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YKW Israeli F-4E Phantom Load Out Question


Bill Cross

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An important point: the IAF used far less often drop tanks than the USAF for a very basic reason: the size of the theater of operations! Don't forget a plane taking off from an IAF base needed between five and less than fifteen minutes to be over the war zone!

 

So, during the YKW only the missions in the southern part of Egypt really required such tanks. As their use limited the warload, crews avoided using them if possible. Morever, they also limited the air-to-air capabilities. When they were required, wing drop tanks were used.

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Many opinions here. I haven't yet come up with a specific YKW plane to copy.

 

Best load-out seems so far to be M117s on the c/l (5) with bombs on the right pylon and AIM-9s on the left with wing drop tanks (most photos in the DU book show wing tanks). I'm unsure about NO AIM-7s because I just read an account this afternoon about a MiG kill with one. If they weren't carrying them, then someone clearly had a spare in his pocket.

 

I DID read that the front AIM-7s were not carried because of concerns about the rocket blast on trailing tanks/munitions.

 

But the BIGGEST problem is: no correct M117s.

 

Any volunteers to make 'em?

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If I could live without the straked ones, then there are CAM M117s at Sprue Brothers right now. But, yes, there DEF is a market of one for M117 straked GP bombs.

 

On a related matter, I was reading the YKW section of the DU book today (reviewed by me here), and it has a photo on the top left side of p. 84 whose caption states:

 

F-4E Kurnass #649... of 'The One' squadron seen within its protective shelter at Hatzor, loaded with 15x Mk.82 and 5x M117 GP bombs and two AIM-9D for self defense.

 

As was mentioned earlier, the load is asymmetrical with the Sidewinders on the left inboard pylon. There are no drop tanks.

 

So my "badass" load-out may not be so far-fetched, LOL.

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As someone who built Israeli armor for 20 years before trying my hand at airplanes 4 or 5 years ago there is one thing I learned during that time.  If you want to build what you want, especially IDF, you have to make it yourself.

 

If you can put together all of that resin, plastic, and p.e, then you can make and put strakes on an existing M117, mold it, and cast what you need.

 

Sincerely,

Mark

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Have Mk.117's in work but need to "so far" make three different "popular" tail types. From research, I am not sure where the shape of the existing AM fins come from, as the early style looks to be close, but there is no notch, etc. Then there is a fin type that seems a later type with thickness changes, and a 90 deg. tab at the rear, then the type shown as straked here in thread. There are others, but not really into making more than three types. Further input? 

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I might be crazy, but I always was of the impression that the one pictured above in the thread was a parachute retarded 750 pounder for dropping from a B-52. The end of the tail looks similar to the 500 pound ballute retarded bombs the USAF uses.

 

MM

 

EDIT: ok I must be crazy after all. I checked Wikipedia and the M-117R, the retarded version uses fins instead of a ballute.

Edited by Magic Mike
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