Thursday, March 13, 2014

US Navy F-4 EW development - Revisited

Ok, let’s try this again.  After much research and a heap of help from Mike France and Craig Kaston, I think I can present a better picture of the sequence of EW fits to the Navy Aircraft.   I will be presenting these in several parts, so keep coming back to see what has been posted. If you are new to this subject or these posts, I suggest you start by reading the first section so you get some background.

Just click on the links to read more about each system.


BACKGROUND INFORMATION
  • Historical Background

1965 / 1966
Equipment installed without Airframe Change (AFC):
F-4B
AFC-331 Pt. 1 (ECP-F-4-703 &703S1) installs:
F-4B, F-4J*
The KY-28 was installed on all aircraft, ships, and fixed bases in the Vietnam theater of operations starting in 1965. It synced with the KY-38 man pack used by ground forces and KY-8 vehicular unit. These units provided secure encrypted voice communications.
* F-4Js would come off the assembly line with this equipment installed.

1966 / 1967
Equipment installed without Airframe Change (AFC):
F-4B
Installed on all F-4B aircraft for VF-92 and VF-96 on CVAN-65 USS Enterprise during its 1966-1967 Vietnam cruise. These were the only aircraft with this equipment.
F-4B
Installed on 4-5 aircraft for VF-151 and VF-161 on CVA-64 USS Constellation, 4-5 aircraft for VF-14 and VF-32 on CVA-42 USS Franklin D Roosevelt, and 4-5 aircraft for VF-96 on CVAN-65 USS Enterprise during their 1966-1967 Vietnam cruises. This equipment was removed after their cruise.
AFC-296 (ECP-F-4-707R1) installs:
F-4B
Sent as kits and installed on-board during the 1966-1967 Vietnam Cruises of CVA-64 USS Constellation, CVA-42 USS Franklin D Roosevelt, and CVAN-65 USS Enterprise. Future deployments had the APR-27 installed prior to departure.

1967 / 1968
This is a time when the changes made to the EW equipment gets sort of messy. There were a lot of new EW developments that were happening in quick succession. With these changes happening so quickly it isn't always easy to tell how an aircraft was configured by merely looking at fairings. This is because we often see that a change was made and the old fairings weren’t removed, just left empty (or full but disconnected) or that old fairings were used with new equipment installed. 
Equipment installed without Airframe Change (AFC):
F-4B

(This will be referred to as "AN/APR-25 Mod 1" for our purposes - click here for more information.)

This was a pre-Shoehorn fit as seen only in aircraft of VF-142 and VF-143 on CVA-64 USS Constellation during its 1967 Vietnam cruise.
PROJECT SHOEHORN
Project Shoehorn was a program providing a complete suite of EW equipment to the F-4Bs. It was considered "state of the art" at the time, and several doors had to be added/enlarged to provide room to "shoehorn" in all the needed equipment.

AFC-333 (ECP-F-4-707R1S1, S2) installs:
  • Melpar Inc. AN/APR-30 S/C/X-band Radar Homing & Warning System
 F-4B
F-4B
F-4B
AFC-334 (ECP-F-4-761S1) installs:
F-4B
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-91 IFF Countermeasures System
 F-4B
F-4B
First seen on CVA-59 USS Forrestal with VF-11 and VF-74 on its tragic 1967 Vietnam cruise. It should be noted that the Forrestal's squadrons showed a mix and match of aircraft on this cruise. Some were fully configured with the new shoehorn fit while others were not. It has been suggested that delays in the equipment becoming fully operational meant that the Forrestal had to sail before all her F-4Bs were fully modified to the "Shoehorn Mod 1" spec. I would imagine that the unmodified aircraft would be paired with a Shoehorn aircraft to offer some type of protection.

The disastrous fire on ship soon after the start of combat operations ended any mid cruise updates and so her surviving F-4B aircraft were not finally brought up to the full spec until her return to the USA in September 1967 with all being updated by early 1968. These surviving aircraft would appear to be the same as those modified under AFC-339 and AFC-375 in 1967 having the original APR-30 fairings but being equipped with APR-25 under the skin.

