The pioneer wild weasels proved the concept and developed effective tactics, destroying nine sa2 sites and suppressing enemy sams for strike forces. The 35 fw is part of pacific air forces, fifth air force. The riskiness of the job is illustrated in a vintage unit patch, which depicts an anxiouslooking cartoon weasel and the letters, ygbsm, short for. Many has claimed that the transfer from dualseat f4gs to single seat f16cjs would cause a great problem in fulfilling the role of wild weasel, but modern technology has compensated this to a large extend. Legacy of the southeast asia wild weasels national museum of. A change in aircraft design theory to stress versatile multirole aircraft meant that the f4g was the last aircraft specifically.
Wild weasels enter the fray at red flag may 04, 2015 pilots from the th fighter squadron and maintainers from the 35th maintenance group are currently engaged in the aerial training exercise red flag held at eielson and elmendorf air force bases, alaska. Trumpeter f105g thunderchief wild weasel aircraft plastic. May 04, 2015 pilots from the th fighter squadron and maintainers from the 35th maintenance group are currently. An aircraft is designed for a purpose, and most wild weasels are merely conversion of existing designs to suit a new role where it is badly needed. The 35th fighter wing 35 fw is an f 16cj air combat unit of the united states air force and the host unit at misawa air base, japan. To continue our effort to honor the service of this magnificent aircraft, in this episode we will take a look at the f4s role in wild weasel missions that started in the vietnam war and remains an important part of combat air missions to this day. Usaf wild weasel squadron hat, f16 viper, f4 phantom. Sw 923920, 20th fw, 55th fs, shaw afb, sc squadron lithograph. The lethal sead mission now rests solely on the shoulders of the f 16 harm targeting system. F 16cm fighting falcon wild weasel 50th anniversary, 2015 50 years of ygbsm. Air forces f16 wild weasels hunt missile sites, destroy them. F16cj dj block 50d52d an f16cj of the 20th fighter wing an unknown number of block 5052 aircraft have been delivered to the usaf modified to perform the suppression of enemy air defenses sead mission, replacing the f4g wild weasel aircraft.
It was last assigned to the 52d operations group and stationed at spangdahlem air base, germany. Deffner as the war progressed, f4g wild weasel crews gained greater confidence and began to feel they were winning the day. F 4g wild weasel photo gallery unless otherwise indicated, these photos are courtesy of the us air force and the dod photo archives. It covers the basic history and tech details of how the wild weasel mission came about and then goes into great detail on the authors involvement in the gulf war. Patch courtesy of shane stolte, description courtesy of vincent a. The wild weasel mission today is performed by specially trained f16cj crews. Sep 20, 2002 the wild weasel concept was as simple as it was dangerous. Your wild weasel patches are 4 tall, and 100% embroidered with velcro backing. Usaf f16cj fighter pilot on sead mission, challenges of. Here is our composite photo walk around of the mcdonnell douglas f4g phantom ii on display at us air force museum. Can be applied with heat press, iron and ironing or sewing. Several ef4ds and f 4es were used in support of the program. It uses his actual war diary and leaps off occasionally from there to cover missions recounted by other flyers with first hand accounts of actual aerial warfare at the end of the 20th. Custom patches for the general dynamics f 16 fighting falcon.
The raiders were all weathernight bombing with ef105fs equipped with special air to ground radar capabilities. These aircraft were specifically outfitted with equipment to detect surfacetoair missile sam threats and neutralize them typically with antiradiation missiles. Nice german made 23rd tactical fighter squadron sam busters patch. Here is the latest update on the wild weasel 50th anniversary, from the reunion. The society of wild weasels soww is a nonprofit military fraternal organization established to educate, preserve, and perpetuate the wild weasel ww concept the destruction of hostile electronic emitters, such as the guidance radar for surface to air missiles.
Many has claimed that the transfer from dualseat f 4gs to single seat f 16cj s would cause a great problem in fulfilling the role of wild weasel, but. F 105fs which were fitted with greatly improved avionics. Wild weasel tshirt f 105, f 4, f 16 2 designs to choose from 100% cotton quality tshirt high resolution printing full color printing customization. Operation overlord battle of the bulge desert storm. James augie kuxhaus of the 35th tfw described the role of the back seater. The usafs deadliest f16 viper pilot on women, combat, and the. Featured image of us air force f 16 fighting falcons with the 35th fighter wing flying a training mission over misawa. Feb 21, 2018 wild weasel was a concept tied to various aircraft serving the united states military in the electronic warfare aircraft ewa role. Even so, three of the seven f100fs were lost two in combat. Aug 17, 2014 moore was a young lieutenant and then captain stationed at shaw afb, in sumter, south carolina, when the handoff of the wild weasel torch occurred between the f 4gs and block 50 f 16s. Jun 04, 2014 messerschmitt me 262 schwalbe first flight over berlin after 61 years, historical footage.
