The Hellenic Air Force celebrates 50 years of its Phantom II fighters with an excellent video

In 1974, Greece received the first McDonnell-Douglas F-4E Phantom II fighters from a batch of 36 purchased from the United States two years earlier.

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A surprising fuel leak in an already veteran Greek F-4E Phantom II fighter

With its first Phantom II, the Hellenic Air Force formed two units: the 338 Squadron "Ares" (still active and the only one still operating these aircraft) and the 339 Squadron "Ajax" (disbanded in 2017), both based in Andravida.

In 1976, Greece purchased 24 more aircraft, namely F-4E fighters and RF-4E reconnaissance aircraft. The RF-4Es were used to form a reconnaissance unit, the 348 Squadron "Eyes", based in Larisa and disbanded in 2017, and the new F-4Es were used to form the 337 Squadron "Ghost", created in 1978 and which retired its Phantom II in 2005, receiving F-16 fighters in 2006.

This initial fleet was replenished years later with surpluses from two allied countries: in the 1990s, Greece acquired 27 RF-4Es from the German Luftwaffe and 28 F-4Es from the US Air National Guard.

In the following years, Greece launched the Peace Icarus I and II programs to modernize its Phantom IIs, renewing their structural components to prolong their operational life and equipping them with AN/APG-65 GR radars, improved avionics, LITENING II target designators and an inertial navigation system.

Greece retired its last RF-4Es from service on 5 May 2017. Today, the 338 Squadron "Ares" continues to operate 18 F-4E SRAs received from the US in the 1990s from Andravida Air Base. These aircraft are planned to be replaced by fifth-generation F-35A fighters in the near future.

A few days ago, the Hellenic Air Force published an excellent video paying tribute to its Phantom II on the 50th anniversary of the arrival of this aircraft model to that European country. The video ends with a play on words, "Phiphty Phantastic Years" (Fifty fantastic years), in reference to the nickname of the aircraft. The images that I include in this article are taken from this video: