For years the F4s flew overhead from Gowen Field in Boise and man are they loud. I can remember F111s from Mountain Home AFB flying over as well. Now we have F16s and F15s and Warthogs mostly. It is all fascinating to me. Great video to explain the use of the Wild Weasel.
You want me to fly in the back of a tiny little jet with a crazy fighter pilot who thinks he's invincible, home in on a SAM site in North Vietnam, and shoot it before it shoots me? You've gotta be shittin' me!
My boss is a retired f4 weasel captain. He loves to talk about his career and you can see it really breaks his civilian attitude. I dislike talking about my seemingly short enlistment but I think he knows I was though, since we don't have any other military men at work and he REALLY opened up and enjoyed talking about it... You can't really talk military life with civilians the same as someone else in the military and I think we had a really cool bonding moment over it. Different strokes. USMC vs USAF :) He was saying that the scariest part was having to outrun a missile far enough for it to be in it's glide phase and not still in boost phase toward them. He was the pilot, not the rear seater. Said that Russian pilots weren't nearly as skilled as US pilots however he said the mig was a superior aircraft. He explained that US pilots practiced at free will in the skies and had full on dogfights in supersonic and Russians had mostly fixed training regimes and not allowed to stretch their legs and use the aircraft the way they wanted. This was from him last week, so don't take it as my info, but he said that to be selected for weasel program you had to be the best of the pilots in every scenario, and had to pre-test that you were as good as they needed.
Back in the late-70s, I modified an Airfix scale model of an F-4 (C-variant, I think) into something resembling an F-4G by slimming the fins of the AIM-9 to resemble a Shrike, and cutting up another AIM-9 to sit atop the tail fin. Couldn't do much about the elongated nose cone, though. I wish now that I'd taken pictures.
In my opinion the "E" model (F-4) was the most adaptable airframe to become "Wild Weasels"! Desert storm proved their worth as SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) aircraft, and I believe the aircraft (though retired) is still viable as a SEAD aircraft to this day!
I think the F-4G potentially could still have a place on the modern battlefield, however now the systems have been offloaded to different aircraft using datalink, rather than just one SEAD aircraft with as much kit as possible. This is why I think the F-16 is a viable replacement as the next generation of Wild Weasels. The work load of the crew is significantly reduced also.
Ok good vid and somewhat accurate. It was the 37 TFW at George Afb that had the F-4G, with units of 561st yellow tails 562 blue tails the 562 was designated a TFTS tactical fighter training squadron in other words trained aircrew on wild weasel tactics and finally the 563rd red tails The 35th TFW at George AFB had the 20th TFS, the 39th TFS and one more that I can't recall. One of the units trained German pilots
You was stationed at George or you would not know this... The 20th TFS trained the Germans. There was a testing platform, that is the one you don't recall. It had a different designation.
Yes, up to 1988 it was the 37th tfw that had F-4E and F-4G, while the 35th ttw had the 20th and 21st with F-4E. Then the 37th moved to F-117's and all 5 units became the 35th tfw again. That's why the backstabber patch was on all RH intakes post changeover.
I was at George from 1983-1990. The 39th left in 1984, leaving the 561st 562nd, and 563rd as the remaining Weasel Squadrons until the base closed. The 20th (Silver Lobos) were the German training squadron with F-4Es The 21st TFTS Cheetahs was the other Training F-4E Squadron.
Correct, it was the 20th, Silver section, that trained the Germans. That was my unit. The 21st was Black Section. They trained the U.S. F-4 pilots. We were in the 35th TFW. The Wild Weasels, Yellow, Blue, and Red sections, were in the 37th TFW. Later in the '80s we were all lumped into the 37th TFW. The 20th would also train British pilots although there were mostly German students. Almost half of our jets were owned by Germany. They were newer '75 models. Most of the American F-4E's were of '65-'69 vintage.
Maybe we could design a whole new plane to do Wild Weasel missions. Maybe we could make F16's with thrust vectoring so they can dodge surface to air missiles. Electronic circuits are getting smaller, so that we don't need a big plane to house the radar and other electronic gear. Maybe we could dab some RAM on an F16 and look for other ways to make it stealthy.
But I think its not efeshant against the modern Russian Air deffens and there is TOUR M1 can hit the missles and bombs 🤔 Idont know if its corecrt information
"YGBSM! Iris uploaded a Weasel video!"
Note: that B52 that took a HARM in the ass was rechristened "In HARMs Way"
For years the F4s flew overhead from Gowen Field in Boise and man are they loud. I can remember F111s from Mountain Home AFB flying over as well. Now we have F16s and F15s and Warthogs mostly. It is all fascinating to me. Great video to explain the use of the Wild Weasel.
You forgot to mention the 563rd TFS also stationed at George AFB.
The wild weasels are part of legend now. It's pioneers can rest easy. They did us proud.
You want me to fly in the back of a tiny little jet with a crazy fighter pilot who thinks he's invincible, home in on a SAM site in North Vietnam, and shoot it before it shoots me? You've gotta be shittin' me!
