F-4 PHANTOM II WILD WEASEL UNIT

With first-hand insight into theinto thekey role of the US Air Force’s fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to OperationDesert Stormduring the First Gulf War, this book is an unmissable account of some of the most dangerous and demanding missions in the two wars.

The advent of the surface-to-air missile (SAM) in the early 1950s threatened the whole concept of aerial bombing from medium and high altitude. Countermeasures were developed during the Korean War, but with little initial success.

It was only in the closing stages of the Vietnam War, with the F-4Cww Phantom II (Wild Weasel4), that this equipment started to become successful enough to allow a substantial investment in converting 116 F-4E Phantom IIs into dedicated SEAD aircraft. This move introduced a new generation of anti-radar missiles which became invaluable in later operations including operationsDesert Shield,Desert StormandNorthern Watchover Iraq. This volume features dynamic archival photography from crews who flew the jet, alongside mission accounts and technical details of the development and fielding of the F-4Wild Weaselin its various iterations.

Including specially commissioned artwork of ‘sharkmouthed’ Phantom IIs in Vietnam jungle camouflage and more modern USAF ‘Ghost Gray’, this book is the ultimate visual and technical guide to the F-4 Phantom IIWild WeaselUnits in combat.