Peter R Foster details the life and times of the 10th TRW RF-4Cs that once graced the skies over Cambridgeshire
When the last McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II of the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing (TRW) departed RAF Alconbury on May 29, 1987, it marked the end of US F-4 operations in the UK. The 10th TRW and its three component squadrons – 1st, 30th and 32nd TRS – operated over their 30-year period about 116 different airframes, beginning with early block 21 versions and ending with the more advanced block 38 to 51 versions, although by that time most survivors had progressed to a basic common standard through upgrade packages.
Early beginnings
The arrival of the McDonnell RF-4C Phantom II in Europe began in May 1965 when aircraft ‘64-1019’, a block 21 airframe, was delivered to the 1st TRS at Alconbury on the 5th. A further aircraft, ‘64-1025’, arrived on the 12th and a pair, ‘64-1022’ and ‘64-1029’ on May 21, with further deliveries coming at regular intervals over the coming months. The 30th TRS received its first aircraft, ‘64-1002’ and ‘64-1011’, both block 20 airframes, on August 30; these had initially been delivered to the
4415th Combat Crew Training Squadron (CCTS) at Shaw Air Force Base (AFB), South Carolina.
