The F-4E Weapon Systems Officer

At the moment of writing, the F-4E Phantom II has not been released yet, but I wanted to cover the basics to be ready for the start of Early Access. For this reason, I am working on the Phantom Phamiliarisation series, using MilViz’s F-4E for FSX.

Phantom Phamiliarisation

1. F-4E Cockpits Tour: this video explores the cockpits of the F-4E Phantom II, with more emphasis on WSO’s office;
2. Guns and Slats: F-4E Peculiarities: the F-4E was the first Phantom to include new features, such as the internal M61A1 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon, and leading-edge slats. This discussion discusses the details of these features and the reasoning behind their introduction;
3. Air-to-Air Weapons Employment: as seen previously, the cockpits of the F-4E are quite different from the other multicrew modules we have in DCS, and the employment of air-to-air weapons has its own peculiarities. This video shows the controls involved, and checklists to recap the usage of AIM-7, AIM-9 and Guns.
4. Radar Basics & Controls: a discussion about the details of the Radar Set Control Panel, and the purpose of the instruments here installed. This is where most of the radar controls are located, the WSO 101!
5. Radar Quirks & Features: a discussion about some cool features of the radar and avionics, such as the nutating antenna pattern, or the Computer Automatic Acquisition mode.
6. F-4E Air-to-Air Intercepts – Theory: a two-parts refresher on the basic concepts useful to intercept and engage a target with the F-4E Phantom II. This first covers the theory, and the next practical examples conducted using the DDD of the Tomcat.
7. F-4E Air-to-Air Intercepts – Practice: the second part of the Air-to-Air intercepts demonstrates simple engagements and intercepts using Pulse Radar and B-Scope.