few pages away, there’s a pic of a B from his time period with 6 Sparrows,I’d say “go by the pic, not the text” on that one

the other variation is 2 Sparrows in the rear wells, centerline tank, empty outer pylons,and 2 Sidewinders on one inner wing, 1 Sparrow on the other inner wing,there’s a few pics of that loadout in the early days

just food for thought

Rex

13

Awww, cow pies! (insert sarcasm here) Thanks a lot Rex… [:P]

I’m a sucker for jets with cool marking or heavy/interesting/unusual load-outs. Guess I gotta start hunting for more Hasegawa -Bs…

14

I’m in the middle of building an old 1/72 Airfix F-4B now (I using it to take a break from some “serious” projects). It has six sparrows: four for the fuselage wells and two for the wing pylons. The only photos I’ve seen with sparrows on the pylons are very early Navy -B’s. I’ve been digging through my decal stash to find some appropriate markings - maybe an early VF-74 bird.

Another unusual Phantom configuration I’ve been thinking about building is a Blue Angel F-4J with three external tanks. There’s a few brief shots of them carrying three tanks in the movie Threshold when they flew the team non-stop to Hawaii in the early 70’s

Mark

15

Mark,

I’m already kicking around an idea for my next F-4. I’m thinking about a -J model from VMFA-334. I have a pic of one loaded up with Mk 82 Snakeyes on MERs and a gunpod on the belly. Looks too cool! It just might leapfrog my VMFA-333 -J I have waiting in the stash…

-O

16

So many models - so little time! [;)]

Mark

17

As for interesting load-outs…

The Marines of VMFA-122 wired their F-4B’s to carry three, yes 3, 20mm vulcan canon pods! That must’ve been quite a sight when they went off.

Cheers,

Greg

18

What sort of pylon did the underwing sparrows have?

19

underwing Sparrows went right onto the standard USN pylon,if your model has the TER adapter, that needs to be cut off (no missile rail, the pylon was the rail)

the USN Pylon was an LAU-17 “Missile Pylon” back in the day,the TER adapter came along later on, after the MCBR, MBR, MER and then the TER were invented

Rex

20

Three M61 in gun pods blasting away? I heard of it before. Is that the plane that was used to “sweep” the ho chi mihn road?