CVA-43 USS Coral Sea with VF-151 and VF-161 during her 1967-1968 Vietnam cruise ws the only carrier to bring a full compliment of  "Shoehorn Mod 1" equipped F-Bs into the Vietnam conflict. The USS Coral Sea along with the USS Forrestal were the only carriers to deploy the "Shoehorn Mod 1" equipped F-4Bs into Vietnam.

AFC-339 (ECP-F-4-761) and AFC-375 Pt.1 (ECP-F-4-830) installs:
F-4B
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-91 IFF Countermeasures System
 F-4B
AFC-375 Pt.1 (ECP-F-4-830) and AFC-375 Pt.2 (ECP-F-4-707R2) installs:
  • Applied Technology Inc. AN/APR-25 S/C/X-band Radar Homing & Warning System
 F-4B
F-4B
F-B
It would seem that the Navy was not happy with APR-30 and decided to replace it with the proven APR-25 RHAW system and did so with many aircraft already on the mod line being prepped for APR-30 Shoehorn Mod 1.

Appears on F-4Bs of VF-21 and VF-154 on the CVA-61 USS Ranger, VF-11 and VF-213 on the CVA-63 USS Kitty Hawk, and VF-92 and VF-96 on CVAN-65 USS Enterprise on their 1967-1968 Vietnam cruises.

1968 / 1969






AFC-339 (ECP-F-4-761) and AFC-375 Pt.1 (ECP-F-4-830) continues to install:
F-4B
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-91 IFF Countermeasures System
 F-4B
AFC-375 Pt.1 (ECP-F-4-830) and AFC-375 Pt.2 (ECP-F-4-707R2) continues to install:
  • Applied Technology Inc. AN/APR-25 S/C/X-band Radar Homing & Warning System
 F-4B
F-4B
F-B


The first aircraft to be modified to "Shoehorn Mod 3" specs in 1968 were those on the USS Constellation with VF-142 and VF-143. They differed from what became the standard 1968 fit in that while they did indeed have a single fairing fin cap already in place from their 1967 cruise they also were fitted with the original APR-30 hook shaped chin pod fairing. It is thought this was nothing more than using up the last of the available stocks of these fittings and indeed a small number of the first Marine aircraft to go into the Shoehorn project acquired the same fit.

New aircraft coming into VF-151 and VF-161 on the Coral Sea were the first to get the new and correct shaped antenna fairings associated with AFC-339 and AFC-375. It should be noted that the aircraft assigned in 1967 that were to stay with the Coral Sea's squadrons retained their original APR-30 fairings but had the revised fairings fitted when they returned Stateside at the end of the 1967 / 1968 Vietnam cruise. 

1968 saw the introduction of the F-4J to Vietnam combat operations deploying with VF-33 and VF-102 on CVA-66 USS America. The aircraft assigned to these squadrons were the first Navy F-4Js to get the shoehorn mods on the production line and the first of them was BuNo. 155529.
AFC-352 (ECP-F-4-687S3) installs:
  • Hazeltine AN/APX-76 Air-to-Air IFF System
 F-4B
AFC-388 (ECP-F-4- 840S1, S2) installs:
  • Applied Technology Inc. AN/APR-25 S/C/X-band Radar Homing & Warning System
 F-4J
F-4J
F-4J
  • Magnavox AN/ALQ-91 IFF Countermeasures System
 F-4J
  • Hazeltine AN/APX-76 Air-to-Air IFF System
 F-4J


The USS America was followed in to combat operations by (Shoehorn Mod 3) modified F-4B aircraft of VF-151 and VF-161 on CVA-43 USS Coral Sea,
VF-21 and VF-154 on CVA-61 USS Ranger with (Shoehorn Mod 4) F-4J aircraft,
VF-11 and VF-213 on CVA-63 USS Kitty Hawk with(Shoehorn Mod 3)  F-4Bs and VF-92 and VF-96 on CVAN-65 USS Enterprise with (Shoehorn Mod 3) F-4Bs.

F-4B aircraft from this 1968 / 1969 deployment period world wide would show a mix of aircraft with the original AN/APR-30 fittings of Shoehorn 1&2 and the later AN/APR-25 fittings of Shoehorn 3. But it is worth noting all aircraft would have the same AN/APR-25 RHAW system under their different skins.

