With first-hand insight into the
key role of the US Air Force's fighter-bomber from the Vietnam War through to Operation
Desert Storm
during 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 Weasel
4), 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 operations
Desert Shield
,
and
Northern Watch
over 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-4
in 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 II
Units in combat.