The Japan Air Self-Defense Force held a public farewell event for the F-4 Phantom II in late 2019 as it marked the final chapter for its legendary reconnaissance ‘Rhinos’.
THE ICONIC AND muchloved McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II fleet of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) is very much in its final throes. The latest phase of the drawdown took the form of a huge public farewell event held over the weekend of November 30-December 1 at Hyakuri Air Base — the last bastion of Japanese Phantoms — located northeast of Tokyo. The primary focus for the event was to hold a public farewell for the reconnaissance-configured RF- 4E/EJs of 501 Hikotai (501 Squadron).
The JASDF’s 140 heavily upgraded F-4EJ Kai air defense Phantoms were first delivered from 1971, and included the last ever F-4 off the McDonnell Douglas production line. Japan’s industrial expertise enabled 127 F-4EJs to be built under license by Mitsubishi.
Alongside these fighters, 14 unarmed reconnaissance RF-4Es were imported from the US. In addition, 17 F-4EJs were equipped with long-range oblique photography (LOROP) pods and converted to the reconnaissance role under the RF-4EJ designation. The RF-4EJ is visually distinguishable from the R…
