Colors & Markings of the F-4C Phantom II, Part 1: Post Vietnam Markings (C & M Vol. 3)

In 1973, the final chapters in the Vietnam war were concluded, and the American military returned to a peacetime status. Lessons learned during that con­flict had caused numerous and noticeable changes to existing aircraft, most importantly the addition of sophisticated ECM gear and its associated antennas. New aircraft, just entering operational service, and those still on the drawing boards, were likewise affected by the lessons learned in combat over Southeast Asia. But the war generated another change where com­bat aircraft were concerned, and although not as dramatic and sophisticated as the hardware changes, it was probably even more noticeable to the eye. This was the change from more colorful paint schemes and markings to the camouflage patterns with smaller and far less colorful markings. These camou­flage patterns remain the most common schemes carried by aircraft over ten years after the end of the Vietnam War. The F-4C was the first version of the Phantom used in Vietnam by the Air Force. It was first deployed in the combat area in early 1965, and scored its first MiG-17 kills on July tenth of that year. But by the end of the war, the F-4C had largely been replaced in active Air Force squadrons by the later F-4D and F-4E versions. Active units, still equipped with the F-4C at the end of the war, were scheduled for transition to newer aircraft as soon as possible. One active unit, the 57th FIS, transitioned into F-4Cs after the end of the Vietnam War, and flew them until F-4Es became available.

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