Old Viper Tester Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 (edited) The 52nd Tac Fighter Wing team out of Spangdahlem AB at the Gunsmoke Aerial Gunnery Competition, Nellis AFB, October 1983 71-1079 72-1067 74-1052 74-1638 74-1639 Gotta love the lo-viz shark mouth... Very odd. This is F-4E 74-1639, yet the "Identi-Plate" looks like it is a generic stencil. It starts with the very first production F-4E, 66-0284, and goes up to 69-0236. Yet this is a 1974 production contract year airframe. Even if it is generic, its use makes no sense. The data block is supposed to identify the production block number so that maintainers and aircrew know the equipment and structural configuration of the jet. The inclusion of the words "Identiplate Location" is also strange. Maybe this jet escaped the paint barn without the aircraft specific data block being applied here? Thanks for looking, Sven Edited February 4, 2019 by Old Viper Tester 23 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smudge Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Awesome That data block is very odd. I guess somebody was having an 'off' day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 PHANTABULOUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 You really want me to build another Phantom kit, don't you?? . Do you know what is that thing on the leading edge of port wing, with the red cover on it? It's an all the airframes of this bunch. TIA Ciao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whiskey Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 It's a TISEO- Target ID System Electro-Optical. Basically a long range TV with magnification. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72modeler Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Awesome photos- awesome Rhinos! SP tailcodes- Spangdahlem? Thanks, as always, VT, for the photos. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PLC1966 Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 Really nice photo's chap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Viper Tester Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 9 hours ago, giemme said: Do you know what is that thing on the leading edge of port wing, with the red cover on it? It's an all the airframes of this bunch. As whiskey responded, it's TISEO. As a target identification system it was supposed to help with "beyond visual range" (BVR) engagements. As I recall, it provided magnification from 5 to 10 times. Some sources say that it helped target detection at BVR, but the field of view was relatively small, so finding a target without first detecting it with the radar was pretty long odds. I know that Hasegawa has TISEO in their F-4E kits, can't speak to the others. Sven 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 1 hour ago, whiskey said: It's a TISEO- Target ID System Electro-Optical. Basically a long range TV with magnification. 7 minutes ago, Old Viper Tester said: As whiskey responded, it's TISEO. As a target identification system it was supposed to help with "beyond visual range" (BVR) engagements. As I recall, it provided magnification from 5 to 10 times. Some sources say that it helped target detection at BVR, but the field of view was relatively small, so finding a target without first detecting it with the radar was pretty long odds. I know that Hasegawa has TISEO in their F-4E kits, can't speak to the others. Sven Thank you both, guys It wasn't a standard F-4E feature, was it? Ciao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Viper Tester Posted November 29, 2018 Author Share Posted November 29, 2018 9 minutes ago, giemme said: It wasn't a standard F-4E feature, was it? It was a standard feature, but it was introduced very late in production, in 71-series (Block 48) and later. Which is why you won't see it on any F-4Gs as they were all conversions of 69-series airframes. Pretty sure it wasn't retrofitted to earlier Phantoms because of other wing modifications that occurred in the latter blocks that the TISEO installation was designed for. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
modelling minion Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 Phantastic pictures Sven, remember these well from many an air show in the 80's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 (edited) On 29/11/2018 at 18:15, Old Viper Tester said: It was a standard feature, but it was introduced very late in production, in 71-series (Block 48) and later. Which is why you won't see it on any F-4Gs as they were all conversions of 69-series airframes. Pretty sure it wasn't retrofitted to earlier Phantoms because of other wing modifications that occurred in the latter blocks that the TISEO installation was designed for. Thanks Sven So a slatted wing F-4E would have the TISEO? TIA Ciao Edited December 1, 2018 by giemme Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theplasticsurgeon Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 On 11/29/2018 at 6:58 AM, giemme said: You really want me to build another Phantom kit, don't you?? . Ciao Here's one I prepared earlier. