During RED FLAG 90-1, an RAF Phantom FGR.2 (known as F-4M in the US) diverted there and returned to Nellis bearing an F-117 sticker and legend. DON’T ASK
As one of the most capable strike fighters in the world, the Phantom played a significant role in the Royal Air Force’s combat aircraft arsenal for more than two decades.
The Royal Air Force began using two models of the Rolls-Royce Spey-powered Phantom: FG1 (the version also in service by the Royal Navy) for interceptor roles and FGR2 for ground attack and tactical reconnaissance in Germany. Every Royal Air Force Phantom was converted into an interceptor fighter aircraft starting in 1977 and operated only over the United Kingdom airspace.
Great Britain bought fifty-two Phantom FG1s and 118 Phantom FGR2s.
Following the 1982 South Atlantic deployment of Phantoms, a further order for 15 Phantoms was issued. These were second-hand Navy F-4Js from the United States Navy that were powered by General Electric J-79 engines. Following a comprehensive renovation and the installation of certain British equipment, they were assigned the designation F-4J (UK).
The Phantom fleet’s decommissioning occurred at the end of September 1992 as a result of an expedited run-down brought on by the collapse of the Eastern European threat.
The top-secret F-117 Nighthawk was then housed at Tonopah Air Force Base (AFB), where an RAF Tornado GR1 taking part in a Red Flag exercise in the US made an emergency landing on April 9, 1990.
The Tonka’s fin was adorned with a Nighthawk silhouette as a result of the emergency landing. “The guys at Tonopah had a sense of humor after all, for the silhouette of an F-117 had been stenciled on each side of our tail fin,” Squadron Leader Wally Grout, a former RAF Tornado navigator, said in Ian Hall’s book Tornado Boys.
However, as noted by military aviation writer Mike Crutch in that article, a few months before the Tornado, another RAF aircraft made an emergency landing at Tonopah.
“A RAF Phantom FGR.2 (F-4M in US speak) diverted there during RED FLAG 90-1, arriving back at Nellis with an F-117 sticker and legend DON’T ASK. The diversion took place on Nov. 9, 1989, and the aircraft was Phantom FGR.2 serial XV476 (coded ‘S’ with No.56 Squadron, based at RAF Wattisham, UK but was part of a mix of airframes from UK and RAF Germany bases). So it was 56 Squadron-owned aircraft based at RAF Wattisham, UK, flown at that stage by a 92 Squadron crew based at RAF Wildenrath, West Germany. The zap was applied to the starboard engine intake,” Crutch said.
Keith Hillsmith, who was a former RAF Phantom crew member and wingman of an XV476 during the mission that resulted in the aircraft being diverted to Tonopah, provided more information. “The F-4 crew that diverted to Tonopah were from 94 Squadron RAFG. I was the wingman. Single hydraulic PC failure. Which was a land ASAP.”
Sadly, we were unable to locate any pictures of this aircraft at the time. However, Peter Rolt showed images of a Phantom equipped with an F-117 zap, which proved to be the precise images of the aircraft we were looking for.
As Rolt explained, the photos were taken on June 9–10, 1990, at A&AEE Boscombe Down, during the IAT 1990 airshow (officially titled the Battle of Britain Airshow). “56 Squadron had several jets at IAT at MoD Boscombe Down, they conducted a ‘scramble’ as it was the 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain-themed airshow.
“The pictures have been sitting in my study since then, recently I have been submitting photographs to a Facebook group for British Phantoms and I have been going through my images, having a little bit of a tidy up there were these strips of transparencies that I had not looked at for thirty years, obviously I noticed it on the day but with so many images from such a large event, they were forgotten until now.
“I asked the Phantom group and it was mentioned one diverted to Tonopah so I Google the specifics and your webpage came up, isn’t technology great.”
Photo by Peter Rolt