Wild Weasel I The Wild Weasel concept was proposed in 1965 to counter the increasing North Vietnamese
SAM threat. Air Force crews flew the two-seat F model of the
F-100 Super Sabre, while the
United States Navy primarily relied upon the
A-4 Skyhawk. The F-100F Wild Weasel lacked the performance characteristics to survive in a high threat environment. The first Wild Weasel squadron was the
354th Tactical Fighter Squadron based at
Takhli Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand. After 45 days of operations against North Vietnamese targets, the 354th had one airplane left and of the 16 aircrew members, four had been killed, two were
prisoners of war, three had been wounded and two had quit.
Wild Weasel II and III The Wild Weasel II version was the first unsuccessful attempt to use the
F-4C Phantom as a Wild Weasel platform. When that effort failed, the Wild Weasel role was then passed to the
F-105F in the summer of 1966. The F-105F was converted for the role and was designated Wild Weasel III. The F-105F was equipped with more advanced radar, jamming equipment, and a heavier armament.
Anti-radiation missiles were outfitted that could seek out radar emplacements. The F-105F Wild Weasel airframes were eventually modified with improved countermeasures components in a standardized configuration and designated the F-105G. The F-105G was also designated Wild Weasel III; 61 F-105F units were upgraded to F-105G specifications. Although in some documentation the F-105F was referred to as an EF-105F, that designation never existed in the operational flying squadrons.
Wild Weasel IV The F-105 was no longer in production by 1964. With severe combat attrition of the F-105 inventory, the need for a more sophisticated aircraft resulted in the conversion of 36
F-4C Phantom II aircraft, designated F-4C Wild Weasel IV. The F-4C Wild Weasel IV also bore the unofficial designation of EF-4C.
Wild Weasel V The F-4E, the most advanced Phantom variant with extensive ground-attack capabilities and an internal gun, became the basis for the F-4G Wild Weasel V (also known as the Advanced Wild Weasel). This modification consisted of removing the gun and replacing it with the AN/APR-38 Radar Homing and Warning Receiver (later upgraded to the AN/APR-47), and a cockpit upgrade for the back seat to manage the electronic combat environment. A total of 134 F-4G models were converted from F-4Es with the first one flying in 1975. Squadron service began in 1978. F-4Gs were deployed to three active wings. One was stationed at
George AFB,
Victorville, California, as part of the Rapid Deployment Force; one wing was assigned to
USAFE (US Air Forces in Europe) at
Spangdahlem AB, Germany; and the other to
PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) at
Clark AB, Philippines. F-4Gs from George AFB, Clark AB and Spangdahlem AB saw combat during
Operation Desert Storm in 1991, successfully protecting strike packages from enemy air defenses. During this conflict the F-4G saw heavy use, with only a single loss: an aircraft from Spangdahlem AB crashed in Saudi Arabia while returning from a mission, after one of the AGM-88 HARM
anti-radiation missiles hang fired which left the aircraft's instruments not displaying the correct altitude information and a significant frame tweak from the damage made the plane hard to control. After an investigation into the loss of the aircraft which occurred during several aborted landing attempts in a sandstorm, it was determined that a fuel cell was punctured by anti-aircraft fire. The pilot and EWO safely ejected after the engines shut down when the aircraft ran out of fuel attempting to land at a forward airstrip. After
Desert Storm, some of the George AFB aircraft were assigned to the
124th Wing of the Air National Guard at
Boise, Idaho,
190th Fighter Squadron. Aircraft from Spangdahlem, Clark, and the remainder from George were assigned to the
561st Fighter Squadron,
57th Fighter Wing (Active Duty) at Nellis AFB,
Las Vegas. The aircraft remained in service until 1996, with both squadrons participating in frequent deployments to Saudi Arabia and Turkey in support of Operation Provide Comfort, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Vigilant Warrior enforcing the no-fly zones over Iraq. By this time the F-4G was the last operational variant of the Phantom II in the US forces. Many of the airframes were later used as target drones and Aircraft Battle Damage Repair training aids.
Current A change in aircraft design theory to stress versatile multi-role aircraft meant that the F-4G Phantom was the last aircraft in the USAF inventory specifically outfitted for the SEAD (suppress enemy air defenses) role. The Wild Weasel mission is now assigned to the
F-16 Fighting Falcon, using the
Block 50 and Block 52, with production beginning in 1991. The single-seat Block 50/52 F-16C is specifically tasked with this mission and aircraft modified for this mission are designated
F-16CJ/DJ. The pilot now performs both the role of flying the airplane and targeting and employing against ground threats. Other aircraft, while capable of engaging anti-air emplacements, are typically tasked with other primary missions; the
A-10 Thunderbolt II "Warthog", primarily tasked with
CAS missions, lacks the
avionics to perform a true SEAD mission and does not carry the
AGM-88 HARM. The
F-15E Strike Eagle, possessing advanced air-to-ground avionics but also high speed and long range, is typically tasked with "deep strike" missions, which can include SAM installations but typically focuses on high-value targets such as enemy command & control, infrastructure and production, and likewise does not carry HARM. The
ECR variant of the
Panavia Tornado is dedicated to SEAD missions and is currently operated by the
German Air Force and
Italian Air Force. The
Royal Air Force used the GR4 variant to conduct similar missions utilising the
ALARM missile, though they were mainly used in the interdiction/CAS role. The RAF retired the ALARM missile in 2013 and retired the Tornado in 2019. over the
Mojave Desert The
F-35 Lightning II is slated to gradually replace these aircraft for various air-to-ground roles, including SEAD, beginning with its introduction in 2016. Its stealth capabilities promise a significant increase in effectiveness against air-defence radars, though to maintain its lowest radar signature, its payload capacity would be limited to the internal weapons bays, reducing the number of missile site attacks per sortie. However, it can carry more or larger air to ground weapons internally than even the
F-22 and is more advanced in a ground attack capacity, potentially making it the best crewed aircraft for destroying sophisticated enemy air defenses. Additionally, the
AGM-88G AARGM-ER, itself an evolution of the AGM-88 HARM, is being integrated into all three variants of the F-35. The F-35A and F-35C will have the ability to carry the AARGM-ER internally, while the F-35B will only be able to carry the missile externally owing to its smaller internal weapons bays. ==Mission tactics==