Ed Okun "Modeling Military History": Israeli Air Force "Sharkmouth" F-4E Phantom-II

One very interesting aircraft of the Israeli Air Force was F-4E Phantom-II #187. It was painted with one of the largest sharkteeth artwork on any Phantom II. This particular early F-4E was sold to the IDF/AF in late 1968 arriving with the first or second batch received. F-4Es, at that time were not equipped with forward maneuvering slats as standard equipment. The late aviation author, Tim McGovern, wrote in his book on the F-4E, that McDonnell engineers fitted one Israeli F-4E (#68-544) with fixed Leading edge slats in October of 1970. After extensive flight testing the data was collected from the Israelis and would be used by McDonnell engineers to incorporate the actuating leading edge maneuvering slats into all later models of the “E”.

A series of in-flight pictures at the 1971 "Air Force Day" airshow displayed an early “E”, with fixed
leading edge slats and a ferocious sharkmouth on the sides of the nose. Camera register markings appeared forward on the sides of the engine intakes and forward fuselage. Further photos appeared, that show the same camera register markings on the inboard pylons and on the aft fuselage. This photographic evidence confirmed the identity of this plane as #68-544. It's now known, no other IAF Phantom ever was painted with this marking. The aircraft belonged to IDF/AF 69sq. "The Hammers".

The 1973 Yom Kippur war began on October 6, and IAF Phantom and Skyhawk squadrons took heavy losses in the first few days of the conflict. Phantom #187 reportedly flew a single combat mission against the Syrians on the Golan Heights. Flak damage inflicted on the plane during that sortie was severe enough to sideline it for the remainder of the war.

Photos published after the war showed the aircraft at the Israel Aircraft Industries facility undergoing a major repair. The white teeth had already been painted out but the outline of the red mouth was still evident. No other Israeli fighter aircraft to the present time has been painted with sharkteeth.

A single photograph taken in the mid 1970s showed a new incarnation for #187. Now appearing in the markings of 119 "Bats" squadron, with red chevron on the tail and “Bat” squadron markings. The aircraft tail number and a unique patch of brown camouflage on the LHS tail confirming its identity. Nose markings had been deleted and revealingly, a patch of green camouflage which normally appears on the nose camo scheme was absent, further confirming the identity of this aircraft.

The Model: When I saw a photo of this plane 35 years ago I knew I would build a model of it one day. To start, I used the Revell F-4E in 1/32nd scale, as Tamiya had not issued the “E” yet. The model was painted in standard IAF camouflage, which varied only slightly as they were delivered from the McDonnell factory. The model does not have the TISEO fairing on the left wing root, or the leading edge flaps. Photos helped to determine the dimensions of the mouth outline. This area was masked in the overall shape of the mouth and sprayed testors flat Red (# 1150). The lower portion of the mouth is in a reddish brown. Information I received after the model was built would contradict the brown portion of the mouth. If I built it again, it would be all Red. A stencil of masking tape was created for the teeth, the teeth were cut away, leaving only a jagged mask to cover the red. Flat white was sprayed in light coats over the mask. Removing the mask left a beautiful set of sharkteeth. The model was oversprayed with “Future” acrylic floor polish, and “Cutting Edge” 1/32nd IAF F4 decals and “Aeromaster” 1/32nd “Early F4 Stencils” decals were applied.

Other Phantoms: The early Phantom jets obtained by Israel were similarly painted with a standard camouflage pattern. This pattern varied only slightly for many years. The 1980s saw the definition of this pattern slowly disappear as aircraft went through repeated general depot repairs. The colors however remained the same. Here are other IAF Phantoms from the early years: