F-4 Phantom

History

The development of the F-4 can be traced all the way back to the beginning of the First Lunar War, in the battles against the BETA that followed. In 1967, in @The United States of America (USA), the Extraterrestrial Countermeasures Committee and the Department of Defence investigated the combat records that came after the Sacrobosco Incident, with the DoD coming to the conclusion that current weapons were not up to task in combating the new off-Earth threat. At the end of the investigations, the DoD presented a report to the ECC detailing US capability in dealing with the BETA invasion, and strongly advocated the development of new weapons for use in space.

One such weapon, based off the LMMU (Large Manned Maneuvering Unit) used in space construction, would later be developed in the NCAF-X Plan, and was handled by McDaell. The decision to entrust McDaell with the plan that would later produce the NCAF-X prototypes was made on the basis of the company already being in charge of developing a space-use armored exoskeleton.

When the BETA were predicted to arrive on Earth, development of the NCAF-X would continue into the NCSF-X prototypes, designed to operate under Earth's gravity conditions. Despite setbacks, such as the change in deployment conditions required of the units, from the vacuum of space to the Earth's surface, the NCSF-X line was further developed into the YSF4H-1 when Unit 6 of the NCSF-X prototypes made its first successful boost jump. The military then decided to adopt the YSF4H-1 as its next-generation anti-BETA weapon, with the result being the F-4A Phantom.

In the aftermath of the carnage at Operation Hongqi, the F-4 Phantom was deployed into battle against the advancing BETA. Despite operational unfamiliarity at its multi-theater capabilities from retrained air force pilots, the F-4 Phantom successfully checked the BETA advance. As the BETA War progressed, development and deployment of the F-4 continued.

Deployment

The F-4 is perhaps one of the most widely-deployed TSF in the history of the BETA War, having been deployed by the US Army, US Marines, and the US Navy, as well as being exported to other nations, or else being approved for licensed production, localized or otherwise. Each deploying nation has implemented its own changes to better allow the Phantom to fit their requirements; even 30 years after its first deployment, the F-4 Phantom remains in use by numerous nations. Examples include some African nations that were not as affected by the BETA invasion, either to retain a reserve TSF force out of necessity, or as a means of saving expenditure on military wares, or other nations, like the @European Union and the @Empire of Japan, which retain their F-4 variants in a support role to supplement their more advanced TSFs on the frontlines.

Because of its age, the F-4 is one of the most prolific TSFs to enter production; notable deployments of the F-4 Phantom including having taken part in Operation Palaiologos, the Soviet/Chinese retreat against the BETA threat spreading from Kashgar, and early attempts by the @Middle Eastern Coalition to hold the BETA at the @Suez Canal. The F-4 is also the progenitor TSF for many other TSF lines around the world, being the base frame used for the Japanese Royal Guard's @Type-82 Kai Zuikaku, and kick-starting Soviet development of the MiG-series of TSFs, starting with the @MiG-21 Balalaika, via the introduction of the Soviet-tailored F-4R variant.

Despite its age, the F-4 has gone through many refurbishment programs, and can take on multiple roles, including modification to its components to allows it to act as a mobile transport station, or to perform reconnaissance duties prior to the introduction of aerial drones. These modifications can be applied to any of its variants, giving them additional capabilities, as well as new identification codes (e.g. RF-4 for Phantoms outfitted with reconnaissance equipment).

As of 2001, the F-4 has been succeeded by newer TSFs in combat and is mostly placed in a defensive role for key locations by many of the nations that once used it on the frontlines of battle. In particular, the F-4s of the United States have all been retired from active service, and have been sold to other nations. However, it is rare, though not impossible, to find F-4s on the forefront either due to shortage of combat units and/or sheer desperation for more firepower.

Variants

F-4B

A variant that included data-link support.

F-4D

A variant with improved attacking precision through enhanced target acquisition and improved avionics.

