The Wild Weasel was derived from the Project Wild Weasel.  The Wild Weasel is an aircraft designed to identify, locate and physically suppress or destroy ground-based enemy air defense systems.

By 1975, the F-4G Phantom became the Wild Weasel.  There are about 116 F-4Es rebuilt as F-4Gs.  The F-4G Wild Weasels were stationed at George AFB, Victorville, CA. and were deployed to four active wings; one wing was assigned to USAFE (US Air Forces Europe) at Spangdahlem AB, Germany and the other was assigned to PACAF (Pacific Air Forces) at Clark AFB, Philippines.  The F-4G saw combat during the Gulf War and was reported to have only lost a single aircraft.  After the Gulf War, the George AFB aircraft were assigned to the Air National Guard at Boise, ID.  In 1991, the F-4G Phantom Wild Weasel was deployed in Operation Desert Storm in Iraq and its EW System had been upgraded to an AN/APR-47 configuration.  The F-4G fired more than 1,000 air-to-ground missiles and destroyed more than 200 targets.  

On January 2, 1996, the F-4G Wild Weasel flew its last combat mission to Southern Iraq and shortly, it retired from active service.  The F-4G was also the last operational variant of the Phantom II in the US Forces.