The first production RF- 4C flew in May 1964. The RF- 4C was an unarmed recon variant
designed for information gathering. This variant is quite easy to recognize from other F-4
variants because of the distinctive nose. The larger nose was designed to accommodate radar,
sensors and flat windows for cameras. During its years of service the RF-4C used two nose
variations. The original design was the angular version with a later design that had a smoother
rounded camera bulge. There were 503 RF- 4cs built with 499 being officially accepted by the
USAF.

In October 1966 the 11th TRS (Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron) arrived at the Udorn Royal
Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. They had been dispatched from the 67th Tactical
Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho and were reassigned as one of the
two squadrons that formed the 432nd TRW “Hunters”. The 11th TRS RF-4C’s wore a tail code
of OO with a black tail tip. During one portion of the Vietnam War the 11th TRS along with the
14th TRS would fly between 40 and 50 sorties per day using as much as 7 miles of film. These 2
squadrons are credited with flying 80 percent of all reconnaissance flights over North Vietnam.
As a rule these flights were carried out at low altitudes and the aircraft had to fly straight lines in
order to acquire good photos. This made the aircraft involved in this type of sortie very
susceptible to ground fire accounting for the loss of 83 aircraft during the Vietnam War. 72
aircraft were lost in combat, 7 shot down by SAM’s and 65 to AAA or small arms fire. No RF-4Cs
were lost to enemy aircraft. In November 1970 as part of the American drawdown the 11th TRS
was reassigned to the 363rd TFW at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. RF-4C BuNo. 65-0876
“Snoopy – War’s Hell” was sold to Spain in 1995 and given serial CR.12-57.

Specifications for the McDonnell RF- 4C Phantom II

Dimensions
Wingspan - 38 ft 5 in
Wing area - 530 sq ft
Length - 62 ft 11 in
Height - 16 ft 6 in

Performance
Engine – 2 X General Electric J79-GE-15 turbojets
Thrust
10,300 lb.s.t. dry
17,000 lb.s.t. with afterburner
Fuel
Maximum internal fuselage tanks
Up to block 40 aircraft – 1,260 U.S. gallons
Aircraft block 41 and on – 1,142 U.S. gallons
Maximum external tanks
Center-line – 600 U.S. gallons
On outer pylons – 2 X tanks (1/wing) 370 U.S. gallons

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