McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel V – 81st TFS 52nd TFW, USAF, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, 1985

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA19058: McDonnell Douglas F-4G Wild Weasel V #69-0247 of 81st TFS 52nd TFW, USAF, Spangdahlem AB, Germany, 1985. Production run of 500 models.

Length 10.5 inches Wingspan 6.25 inches

“Wild Weasel” is the code name given by the United States Armed Forces to an aircraft equipped with anti-radiation missiles and tasked with the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences. The aircraft must bait enemy anti-aircraft defences into targeting it with their radars, whereupon the radar waves are traced back to their source, allowing the Weasel or its teammates to precisely target it for destruction.

Designed as a fleet defence fighter for the US Navy, the F-4 Phantom was first flown on May 27, 1958. This twin-engine, long-range all-weather fighter/bomber proved highly adaptable and served in the Marine Corps and the US Air Force as well as in the Navy. During the Vietnam War, it was the principal air superiority fighter for the Navy and the Air Force and was also used for reconnaissance and ground attack. The Phantom continued to serve well into the 1970s and 1980s and even flew missions during the first Gulf War. Finally phased out by the F-14, F-16 and F/A-18, the Phantom was retired in 1996.