Unslatted F-4Es in Vietnam?

[Space Tiger Hobbes]

How prevalent were F-4Es with unslatted wings in Vietnam, especially the shark-nosed marked jets? 

[Finn]

The hard wing F-4E saw lots of action in Vietnam, scroll down:

 

https://366th-tfw.net/bruce-hill_photos2.htm

 

Those with slats, very little near the end:

 

 

 

Jari

[Niels]

The slats are a modification to the F-4E that only appeared towards the end of the war in VietNam as Finn says. Originally the F-4E didn't have the slats. 
The process of updating the F-4E fleet to all-slated wings took some time, but all were completed by mid-70's from what I know. 

[Space Tiger Hobbes]

Thanks! So probably all the shark-nosed F-4Es from Korat were unslatted?

[11bee]

Interesting lack of tailcodes on both those Phantoms.   

[Niels]

Space Tiger, 

As already stated, the slats were introduced during the last year of the VietNam war. It is hence not possible to make such an assumption - you must instead check your references as it most likely varied between various jets, sharkmouth or no sharkmouth. 

[Space Tiger Hobbes]

Got it. Thanks. How about the TSIEO thing on the left wing? Did that come after Vietnam?

[Ben Brown]

The TISEO arrived in Vietnam around the same time as the slatted wing. I don't think they ever fitted the system to any hard-wing F-4Es. Of course, now that I've said that, someone will post a photo of a hard wing E with TISEO! Here's a quote from Jay Chladek I found on the USAF SIG web site:
 

Some 71 model F-4Es with LES and TISEO were sent to the 432nd TFRW (later 432nd TFW) under project Rivet Haste. They were assigned to the 555th TFW which had exchanged their F-4Ds for F-4Es either shortly before or during Linebacker II. The Rivet Haste F-4Es were uncoded and initially had RRRRIBIT in yellow on the tail, which was later painted out and just the fin cap was painted green. From Smoke Trails, Vol. 3 # 4, Tail Codes, 432 TFRW, by Harley Copic. By 1975, when Saigon fell, I'm sure that the F-4Es still flying in Thailand had the LES installed. Most of them were later sent to Clark and Korea.

 

I think the shark mouths were applied to F-4Es of the 366th and 388th Tactical Fighter Wings, which flew hard wing F-4Es. There may have been others. A pilot from the 4th TFW told me they made shark mouth stencils for their F-4Es while they were on TDY at Ubon RTAB, but never used them. 

 

Ben

[Niels]

TISEO was only installed on FY71, 72, 73 and 74 versions of the Phantom. Most F-4E's flying in VietNam was FY67, 68 and/or FY69, although as already mentioned some FY71 may have been fighting around 1972. 

 

As for 555TFS, they were equipped with F-4D's until wars end, however units usually loaned aircraft from oneanother - as an example 2 of Richie's kills were in F-4E 67-0362, aircraft assigned to the 58TFS but flown by Ritchie (555TFS).