McDonnell Douglas F-4E-43-MC Phantom II AF Serial No. 69-7254/WW in F-4G configuration awaits its turn at Mojave for conversion to a 'Red Tail' Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) drone. White fin cap indicates aircraft was assigned to the 563 TFS, inactivated October 1989. Converted to QF-4G AF-209. Expended as target 4 June 2002.
English: F-4G 69-7254, a recent arrival from AMARC, awaits its turn at Mojave for conversion to a 'Red Tail' target drone. The "WW" tailcode indicates that the aircraft last flew with the 35th Tactical Fighter Wing, an F-4 training wing based at George AFB in California. The white fin cap indicates that this aircraft belonged to the 563rd TFS which deactivated in October 1989. I'd like to correct this information just a bit. First of all the tail number belongs to 69-0254 which was assigned to the 561st. Aircraft 69-7254 was assigned to Blue section 562nd TFTS in 1989 time frame and would have had a blue tail. It was my first jet right out of tech school and was the first G model built; the prototype. The 562nd TFTS and the 561st TFS joined as the 35th TFW "Provisional" to go fight in Desert Storm. By this time 7254 was someone elses jet and I was assigned 7233. All G models are 69- whatever number, and are all modified E models. The 561st didn't deactivate until the base closed in late 92 or 93 after I PCS'd. In 1990 we were in country for the Gulf War Operation Desert Storm, actually it wasn't even called Desert Storm yet as we were still Operation Desert Shield until the first shots were fired and official war was declared and the mission operational name changed to storm around new years time frame. We were deployed to Bahrain from August 90 to the end of March 91. For the time I was at George, 7254 belonged to Blue section and 0254 belonged to Yellow section. I was stationed at GAFB from 1985 to 1992 and served in the 562nd, 563rd (Red section), and 561/562/35TFW Provisional. The 563rd was deactvated years before by Col. Ernst. Also the 37th TFW was deactivated and we all became part of the 35th TFW while our old 37th designation went to the F117 Stealth Fighter wing in Nevada. I know these things not because I read them in a book with erroneous information; I lived it and worked on all those jets most of my career. As for the fate of 0254, I assume it was a target like the photo caption says. As for 7254 I called Tyndall and spoke with the folks that do the target drones and confirmed that my old jet 69-7254 had been shot down a month prior to my call by some fighter jock and sent it to the bottom of the Gulf Of Mexico. Whomever shot it down has the data plate off it as they remove them and the stick grips and file them so when they get shot own the shooter gets to keep those as a souvenir. That prototype should have been saved and put on a post somewhere. I still have the history papers on that jet, I guess they just didn't know. SGT. Tim Wells Crew Chief 69-7254 I was stationed at George AFB assigned to the 563rd, red section from 1986 to 1988. I remember 69 254 was in red section, the 563rd tactical fighter squadron. I was an armament specialist and remember loading munitions on this aircraft. I believe it was 69 0254 that was in the 563rd at the time I was stationed there. I can not be 100% sure but according to SGT. Wells it would make it 0254. The squadron emblem on the side of the intake is definitely the 561st Tac fighter squadron for the aircraft pictured, yellow section. The 563rd was right next door to the 561st and the 562nd training squadron was on the other side of us in the 563rd. The 35th TFW was training German pilots when I was there. There were also OV-10 Broncos at George.