Armament options on British RAF F-4 Phantoms

Above;  photographed at Coningsby in January 1974 this image of a 6 Sqn FGR 2 made the front cover of Airfix Magazine at the time and stimulated an interest that has lasted ever since..

British RAF Phantom squadrons were role oriented, with the early strike squadrons (6, 14, 17, 31, 41, 54 and later 2 Sqns) carrying 4 x AIM-7 E-2 Sparrows, 4 x AIM-9D and mixes of SNEB rocket pods, 1000lb or 750lb iron (GP) bombs, or BL755 CBUs. A B61 nuke could also be carried on the centreline rack, or the SUU-23 gunpod or an EMI recce pod (although only 12 aircraft were wired for that) or the 600 gall tank.

A strike camera could also be carried in the port Sparrow well. CBLS practice bomb carriers were another option.

When Jaguars and Tornados were introduced, the Phantom's role switched to Air Defence, so 111, 19, 23, 29, 56, 92 and later 74 Sqns would carry 4 x Sparrows or later Skyflash, 4 x AIM-9 D/G/L depending on the time frame and the SUU-23 or the centreline tank. 43 Sqn, being equipped with intended-for-another-FAA squadron FG1s and thus without the INS nav system, always performed the air defence role.

892 Sqn aboard Ark Royal could be fitted for either offence or defence (except for the SNEB pods - the Navy had their own rocket pods)

226 OCU (64 shadow squadron) would carry whatever it was training crews for in the period, either strike/ground attack or air defence.

No British Phantoms, including the F-4J(UK), ever carried active ECM gear, even those German-based machines at the height of the Cold War. The only regular ECM carried was the tail-mounted RWR, which was passive. It used audio, plus strobes rather than alphanumerics to alert the crew to threats. The FG.1 originally did not have SUU-23/A 20mm rotary cannon capability like the FGR.2. The RAF added this capability from around November 1974 at RAF Leuchars.

There were no ECM pods used as far as is known. The Westinghouse AN/ALQ-101(V)-8 "Dash Eight" was bought for Buccaneers and Jaguars, along with AN/AVQ-23 Pave Spike designators for the Buccaneers, in the mid-late 1970s, by which time Tornado was coming on line with its own special gear and the ageing Tooms were flying air defence.
Phantoms at Missile Practice Camp at Valley could carry a missile launch photo pod based on an AGM-12 Bullpup body, as seen with XV474 at Duxford.