It should be noted that USMC aircraft in the Pacific area finally got their own aircraft straight from the new mod lines set up in Japan and in the Philippines during this 1968 /1969 time frame. Previously any shoehorn aircraft seen with the Marines would have been ex US Navy aircraft swapped out when the Navy deployments were done. There would always be a lot of aircraft switching between Navy and Marine squadrons in this period.

During this period Atlantic fleet carriers would also start to get AN/APR-25 Shoehorn equipped F-4s (CVA-59 USS Forrestal being the only Atlantic carrier to have AN/APR-25 equipped aircraft prior to this time).

1970
APC-524 (ECP-F-4-1023R2S1, S2) installs:
  • Applied Technology Div. (ITEK) AN/ALR-45 Countermeasures Receiving Set
 F-4B, F-4J
  • Raytheon AN/ALR-50 Radar Receiving Set
 F-4B, F-4J

1975
AFC-541 (ECP-F-4-1035S1) installs:
F-4J*, F-4N**
*The first F-4Js did not have this system installed during assembly, but looking at my resources I begin to see a few with the modification appearing by late 1972. But there are also many pictures without the modification in this time frame so the conversion is by no means complete.  Pictures from 1975-76 show that most aircraft had been converted by this time.

** The first F-4Ns did not have this system installed initially during conversion, but were retrofitted by 1975. The first carrier deployment of F-4Ns was on CVA- USS Midway out of Yokosuka, Japan from September to October 1973. These aircraft did not have the shoulder wave guide antennas of AN/ALQ-126 fit yet.
Revision History:
  • 29 MAR 2014 - Added pages for Shoehorn Mod 4
  • 24 MAR 2014 - Added pages for AN/APR-25, AN/ALQ-51/100 & AN/ALQ-126
  • 19 MAR 2014 - Added pages for Shoehorn Mod 1, 2, & 3
  • 13 MAR 2014 - Original Post
Sources:
  • Michael France and his unending patience and tremendous work on F-4 Phantom II changes
  • Craig Kaston and his patience and help with the "Navy Way" of doing things

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My Experience with the F-4 Phantom

My experience with the F-4 Phantom II began in 1975 as a newbie airman - a fresh honor graduate of the USAF aircraft maintenance program at Sheppard AFB, Wichita Falls, Texas.  My first assignment was to the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing  based at RAF Bentwaters / Woodbridge near Ipswich, England.  Bentwaters / Woodbridge was a twin base which were located just a few miles from each other, with Bentwaters being the main base with all the administration functions as well as the 91st and 92nd Tactical Fighter Squadrons, and Woodbridge having the 78th tactical fighter squadron and the 67th Air Rescue and Recovery Squadron operating the HC-130H Hercules and HH-53 helicopters.


 When I arrived in the UK I was assigned to RAF Woodbridge and the 78th "Bushmasters."  RAF Woodbridge was a very small and quiet base carved out from the Rendlesham Forest which surrounded it.  In 1943 when the base was constructed to be an emergency airstrip for returning damaged B-17s, over a million trees were cut down to make room for the base.


When I arrived at the flight line for the first time and walked up to the F-4D I remember how awed I was with this huge, powerful, ugly beast. I was placed into the capable hands of SSgt. Dennis Thompson to serve as his lackey until he figured I wouldn't do anything dumb that would result in the destruction of the aircraft, himself, or myself - pretty much in that order (a newbie airman was easily replaceable).   Dennis had previous experience with the F-100, F-105, and F-106 before he came to work on the F-4 and was ready to tell me all about the advantages and disadvantages of working on the F-4 over the other aircraft.  Overall I received the impression that he liked working on the F-4 and he taught me a lot in our time together. During the first few months I was able to avoid the usual newbie hazing (Hey airman, go get me a bucket of prop wash, skyhooks, or 50 feet of flight line, etc.).  I had grown up around airplanes and was able to quickly see through all of the nonsense.


