I've noticed all manner of colors on the nose(s) of F-4's (black, white, tan, gray - even red on the prototype) ...yet there's a warning stencil on the nose that states "do not paint". Any rhyme or reason for the variations in color? Inquiring minds wanna know. 🙂

Oh...I coulda sworn it was a "do not paint" warning (I've seen 'em on other radomes) - anyhow, any idea on why they come in so many different colors (and for what reason) - ?

Certainly don't mean to be argumentative, Robert, but I've seen Navy Phantoms (with an all gray fuselage) with nose cones painted Tan, White AND Black. Just wondered if there was any significance in which color was chosen. Thanks.

@craigindaytona there are as you say different colours, but as far as I know it is not paint, it is the colour of the material used to make the nosecone, as they need to be easy for the radar to penetrate. Same goes for all fighters with a radar. Sometimes, often late in their career they could get painted in some special colours, like the last two RAF Phantoms to patrol the east-west german border - they were painted all blue. In 1972 the Royal Navy FG.1's made a farewell tour in the states with the radomes partly painted (and 001 got "tagged with ROYAL NAVY replaced by COLONIAL NAVY, and the brit roundel got changed, the white part extended to make a star, resembling the early USAAF markings! - sorry straddled away a bit - so back on track; another exception was FGR.2 XT853 that had the radome replaced with one in unpainted steel for some trials in connection with the Concorde, robbing them the use of their radar. A quick search in my library did not reveal the text, but it is obvious that the ring - as described by Robert - is for a static port. So in conclusion, yes the radomes were left unpainted Black, Grey, White or Tan in operational service with the exceptions of special use and special colors. The color used more or less depended on the camo - like the Falklands grey ones having tan/light grey radomes. Do also note that radomes (most notably the black ones) faded in use, and repairs are very visible.

(On another note, Xtradecal has just issued a set of markings for the "COLONIAL NAVY Phantom today! - just saw it on hannants under new arrivals)

Hope this helped - and it is all open to further comments as I do in no way claim to be an expert on the matter, so this is just my pennies worth.

This may be swinging after the bell but the US Navy began using what's known as "radome tan" in the 1950s. I think the various colors were because of availability issues, the tan color gave way over time to white and primarily black. The first few F4H-1s got away with red because they hadn't yet installed radar equipment, the Navy was in a rush to have the plane complete carrier quals, if you look closely, you'll notice there's no seat in the rear cockpit. Most paints in those days had a lead base, the lead in the paint interfered with radar operation and non lead coatings were specially made for radomes. The no paint rule was for crew chiefs and plane captains who wanted their plane to look good but had a habit of using the leaded paint, high speed flight in South East Asia's rough weather could make radomes look pretty ragged.