_BringTheReign_

There's a famous 1970 article by Capt. Bob Baxter called "Let's Get Serious About Dive Toss," it is most certainly not solely an F-16 term hahaha. The F-4D and E had a weapon release computer system that allowed the pilot to point the sight at a target, the backseater to lock the radar onto the ground at that point, the pilot to then pull up while holding the pickle button, and the WRCS to finally decide the perfect moment to release the bombs. All else being equal, it was more accurate than dive bombing. In fact, F-4E's stationed at Korat used Dive Toss to great effect over Laos. That being said it wasn't perfect and every F-4 had it's quirks, but it is inaccurate to say that if you want any sort of accuracy in the F-4, you need to dive bomb. Not true. Chapter 7 gives a great overview of Dive Toss in the F-4: Sierra Hotel, C. R. Anderegg

Thank you so much! Found the F-5E thread: @rubylight did you ever get the chance to finish the F-5E pit? Would you be willing to share your measurements/dimensions? Thank you!

Legendary!

From photos it appears that the AN/ASQ-153 Pave Spike is mounted in the left front sparrow station on the F-4E: Similarly, I have seen photos of the AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod in the same station: Is it possible to mount either of these pods in the front right/elsewhere, and is it possible to use them simultaneously? Would that configuration ever have been used operationally?

This is best way to implement imo! If it carried them at some point, it's good to add them, and then mission makers and server owners can decide for themselves which time frame/loadouts they want to allow/restrict.

Hello folks, just curious if anyone has successfully built an F-5E sim pit? I'd like to build one as well! Also wondering where the best place to find cockpit dimensions is. Ideally would love to line things up 1:1 for vr use! Cheers!

Hey @Cobra847 are we there yet? (joking) Happy Birthday to the Phabulous Phantom!

Going to jump on this train and completely agree... the F-4 is the one jet I have been waiting for! I feel like 3rd gen jets always come down to the pilot - you can do some BVR, you can take it to the merge, you might not be the most agile but if you know what you are doing you can be the besttm without relying on super fancy computers to fly the plane for you, and active missiles spamraamed across the sky!

I think the current lineup is brilliant For the upcoming F-4E, we have a Vietnam era bird, and an upgraded post-Vietnam bird. This appeals to folks who love the Phantom vs MiG 17, 19, 21 dogfights, and the bomb sled missions that we have all read about, and it also appeals to a slightly later period in the cold war when guided bombs and pods started to explode onto the scene. So if you're a hardcore 3rd gen dogfight fan, you can do that, and if you're a LGB + pod fan from the hornet, viper, or tomcat, you would love the later variant. As for the naval variants, the J+S combo appeals in the same way. You have the Vietnam era bird, then the upgraded navy bird from later. It is so much easier to mimic an early Phantom mission with a restricted loadout and a good skin, than it is to try and do later missions with aircraft that can't mimic the capability. As for the super upgraded amraam Phantoms, unlike the previous mentioned birds, those could very easily and happily be mimicked using mods - just look at what the IAF mods team did with that two seater F-16 and custom weapons. The EJ Kai, the Hellenic and Turkish Phantoms, those are very niche, like the super upgraded F-5's in Brazil or the upgraded MiG 21's. Yes there are a bunch of those floating around now, but they do not represent the most famous, most used, or most "classic" variants. Plus, the Phantom is a Sparrow and Sidewinder bird, most of the historical tactics, the tactical egg, all those are soaked in nostalgia, and as we all know from the F-14, nostalgia sells! Happy to buy whatever Phantom variant gets made - but I think the current breakdown makes the most sense, E, DMAS E, J, S, best of all worlds

Genuinely very grateful that you are here lending your actual experience to these discussions, it has been so great reading through all your posts! Thank you for sharing!

I really appreciate the split between earlier and later versions, it allows for more variety in mission planning

For what it is worth, I strongly agree with this! It provides the systems and wing modifications of the later variants If I want to mimic an earlier variant, I can slap on a skin and limit my loadout

Thank you for the heads up and for setting expectations. Looking forward to the unveiling whenever it comes. Your passion shines through everything you folks do. Thoughts with all of you and may this insanity end soon.

I thought I read somewhere that there will be a general HB update soonTM (really looking forward to learning more, maybe some sweet F-4 pics?) From the patch notes earlier in March:

This raises an important question - what is the radar cross section of a dragon?

MiG-17 is in the works too, not much news about it though. How could I forget! I enjoy flying the 19, and I'm very excited for the 17 - glad to see that Red Star is making progress!

Always felt like you all at Heatblur really love what you do - it really shows!

The only way to settle this is to fight them against each other once they release - and I for one cannot wait to try all of them! I feel as though we finally have a decent 3rd gen cold war lineup - the F-4E, Mirage F1, MiG 23, MiG 21 fights will be very enjoyable!

So, so happy to hear that Heatblur is working on the F-4 Phantom. There is no other team that could do this legendary jet justice, like you did for the F-14. Can't wait to get my hands on this! Thank you!

Same method used here on an F-4E on Zulu Alert

Good news! https://trello.com/c/PoeATExR/5-next-gen-meteor-album

If you're anything like me, reading books about combat aircraft and the theatres they served in generates an immediate desire to go fly that aircraft in DCS! With that in mind, let's climb aboard this hype train till release day, and share some books about the F-4 Phantom, the people who flew them, and the theatres it served in! I'll start off with a few of my favourites: Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds - Christina Olds, Robin Olds, Ed Rasimus Top Gun: An American Story - Dan Pedersen Sierra Hotel: Flying Airforce Fighters In The Decade After Vietnam - C R Anderegg The Hunter Killers - Dan Hampton What do you recommend to fellow F-4 Phantom Enthusiasts?