Quote:
Originally Posted by tangomike
Quote:
Originally Posted by siokan
P.S.
The F-4 grandpa is a near death. Send a young man early.
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oh man the F-4....i cant beleive we still have some of that in service. Time to get some new F-22s over there for aerial defense |
From what I can see, the only F-4s left in service with the U.S. military are aerial target drones serving with the Air Force's 82d Aerial Targets Squadron.
siokan was talking about the Japan Air Self Defense Force, which still flies a number of Mitsubishi-built F-4s as second-line fighters. It also flies Mitsubishi-built F-15s and the
Mitsubishi/Lockheed-Martin F-2 (a development of the F-16). It's been looking for a replacement for a while, and according to
this news report it is currently choosing between the F-35 Lightning II, the Eurofighter Typhoon, and the F/A-18 Super Hornet. (Japan had also considered the F-22, but that's not really an option now, since the U.S. Congress never approved an export version of that aircraft and has now shut down production because of our own budget problems.)
Japan has not yet made its final decision, but given the long delays in the F-35 program, and the fact that Japan likes to closely coordinate its forces with U.S. forces, which would be harder with an aircraft type never used by the U.S., the Super Hornet now appears to be the most likely choice. Whatever the choice, the F-4s would be retired, and the F-15s would move into the second-line role.
By the way, Germany and South Korea also still fly a number of F-4s as well. Unsurprisingly, both countries are in the process of replacing them.