F-4N

A variant featuring a body frame with extended operational life, and improved attacking precision.

F-4E

The final production variant of the Phantom, upgrades were made to its frame and avionics to bring it up to quasi-2nd generation standards, including the addition of anti-laser coating, improved heat-resistant anti-projectile armor material, anti-laser early warning system, as well as new Jump Units to improve its mobility. It remains in use by the @African Union, Turkey, Israel, and other nations around the world, especially by those not under immediate threat of BETA attack, as a means to lower military expenditure while still being ready to face the BETA. The F-4Es of the Egyptian Army have been specifically upgraded with dust-proofing and countermeasures against operation in high-temperature regions, marking them as variants for combat in desert conditions.

One known unit is the 331st TSF Battalion Horus of the Egyptian Army, which participated in the opening days of the First Defense of the Suez Canal. The 66th Tactical Armor Battalion Turquoise of the Turkish Army also operated F-4Es, and were present at the beginning of the Battle of Rhodes before reinforcements arrived to relieve their beleaguered position.

F-4J/@Type-77 Gekishin

An export variant of the F-4 Phantom for the @Empire of Japan's Imperial Japanese Army, its close-quarters combat capability has been enhanced by reinforcing its arm joints and hand manipulators, and its @Mount Pylons redesigned and reinforced to accommodate the F-4J's carrying and use of swords during combat.

The F-4J has been upgraded numerous times since 1977, with the upgrades identified with the name of "Block". As of 2001, in an effort to keep the TSF relevant to upgraded foreign variants of the F-4, the latest version of the Gekishin is the Block 214 model, which, through various upgrades to its avionics, the use of lightweight composite armor components, the installation of the same laser warning system and Jump Unit engines used for the @Type-82 Kai Zuikaku, and the addition of anti-laser coating on its frame, have allowed the machine to achieve performance close to 2nd generation standards. As of the Block 214, it is roughly equal to the F-4E in performance, or comparable to eight of the F-4s deployed to the European front in 1978.

The decision to accept the F-4J for deployment was first made in 1972; in 1976, F-4Js were delivered to the Fuji Tactical Fighter Training Group for operational trials. The Type-77 was formally deployed in 1977, with priority given to the 8th Western Army Division due to the BETA invasion of Eurasia. Throughout its long service life, the F-4J has been deployed in numerous situations and places. F-4Js were deployed to China during Operation 6/9, the defence of Dalian and of the Far East Defence Line in 1993, and were deployed during the evacuation of Gwangju in 1998. F-4Js were also used as training units for the Royal Guard, and were involved in operations against the BETA Invasion of Japan in 1998, with a significant number of units participating in the Defence of @Kyoto up to its fall.

By 2001, the F-4J was slated to be pulled from frontline combat, and relegated to guard duties of selected locations.

TF-4J Gekishin

The F-4J also served as a trainer for Imperial Army forces prior to the introduction of the @Type-97 Fubuki; the TF-4J is an advanced training variant used by pilots. With orange-painted shoulder block and head sections as befitting a training unit, the TF-4J's Jump Units have been reduced to 60% of its full power, and the entire machine's carbon actuators have been limited to 70% of their operational responsiveness and elasticity. These modifications allow for ease of handling, so as to facilitate pilot cadets in understanding the concepts behind piloting a TSF more easily.

F-4R

F-4 variant for use by Soviet forces, geared towards cold weather operation and usage of existing armament types. Some of its modifications include simplified sub-arms for increased ease of production, and reinforced joints and body frame to be able to use battle tank cannons. Construction of the F-4R was done via knock-down kits; the F-4R's components were manufactured and later delivered to be assembled, rather than being assembled before delivery to the Soviet Union.

As modifications to the F-4R continued, its appearance and specifications changed enough for the final variant to be given a different name of identification. This final model would later be known as the @MiG-21 Balalaika; however, the components of both units remained similar enough that later F-4R conversions to MiG-21s usually took only a day.