VIPER0177 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I have a couple questions that I just can't find the answers to. I know they have probably been asked a dozen times I just can't find the answers. 1. Can I use the tank less outer pylons from Tamiyas F-4J on my E straight out of the box or do I need to modify them? 2. When did the gun defuser switch from short to long and were jets with the short one modified while stationed in Vietnam? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wright2626 Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 The outer pylons are different air force to navy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ben Brown Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 According to Joe Baugher's web site, the long MIDAS IV gun muzzle was introduced on Block 48 F-4Es (started with 71-0224) and was retrofitted to earlier jets, so I'd guess 1972 or so for the long muzzle to start appearing. Both types were seen in Vietnam. Ben Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 By the mid-seventys, most short muzzles were replaced by the long. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I don't think the gun muzzles were replaced *in* Vietnam/SEA. That would more than likely have happened during depot maintenance, which was in the US. The Thunderbirds F-4Es (which never had guns fitted to them) kept their short muzzle fairings for their entire lives, which included many years of service as NF-4Es at the Air Force Flight Test Center and Test Pilot School at Edwards. AFAIK they were the only ones that never got the MIDAS muzzle fairings. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
airmechaja Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 On occasion, there would be a round that would veer off and go through the fairing. Henceforth, they would get replaced in theater. However, I never replaced any just to replace the short style. Dean Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VIPER0177 Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 Thank you for the answers guys. This leads to another question. Does anybody besides AMS make U.S.A.F outer pylons? I want to hang something besides tanks outboard but don't want to do Chico. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Jennings Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 I'm trying to think if I've ever seen a Vietnam era USAF F-4E that wasn't carrying wing tanks, and I'm coming up blank. They were pretty ubiquitous. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
VIPER0177 Posted August 19, 2015 Author Share Posted August 19, 2015 Jennings I know that most of the time they had wing tanks but I want to do one of those times they didn't just to have something different. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Finn Posted August 19, 2015 Share Posted August 19, 2015 If you check here: http://366th-tfw.net/bruce-hill_photos2.htm you'll see several F-4Es with o/b pylons with other things besides tanks hanging off them. Jari Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Murph Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Steve Ritchie's F-4E MiG killer had the long gun fairing in July 1972, and it obviously had just recently been done based on the difference in paint colors. LINK Regards, Murph Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ozzie Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 Jennings I know that most of the time they had wing tanks but I want to do one of those times they didn't just to have something different. SEA based F-4E's from the 388TFW (JJ and JV codes) and the 366TFW (LA and LC codes) routinely flew missions with MER's on the outboard pylons. I took a quick look through my USAF F-4E slide collection and I stopped looking after finding 22 images that showed this configuration on SEA based aircraft. I've also seen plenty of images published in F-4 Phantom books that confirm the MER/outer pylon set-up. Oz Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scott R Wilson Posted August 20, 2015 Share Posted August 20, 2015 I have no idea if the gun muzzle fairings were changed out by TCTO in country, at depot, or only as they were damaged. But I did want to point out that changing the fairing was a simple matter of unscrewing a bunch of fasteners from the old one to remove it and then screwing the new one in place. It's not like anything on the jet had to be modified. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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