Looking back on the old posts by DJJ he talks of the stolen C-130 from Mildenhall and the possibility it was shot down off Alderney by an RAF Phantom. He talks of it being 1966 and before the RAF had Phantoms. However, I recall the incident well as I was staying with my sister who lived near Mildenhall then. I am pretty certain it was 1969 but I’m sure a google search would pin it down and I know it was May or early June. Also, I am pretty sure that the RAF had Phantoms by 1968 and they were operational (6 or 54 Squadron?) by summer of ’69 and I think as I recall a visit to Scampton (I think?) in what must have been about then – possibly 1970 though – where I think 54 Squadron were and, I thought, had been for a year or so.

Doubtless someone will shoot me down as I am relying on memory.

Just had a quick look at Wikipedia they quote

Around 15 RAF squadrons received various marks of Phantom, many of them based in Germany. The first to be equipped was 6 Squadron at RAF Leuchars in July 1969. One noteworthy deployment was to 43 Squadron where Phantom FG1s remained the squadron equipment for a remarkable twenty years, arriving in September 1969 and departing in July 1989. During this period the squadron was based throughout at Leuchars.[87]

The interceptor Phantoms were replaced by the Panavia Tornado F3 from the late 1980s onwards, and the last British Phantoms were retired in October 1992 when 74 Squadron disbanded.[28][87]