My boss is a retired f4 weasel captain. He loves to talk about his career and you can see it really breaks his civilian attitude. I dislike talking about my seemingly short enlistment but I think he knows I was though, since we don't have any other military men at work and he REALLY opened up and enjoyed talking about it... You can't really talk military life with civilians the same as someone else in the military and I think we had a really cool bonding moment over it. Different strokes. USMC vs USAF :)
He was saying that the scariest part was having to outrun a missile far enough for it to be in it's glide phase and not still in boost phase toward them. He was the pilot, not the rear seater. Said that Russian pilots weren't nearly as skilled as US pilots however he said the mig was a superior aircraft. He explained that US pilots practiced at free will in the skies and had full on dogfights in supersonic and Russians had mostly fixed training regimes and not allowed to stretch their legs and use the aircraft the way they wanted.
This was from him last week, so don't take it as my info, but he said that to be selected for weasel program you had to be the best of the pilots in every scenario, and had to pre-test that you were as good as they needed.
Back in the late-70s, I modified an Airfix scale model of an F-4 (C-variant, I think) into something resembling an F-4G by slimming the fins of the AIM-9 to resemble a Shrike, and cutting up another AIM-9 to sit atop the tail fin. Couldn't do much about the elongated nose cone, though. I wish now that I'd taken pictures.
Wild Weasels out of Misawa AB Japan use f-16's
one phantom downed several damaged from that one flight after the sam detonated in the middle of said flight
In ogni caso: PHANTOM FOREVER ❤
In my opinion the "E" model (F-4) was the most adaptable airframe to become "Wild Weasels"! Desert storm proved their worth as SEAD (suppression of enemy air defenses) aircraft, and I believe the aircraft (though retired) is still viable as a SEAD aircraft to this day!
I think the F-4G potentially could still have a place on the modern battlefield, however now the systems have been offloaded to different aircraft using datalink, rather than just one SEAD aircraft with as much kit as possible. This is why I think the F-16 is a viable replacement as the next generation of Wild Weasels. The work load of the crew is significantly reduced also.
1st thing one MUST do when taking the F4G into combat is strapping in the crew making sure they have enough room for their balls of steel. Y.G.B.S.M.
Definitely, they had pure iron balls man
Ok good vid and somewhat accurate.
It was the 37 TFW at George Afb that had the F-4G, with units of 561st yellow tails 562 blue tails the 562 was designated a TFTS tactical fighter training squadron in other words trained aircrew on wild weasel tactics and finally the 563rd red tails
The 35th TFW at George AFB had the 20th TFS, the 39th TFS and one more that I can't recall. One of the units trained German pilots
You was stationed at George or you would not know this... The 20th TFS trained the Germans. There was a testing platform, that is the one you don't recall. It had a different designation.
Yes, up to 1988 it was the 37th tfw that had F-4E and F-4G, while the 35th ttw had the 20th and 21st with F-4E. Then the 37th moved to F-117's and all 5 units became the 35th tfw again. That's why the backstabber patch was on all RH intakes post changeover.
I was at George from 1983-1990. The 39th left in 1984, leaving the 561st 562nd, and 563rd as the remaining Weasel Squadrons until the base closed. The 20th (Silver Lobos) were the German training squadron with F-4Es The 21st TFTS Cheetahs was the other Training F-4E Squadron.
Correct, it was the 20th, Silver section, that trained the Germans. That was my unit. The 21st was Black Section. They trained the U.S. F-4 pilots. We were in the 35th TFW. The Wild Weasels, Yellow, Blue, and Red sections, were in the 37th TFW. Later in the '80s we were all lumped into the 37th TFW. The 20th would also train British pilots although there were mostly German students. Almost half of our jets were owned by Germany. They were newer '75 models. Most of the American F-4E's were of '65-'69 vintage.
Nice video !
first in last out
YGBSM new videos! Awesome can’t wait for more
Glad I got the F-4G for “SFMC” again for the Desert Storm 1991 campaign. And I got the skin of that from the 561st TFS, 35th TFW.
Very underrated channel
Nice video
Very informative and highly interesting video, well done
At 10:35 you see a St. Louis ANG F-4. Come into the picture on the right.
The lesson to be learned: the Air Force used to be very slow to adlpting new technologies
Maybe we could design a whole new plane to do Wild Weasel missions. Maybe we could make F16's with thrust vectoring so they can dodge surface to air missiles. Electronic circuits are getting smaller, so that we don't need a big plane to house the radar and other electronic gear. Maybe we could dab some RAM on an F16 and look for other ways to make it stealthy.
The music choice in the background is my favorite part tbh. I heard send me a postcard and music from jarhead lol
Ah, I see where you did that tie in - like the beginning boot camp scenes of Jarhead were filmed on George AFB..good one.
But I think its not efeshant against the modern Russian Air deffens and there is TOUR M1 can hit the missles and bombs 🤔 Idont know if its corecrt information
Usually there are pantsir around a long range SAM site, which intercept larger missiles like HARM trying to destroy the site
Heh. Growler. 😂
Great video, awesome channel
فرشته افسانه ایی بی رقیب
Very informative 😃
PHABULOUS!!!!!
Wild Weasel is the BEST 👍
VERT EXCELLENT JOB 👌 OLSO THERE IS EG 18F GROWELER
Yep, amazing SEAD aircraft
@@IrisAviation91 BUT F 4G CANT CARY AIR TO AIR MISSLES
@@tmobaile1187 It can
@@tmobaile1187 Yes it can.
!