The 81st Tactical Fighter Wing had a responsibility to USAFE and NATO to provide a strike deterrent to keep the Reds from pouring through the Fulda Gap with thousands of tanks and troops. This was to be done by dropping tactical nuclear bombs on their heads.  In fact, both bases had fenced in alert areas which had aircraft loaded with B61 nuclear bombs, ready 24x7 to go into harm's way.
We had several exercises each year to prepare us for the day when the Russians would invade.  This started with a maintenance push to get the maximum number of aircraft ready and configured for the mission.  Then the planes were roped off, Security Police were stationed as pickets, and we then had to use the two-man concept (a huge pain in the er, bum) where everything you did required two people to make sure no one person could sabotage the weapon system (as it was referred to once it was mission ready).  Weapons personnel would come and load BDU-36 shapes (a kind of practice B61 filled with concrete to the right weight & balance) and any other defensive weapons that were tasked.  Now the weapon system was considered "cocked" (like you would a revolver). And we would sit and wait.  Once the weapon system was cocked we couldn't get near the aircraft unless one of three things happened.  1. The aircraft began pissing JP4 or other vital fluids all over the ramp, 2. The klaxon would go off and we had to launch the birds for a mission as configured (to the range to drop their loads of metal and cement), or 3. The all clear was given and we would begin to tear everything down, defuel and drop the extra external tanks, and get them ready for the day-to-day operations again.


Our secondary mission for NATO was precision delivery of weapons, for which we used the AN/AVQ-23 Pave Spike pods with Paveway LGBs, and the AGM-65 Maverick missile.  Normally our weapons loadout really wasn't anywhere near what the F-4 was capable of.  Rarely were AIM-7 Sparrows loaded except on the alert birds. For normal day-to-day range work a single AIM-9 Sidewinder practice round was loaded (operational seeker head on an inert rocket motor) and one or two SUU-21 practice bomb dispensers.  On occasion, there was a SUU-23 gun loaded on the centerline station or an AGM-65 Maverick practice round loaded on the inboard pylon.  Once when I was TDY (temporary duty) at Zaragoza AFB, Spain, I was able to fly out to the range on my day off and watch the squadron drop bombs and strafe targets from the observation tower.  It was quite amazing to watch these birds swoop in at rather high speeds and still hit their target with bombs and bullets.

The Yom Kippur War in the middle east inspired our fearless leaders to wonder if the USAF could support the effort that was needed for the Israeli Air Force to repel borders and help turn the tide of the Syrian/Egyptian invasion.  This resulted in a series of "max-effort" exercises where we would fly around the clock for a week, turning aircraft around as quickly as possible and keeping them flying through extreme maintenance efforts.  We all hated these, and by the end of the week, we were tired, grumpy, and sick of it all.  Practice without the adrenalin that comes from actually being invaded kind of leaves you flat and the effort is exhausting.  I hate to think what these exercises cost in fuel and spare parts, as well as wear and tear on the already ten-year-old aircraft.  And of course, I don't think it did much to our public relations in the nearby hamlets and villages as our aircraft roared into the sky at all hours of the day and night (and believe me, the F-4D makes a ton of noise taking off in full burner).  One thing these exercises did do was forge teamwork among the maintenance people.  After one night flight, my plane (F-4D 65-0716) came back about 1:00AM with a hydraulic leak in the right-center leading edge flap.  This was in December and it was foggy and as cold as could be. After securing the plane and doing my post-flight inspections, I enlisted some help from some of the other crew chiefs to tear apart the flap, so that it was ready for the hydraulic troops when they arrived.  The next thing I knew our flight chief, Master Sargent Paul Day, was pulling up with his pickup truck.  He gets out in his immaculately clean and starched fatigues and starts relieving us one at a time so that we could sit in his warm truck and have a hot cup of coffee.  There he was turning a speed handle like a lowly airman again.  He stayed until the whole project was done and we were ready for the next day's flight. I am sure those fatigues were never the same after being soaked in hydraulic fluid, but that day I had a lesson in what true leadership really looked like.

Because the F-4D was my first aircraft, I assumed that all planes took this much maintenance to keep them flying.  Each day after the flight I would do a post flight inspection and have the necessary specialists show up to fix whatever needed fixing.  It is a true testament of the F-4 that it was such an effective weapons system for as long as it was.  At that time I called the F-4 a "vacuum tube jet flying in a transistor world".  And it kept on serving effectively into the era of integrated chips and digital electronics.  It was never the prettiest girl at the dance, and it wasn't the best at every task that was given it, but it was definitely the first true multirole fighter, and it could hold it's own doing just about anything asked of it.

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