Under the designation, RF-4, Phantom IIs also served in the photoreconnaissance role. McDonnell Douglas received orders for the first RF-4B in February 1963. Differing from the fighter version of the Phantom in a 4 ft., 8 7/8 in. longer nose that housed forward- and side-oblique cameras, the aircraft also featured photoflash cartridges for night photography, an improvement over the RF-8A Crusader. Film could be developed in flight and ejected at low altitude for quick delivery to ground commanders. All told, the company produced forty-six RF-4Bs (of which the museum's aircraft was forty-fourth), with all of them going to the Marine Corps beginning in 1965. The first RF-4Bs arrived in Vietnam in October 1966, equipping Marine Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (VMCJ) 1 at Da Nang. All told, five of them were lost, including tow that crash-landed and three that were shot down by hostile fire. The Marine Corps retired its last RF-4s in 1990. (Click on image to enlarge) Photo and electronic reconnaissance had previously been conducted by three Marine Composite Reconnaissance Squadrons (VMCJ-1, 2, 3) located at MCAS Iwakuni, MCAS Cherry Point, and MCAS El Toro, respectively. These squadrons, (each flying RF-4Bs and EA-6As) were consolidated into two reconnaissance squadrons- VMAQ-2 at MCAS Cherry Point operating all the EA-6s, and VMFP-3 operating all the RF-4Bs. Each squadron would deploy detachments to Iwakuni to fly missions previously flown by VMCJ-1. Two RF-4B Phantoms in flight in 1990.Overseas detachments, in addition to supporting FMF operations, continued the 7th fleet support started by VMCJ-1 in 1974. RF-4Bs were permanently deployed aboard the USS Midway until 1984. The mission of the VMFP-3 was replaced by the Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System carried by the F/A-18D Hornet aircraft. (Click on image to enlarge)