RF-4C Reconnaissance Weapons School taught graduate-level instructor courses, which provided the world's most advanced training in weapons and tactics employment to flight officers of the combat air forces. The School conducted extensive technical off-station training and liaison with CAF units from the U.S. Navy and NATO Air Forces. The School publishes the quarterly USAF Weapons Review with worl
dwide readership. All positions are competitively manned and students are elected in a highly selective process. Only students of the highest academic and flying weapon proficiency (the top two percent) are accepted into the course with nominations from the Wing Commanders, state Adjutant Generals, and a Weapons School Commander recommendation. In 1986, the Fighter Weapons School expanded its course, adding the Air National Guard (ANG) Reconnaissance Weapons School detachment, located at Gowen Field Idaho, training both USAF and ANG aircrews in the RF-4C. The ANG RF-4C's were equipped with the AIM-9M air-to-air missile and crews completed the final phase of training at Nellis AFB, NV in the combined FWIC exercise. The RF-4C FWIC continued to train instructor aircrews until the retirement of the RF-4 in the mid 1990s.