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 On 11/29/2018 at 4:45 PM, Old Viper Tester said: As whiskey responded, it's TISEO. As a target identification system it was supposed to help with "beyond visual range" (BVR) engagements. As I recall, it provided magnification from 5 to 10 times. Some sources say that it helped target detection at BVR, but the field of view was relatively small, so finding a target without first detecting it with the radar was pretty long odds. I know that Hasegawa has TISEO in their F-4E kits, can't speak to the others. Sven FYI. At the moment I am looking at a kit of the ESCI 1/72 F4 E/F - No 9027, which has a TISEO included for the F4 E version in the kit, this a/c is from the 3rd TFW - 3rd TFS, code PN on the fin. The information on the box does note that TISEO is included. The kit is moulded in tan plastic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AV O Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 On 29/11/2018 at 16:35, 72modeler said: Awesome photos- awesome Rhinos! SP tailcodes- Spangdahlem? Thanks, as always, VT, for the photos. Mike An opportunity to read back : https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235036458-spangdahlem-87-148th/&tab=comments#comment-3002622 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boman Posted January 19, 2019 Share Posted January 19, 2019 Which of the 52TFW squadrons were the jets from, or was it a mix from all squadrons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creepy Pete Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 On 11/28/2018 at 11:48 PM, Old Viper Tester said: Hmm, never noticed those extra static dischargers on the wingtip and the fuelvent before. After looking at some more pics, it seems like only late model E's had those. You learn something new every day. Thanks for the nice pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Viper Tester Posted January 21, 2019 Author Share Posted January 21, 2019 On 1/19/2019 at 6:23 PM, Boman said: Which of the 52TFW squadrons were the jets from, or was it a mix from all squadrons? It was a mix. For Gunsmoke competitions, the active duty units fielded teams at the wing level and selected the best airframes across the wing to participate. Hence no squadron tail bands, in this instance. Other units applied tail bands representing all squadrons or a unique wing-level tail band. Unlike the active duty units, Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units sent squadron teams. Sven Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boman Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Thanks!🍻 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEZ Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Superb set of photos, always had a soft spot for Spangdahlem F-4s. This maybe of interest - 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 On 12/2/2018 at 8:31 AM, giemme said: ... So a slatted wing F-4E would have the TISEO? ... Hi Giorgio, Not necessarily. All TISEO jets had slat wings, but not all F-4Es had TISEO (and most F-4Es were slatted eventually, whether by manufacture or refit). As Sven wrote, only jets from Block 48 production (so with serials starting 71- or higher) and later were equipped with TISEO. Something else I've noticed about these and other late-production F-4Es is that they all have the ARN-101 fairing (low, black shape between the two upright antennae) on the spine. Given that the two features are seen together (at least on F-4Es - I'm not thinking of ARN-101 as applied to some RF-4Cs), it suggests to me that TISEO and the digital avionics upgrade offered by the ARN-101 system were connected. hope this helps, Andrew. P.S I really like these photos; thanks very much Sven. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
giemme Posted January 29, 2019 Share Posted January 29, 2019 11 minutes ago, Andrew said: hope this helps, It sure does, thank you Andrew! Ciao Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 Sven these aircraft are from Spangdahelm AB in Germany not George AFB. Great set of photos again, it was great seeing them here in Europe although the skies were more grey than blue. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhoenixII Posted February 3, 2019 Share Posted February 3, 2019 @Robert suggest you re-read Sven's first post, the aircraft were deployed from Spangdahelm to George for Gunsmoke '83...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bell209 Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 On 11/29/2018 at 9:18 AM, Old Viper Tester said: Very odd. This is F-4E 74-1639, yet the "Identi-Plate" looks like it is a generic stencil. It starts with the very first production F-4E, 66-0284, and goes up to 69-0236. Yet this is a 1974 production contract year airframe. Even if it is generic, its use makes no sense. The data block is supposed to identify the production block number so that maintainers and aircrew know the equipment and structural configuration of the jet. The inclusion of the words "Identiplate Location" is also strange. Maybe this jet escaped the paint barn without the aircraft specific data block being applied here? My guess is someone has taken the drawing information literally and produced a stencil stating exactly what the drawing said, instead of using that info to make an individual marking required! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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