Watch Turkish Air Force F-4E Terminator 2020 Having A Close Call During Air Show Practice [Video]

The F-4E Phantoms have long been integral parts of the Turkish Air Force. The Turkish version is called the F-4E Terminator. These have in fact, been in service for 50 years. One of these recently had a close call during an air show practice session in Cyprus. Videos of the same are now doing rounds on social media.

A Turkish Air Force F-4E Phantom pilot narrowly escaped disaster during a rehearsal flight for Teknofest 2025 near Ercan Airport in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). While performing low-altitude maneuvers, the pilot made a last-minute skillful maneuver to prevent… pic.twitter.com/7BZxwryMy9

— T_CAS videos (@tecas2000) April 30, 2025

The action took place at the Old Ercan Airport on April 30, 2025. This airport is situated in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC)- the occupied parts of Cyprus. The jet- a F-4E Terminator 2020 with a special livery, was performing low-altitude maneuvers, when it got too close to the ground. The footage shows it to have almost touched the runway. However, a last minute skillful maneuver from the pilot (plus loads of luck) saved the jet! It soon shot up to safe altitude, as seen in the video.

The jet was rehearsing for Teknofest 2025, and the display pilots belong to the 111 Filo Squadron of the Turkish Air Force. The video is now getting massive traction on various social media platforms. While a lot of people praise the pilot’s situational awareness and skillful maneuvers, some also attribute the save to sheer luck.

McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom And The Turkish Air Force

Turkey began acquiring McDonnell Douglas F-4E Phantom II aircraft in the 1970s. Over the years, the country received 233 units of this jet. Out of these, 54 were upgraded by Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) under a major modernization program. These upgraded versions were named F-4E Terminator 2020, equipped with improved avionics and combat systems.

Currently, Turkey has around 50 F-4E Phantoms still in service. This makes it one of only three countries that continue to operate these. The others are Greece, with 18 jets, and Iran, which still maintains a fleet of about 62.

The F-4 Phantom II was first flown in 1958 and officially introduced in 1960. It quickly became one of the most famous and widely used fighter aircraft of the Cold War. Designed as a long-range supersonic interceptor and fighter-bomber, it had a two-seat cockpit and twin engines. Its top speed exceeded Mach 2.2, making it one of the fastest of its time.

The aircraft featured the AN/APQ-50 radar system, allowing it to operate in all weather conditions. Its large airframe could handle carrier operations and heavy weapons loads. It could carry up to 8,400 kilograms of weapons across nine external hard points, including air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles.

Although the original version did not have an internal gun, later models, like the F-4E, were fitted with a cannon. The Phantom was powerful enough to carry four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles at once. It also had the ability to drop a wide range of bombs during ground attack mission.