The first of 583 F-4C ordered by the USAF began delivery in late 1963. They basically
were F-4Bs that had been refit for ground operations. The F-4C arrived in Southeast
Asia in early 1965 and by 1966 equipped 7 squadrons in Vietnam and 3 in Thailand. The
early F-4Cs lacked guns and relied totally on missiles but it wasn’t long before the
addition of SUU-16A gun pods with M-61AI-20-mm guns were put to use to compensate
for the lack of internal guns. The addition of these gun pods gave the pilot gun fire but
degraded the performance of the aircraft. The first F-4Cs suffered from many defects
such as wing tanks that would spring leaks and require resealing after every flight. Many
had cracked ribs on outer wing panels. It wasn’t too long before the F-4D made an
appearance.

Robin Olds became a triple ace with 12 victories in WW II and 4 in Vietnam. The first of
his 107 WW II combat missions was in a P-38J that he named Scat. Olds missed the
Korean War because of his assignment in the USA. However when Vietnam came
around he managed to be assigned and took command of the 8th TFW based at Ubon
Royal Thai Air Force Base. He flew with the men of the 555th TFS who affectionately
referred to him as “The Old Man” because he was in his late 40s. In Southeast Asia he
flew 152 combat missions with 105 of them being conducted over North Vietnam. He
managed to down 4 aircraft during these sorties while flying F-4C “Scat XXVII”. Olds
relinquished his command of the 8th TFW on September 23 1967 and reported for duty
at the USAF Academy in Colorado. Olds’ career was limited because of his
nonconformist attitude and his tendency to ruffle feathers.

Specification of the F-4C

Manufacturer: McDonnell-Douglas

Role – Fighter

Performance
Engines - (2) General Electric J79-GE-15 turbojets, 10,900 lb.s.t dry, 17,000 lb.s.t. with
afterburner
Maximum Speed – 1,433 mph @ 48,000 ft, 826 mph at sea level
Initial Climb Rate - 40,550 fpm
Service Ceiling - 56,100 ft
Combat Ceiling - 55,600 ft
Combat Range - 538 miles
Maximum Range – 1,926 miles with maximum external fuel

Weights
Empty - 28,496 lbs
Gross - 51,441 lbs
Combat Weight - 38,352 lbs
Maximum Take-Off Weight - 58,000 lbs

Dimensions
Wingspan 38 ft 5 ins
Wing Area - 530 sq ft
Length - 58 ft 3 3/4 ins
Height - 16 ft 3 ins

Fuel
Maximum Internal - 1,986 US gallons (1,343 gallons in fuselage, 630 gallons in wings)
Maximum External - 600 US gallons in centerline tank underneath the fuselage and 740
US gallons in (2) under-wing tanks / total fuel to 3,313 US gallons

Armament
(4) AIM-7D or -7E Sparrow semi active radar homing missiles in under-fuselage recesses
Inner pylons could each accommodate (2) AIM-9B/D Sidewinder infrared homing missiles
Ground Attack Mode – able to carry up to 16,000 pounds of ordnance on centerline
pylon underneath the fuselage
Plus
(4) under-wing hard-points

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