The circa1991 jet he showed off is an f 16cj block 50, equipped to launch the agm88 highspeed antiradiation missile, or. This f 4g was fitted with leadingedge maneuvering slats. Mcdonnell douglas f4 wild weasel electronic warfare aircraft. Lockheed f16cj wild weasel 900825, 14th fs35th fw, misawa ab, japan, feb. But the sam suppression mission proved to be a huge sucess, so much so that the usaf started modifying aircraft to specifically fly the wild weasel mission. The f 100f wild weasel aircraft the hunter would identify and track the enemy radar by exposing itself to it, attacking it with 2. Custom built f16 wild weasel model scalecraft models. Feel free to discuss anything here as long as it is f16 related. Usaf f16cj fighter pilot on sead mission, challenges of flying. Sep 26, 2016 not sure what to tell you about the ryans raiders not being wild weasel related. The more powerful f105f wild weasel iii replaced wild weasel i f100fs in the summer of 1966 there was no production wild weasel ii. Jan 30, 2015 wild weasel iv by 1964, republic had ceased production of the f 105 and the air force began the process of replacing thuds en masse with the f 4 phantom ii.
Wild weasel is a code name given by the united states armed forces, specifically the us air force, to an aircraft, of any type, equipped with antiradiation missiles and tasked with the suppression of enemy air defenses. The first wild weasel success came soon after the first wild weasel mission 20. Mcdonnell douglas f4g wild weasel photo walk around. Developed by general dynamics as a multirole fighter aircraft, the f16c fighting falcon stemmed from the us air forceas need for a lightweight fighter, as the f15 eagles proved to be too expensive for mass production. On 15 august 1990, 24 f 4g wild weasel vs and six rf4cs were deployed to shaikh isa ab, bahrain, for operation desert storm. Though initially a bust, began to really fill out as a multirole fighter with attackground strike capabilities when pilots were trained to greater effect on the rhino as it was known to. A change in aircraft design theory to stress versatile multirole aircraft meant that the f4g phantom was the last aircraft in the.
F16cm fighting falcon wild weasel 50th anniversary, 2015. The f 105g was the designation given to wild weasel. The 35th fighter wing 35 fw is an f16cj air combat unit of the united states air force and the host unit at misawa air base, japan. I know this probably will be contested, but the f16cj has been the only weasel in the usaf since 1993ish. This is a quick three day build of tamiyas superb quarter scale f 16. The code name wild weasel v was assigned to the project. F16 custom patches general dynamics f16 fighting falcon. The first aircraft chosen was the f 100f, but its age and limited performance made it a poor choice. The wild weasels in southeast asia created an essential and lasting capability for the u. A south carolina air national guard f16cj takes off from mcentire jngb for a seaddead training mission. This specialized version of the f 16, which can also carry the alq119 electronic jamming pod for self protection, became the sole provider for air force sead missions when the f 4g wild weasel was retired from the air force inventory. Mcdonnell douglas f4g phantom ii wild weasel photo gallery. F 16 falcon model airplanes usaf the f16 fighting falcon, built by general dynamics, is a small, lightweight, low cost, air superiority day fighter designed for high performance and ease of maintenance.
If you would like your name, rank, or callsign added to your shirts, please enter this information in the order comments when checking out paying. Moore was a young lieutenant and then captain stationed at shaw afb, in sumter, south carolina, when the handoff of the wild weasel torch occurred between the f4gs and block 50 f16s. The designation ef105f was temporarily applied to these aircraft, but their designation was eventually changed to f 105g. Dec 21, 2016 in the previous episode a story about the end of the line for the tremendous phantom f4s service in the us military was featured. Our f 16 patches are 100% embroidered with velcro backing. Unfortunately, the air force was not adding wild weasels as fast as the north. Posted by jolly on november 9, 2011 the f 100f was the original wild weasel, and it was followed by the f 105fd thud during the vietnam war. The 23rd tactical fighter squadron is an inactive united states air force f4g phantom ii wild weasel unit. After a flyoff competition between prototypes yf16 and yf17, the former bagged. Wild weasels were treated by a capes capabilities briefing on the f16cj. The f4gs were the last of the air forces dedicated wild weasel aircraft.
F 4e 697254 served as the yf4g prototype, although it was originally known as the f 4e advanced wild weasel. General dynamics f16 fighting falcon variants wikipedia. Air force need for a small and agile fighter, the f16 viper has. Jun 25, 2017 usaf f16cj fighter pilot on sead mission, challenges of flying block 50 viper. May 23, 2020 navy times reports findings in 2019 star wars canyon f a18e super hornet crash.
Nov 25, 2008 f 16cj dj block 50d52d wild weasel recognised for its ability to carry the agm88 harm and the anasq2 harm targeting system hts in the suppression of enemy air defenses sead mission. Ive been meaning to do one for years and finally got around to it a stunning kit that goes together perfectly. Bryan splash smith, usaf, chief of mobility and f 16cj fighter pilot at the 480th fighter squadron at spangdahlem air base, germany, discusses the su. Wild weasels flew missions against surface to air missile sites in f 105fs. Heres how an f16 wild weasel pilot earned the silver star. Born in response to lwf light weight fighter program, to meet the u. Mcdonnell douglas f4g wild weasel photo walk around cybermodeler online. The f16 fighting falcon, in addition to being a premier airtoair combat platform. Distinguished unit citation air force outstanding unit award.
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