Help with ID please

[Hinkelbein]

Hi guys,

I could use your help on this one.

At the Palm Desert Air Museum is displayed outside a F-4 Phantom.
It has two IDīs: VX-30 and 3851.
Now, I know almost nothing about military aviation, since itīs not my favorite. But I did some research.
VX-30 is some kind of squadron?
And when I googled on 3851 in combination with Phantom I came on this on a website (www.adf-serials.com):

It says this about nr. 3851:
"Destroyed 06/11/97 while used as a target drone."

Now:
Is this a fake number?

If yes, what must I do when uploading the picture?


And another issue: can I upload two pictures of the same plane? Theyīre from completely different angles and have a different composition/background.

Greetings,

Hinkelbein

[z740]

3851 are the last four numbers in the bureau number.

So the registration number is 153851.
Construction number is 2289.
Aircraft type is a McDonnell Douglas QF-4S Phantom II.
Operated by the United States Navy.

All gained from Scramble. Most Phantom registration numbers start with 15 so that is how I came up with the information.

-Chris

[Jet-fighters.Net]

153851 is the BuNo for the F-4J-31-MC at the Palm Springs Air Museum but the information on Scramble is in accurate as it was never converted to "S" specification nor was it converted to a target drone.

[Hinkelbein]

(...) nor was it converted to a target drone.

I thought so, because the plane looks completely undammaged by bullits and missiles

Thanks for your answers!

[z740]

From what I've seen it was converted to an "S" but was not a target drone. The operator is the USMC not the Navy. Sorry for the incorrect info in my first post.

-Chris

[Jet-fighters.Net]

I thought so, because the plane looks completely undammaged by bullits and missiles

An A/C converted to a target drone does not mean that it will be riddled with bullets and missile hits. If the drone were to be hit by these it would more than likely become a smoking hole in the ground or at the bottom of the ocean. If at any time the drone pilot on the ground feels that the A/C is damaged they will self destruct the plane over the MOA that they operate in.

The easy way to tell a drone from a standard F-4 is to look at the wings and spine of the fuselage as they will have extra bumps and antennas for the drone conversion.