F-4E 86th TFW Ramstein AB, "Victor Alert" configuration

[Sierra Mike Sierra]

Good afternoon!

I was just reading in Adrian Symonds' book "USAFE in the 1980s" that the 86th TFW based at Ramstein AB in Germany had a primary air-to-ground role including a nuclear strike role and that it always maintained some nuclear armed jets ready to go (i.e. Vicor Alert).

 

Does anybody have some intel as to what an F-4E would look like (in terms of weapons, ECM pods etc. carried) in a Vicor Alert configuration at this time?

 

Thanks

Stefan

 

 

[vangos]

Maybe you find this discussion about the F-4D in Victor Alert useful to you. 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/242814-172-f-4d-victor-alert/

[bentwaters81tfw]

81st TFW F-4D fit was 2 x SF tanks. 1 x B57 store centreline, ALQ pod in the port forward missile bay, and no defensive armament.

This from a guy who used to be an armourer, and loaded them.

[e8n2]

10 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

81st TFW F-4D fit was 2 x SF tanks. 1 x B57 store centreline, ALQ pod in the port forward missile bay, and no defensive armament.

This from a guy who used to be an armourer, and loaded them.

Sounds good to me also, this from a guy who used to guard them at Woodbridge!  I will say one more thing. 736 was a DOG!  Always breaking whenever it was put on alert.  In 2009 I saw it out at D-M.  Hopefully it has been scrapped by now that sorry piece of &^(*^&*!!!!!

Later,

Dave

[Sierra Mike Sierra]

18 hours ago, vangos said:

Maybe you find this discussion about the F-4D in Victor Alert useful to you. 

http://www.arcforums.com/forums/air/index.php?/topic/242814-172-f-4d-victor-alert/

Thanks vangos, very useful indeed!

[Sierra Mike Sierra]

15 hours ago, bentwaters81tfw said:

This from a guy who used to be an armourer, and loaded them.

These first-hand accounts are always much appreciated, thanks!

 

Can you tell if they never had any defensive armament? Somwhere in a post I read - relating to Victor Alert at Hahn AB - that they used defensive A/A, but I am not sure that post referred to the 50th TFW when they still had F-4Es or after they converted to F-16s.

[bentwaters81tfw]

Bentwaters/Woodbridge a/c did not. They had further to travel, and didn't need the weight penalty.

[Lord Riot]

I reckon @Mark V may well know some of these answers perhaps.

[Mark V]

Sorry, haven’t been on the site for a while. 

I don’t really have anything to add here. I didn’t sit Victor Alert at Spangdahlem. The commitment for our wing went away in mid-1984, just after I arrived on base.