This photo was taken at Nyutabaru Air Base on November 22, 1999, and shows 501Sq-RF4EJ No. 335 belonging to Hyakuri Air Base. It's hard to see in the shadows, but although this aircraft is a reconnaissance aircraft, you can see that it has Sidewinders (dummy munitions) attached under the wings. This is because the F4EJ has been converted into a reconnaissance aircraft. Incidentally, the Woodpecker bow tie that is the unit markings on this aircraft is blue. Normally, this color is yellow, but around 1999, there were also RF4 aircraft that had this color in blue.

Of the 140 F-4EJ Phantoms delivered to the JASDF, 17 were converted to the (R)F-4EJ recce standard in the 1990's, with 47-6335 pictured here being one of the converted airframes. With the change of it's role, the aircraft's serial became 47-6335 (from previously 47-8335). It lacks the typical camera accomodating recce nose of regular RF-4's and was therefore only able to carry external LOREP pods between the main landing gear. Also clearly visible in this image is the L3Harris built AN/ALQ-211 AIDEWS ECM pod (Advanced Integrated Defensive Electronic Warfare System).

Leaving at dusk, on its third sortie that day. 501 Hikotai would be disbanded on 26 March 2020, exacty 58 years after all of its F-86s had been delivered, following its formation in December 1961.

Returning from another mission with the LOROP (Long Range Oblique Photography) reconnaisance pod. As the RF-4EJ is a converted F-4EJ that kept the cannon, some external device was always needed to carry out its primary task.