The Aviation Magazine No 52 September-October 2017 | Page 6
Air‐to‐air courtesy of Major Lambros Tolias of 348 TRS.
On Friday, May 5th, the Hellenic Air Force retired its RF‐4E Phantom II from service. In an official ceremony,
the 348 Mira Taktikis Anagnoriseos (MTA, Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron), based at Larissa AB, was dis‐
banded.
After 39 years of operation, this day marked the end of the reconnaissance version of the Phantom II in the
HAF and in Europe. The Japan Air Self‐Defense Force and the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force remain the last
RF‐4E operators. On May 4th, the 348 MTA hosted a spottersday to give aviation enthusiasts and photogra‐
phers
a last chance to see this iconic aircraft in action. 514 spotters joined the event.
There were plenty of opportunities to take photos of the squadron's last three aircraft, two of them with a
special color scheme and one wearing the Southeast Asia, Vietnam‐era, camouflage color scheme. That day,
the Phantoms were flying twice in a rarely seen "clean" configuration, which means without any wing
mounted pods or rockets. A highlight was several overflights of a three‐ship RF‐4E formation. This formation
was then joined by a Mirage 2000 and an F‐16. Some air show feeling came up when a T‐6A Texan II and an F