 In 1973 , under the " Peace Rhine " program , the Luftwaffe purchased the lightened and simplified F @-@ 4F which was upgraded in the mid @-@ 1980s . 24 German F @-@ 4F Phantom IIs were operated by the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing of the USAF at Holloman AFB to train Luftwaffe crews until December 2004 . In 1975 , Germany also received 10 F @-@ 4Es for training in the U.S. In the late 1990s , these were withdrawn from service after being replaced by F @-@ 4Fs . Germany also initiated the Improved Combat Efficiency ( ICE ) program in 1983 . The 110 ICE @-@ upgraded F @-@ 4Fs entered service in 1992 , and were expected to remain in service until 2012 . All the remaining Luftwaffe Phantoms were based at <unk> with Jagdgeschwader 71 ( fighter wing 71 ) in Northern Germany and <unk> at Manching . The German Air Force retired its last F @-@ 4Fs on 29 June 2013 . German F @-@ 4Fs flew 279 @,@ 000 hours from entering service on 31 August 1973 until retirement . 
