The
RepublicThe Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important military aircraft, including the P-47 Thunderbolt, F-84...
F-105 Thunderchief, was a
supersonicThe term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the speed of sound . In dry air at 20 °C , the threshold value required for an object to be traveling at a supersonic speed is approximately 343 m/s, . Speeds greater than 5 times the speed of sound are often referred to as hypersonic...
fighter-bomber used by the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
. The Mach 2 capable F-105 bore the brunt of strike bombing over North Vietnam during the early years of the
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
. Originally designed and deployed as a single seat aircraft, a two-seat
Wild WeaselWild Weasel is a nickname for an aircraft of the United States Air Force specially equipped with radar seeking missiles used to remove radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems...
version was later developed for use in the specialized
Suppression of Enemy Air DefensesSEAD , or Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, also known as "Wild Weasels" and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA, are military actions to suppress enemy surface-based air defenses , primarily in, but not limited to, the first hours of an attack.One fourth of American combat sorties in...
(SEAD) role against surface-to-air missile sites. It was commonly known as the
Thud by its crews.
As a follow-on to the Mach 1 capable
F-100The North American F-100 Super Sabre was a jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. As the first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was capable of supersonic speed in level flight...
, the F-105 was also armed with missiles and a cannon; however, its design was tailored to high-speed low-altitude penetration carrying a single nuclear bomb internally. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief entered service in 1958. As the largest single-engined fighter ever employed by the USAF, the single-seat F-105 would be adapted to deliver a greater bomb load than the four-engined, 10-man strategic bombers of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
like the B-17 and B-24. The F-105 would be best remembered as the primary strike bomber over North Vietnam in the early stages of the Vietnam War. Over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost (nearly half of the 833 produced) including 62 operational losses. Although it lacked the agility of the smaller MiG fighters, USAF F-105s demonstrated the effectiveness of guns, and were credited with downing 27.5 enemy aircraft.
During the war, the two-seat F-105F and F-105G Wild Weasel variants became the first dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) platforms, fighting against the
SovietThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
-built
S-75 DvinaThe Lavochkin OKB S-75 is a Soviet designed high-altitude, command guided, surface-to-air missile system...
/(SA-2 Guideline)
surface-to-air missileA Surface to Air Missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. It is a type of anti-aircraft system....
s. Two Wild Weasel pilots were awarded the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
for attacking North Vietnamese surface-to-air missile sites, with one shooting down two MiG-17s the same day. The dangerous missions often required them to be the "first in, last out," suppressing enemy air defenses and keeping them suppressed while strike aircraft accomplished their missions and then left the area.
Although the F-105 weighed 50,000 lb (22,680 kg), the aircraft could exceed the
speed of soundSound is a vibration that travels through an elastic medium as a wave. The speed of sound describes how far this wave travels in a given amount of time. In dry air at , the speed of sound is . This equates to , or about one mile in five seconds...
at sea level and
Mach 2Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance...
at high altitude. It could carry up to 14,000 lb (6,350 kg) of bombs and missiles. The Thunderchief was later replaced as a strike aircraft over North Vietnam by both the
F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
and the swing-wing
F-111The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" is a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also fills the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s and first entering service in 1967, the United States Air Force ...
. However, the "Wild Weasel" variants of the F-105 remained in service until 1984, when they were replaced by a specialized
F-4G "Wild Weasel V"The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
. The USAF F-4G was subsequently replaced by the USAF
F-16CJ Fighting FalconThe Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force. Designed as a lightweight, daytime Visual Flight Rules fighter, it evolved into a successful multirole aircraft...
aircraft, currently employed in the SEAD role.
Development
Republic Aviation started the Thunderchief as an internal project to replace the
F-84F ThunderflashThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Force proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
. The design team led by
Alexander KartveliAlexander Kartveli 1896-1974, born Kartvelishvili) was an aircraft engineer and a pioneer of American aviation.Kartveli was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, then in Russian Empire. He graduated from the Gymnasium in Tbilisi in 1914....
examined some 108 configurations before settling on a large, single-engine
AP-63FBX (Advanced Project 63 Fighter Bomber, Experimental) - AP-63-31 actual. The new aircraft was intended primarily for
supersonicThe term supersonic is used to define a speed that is over the speed of sound . In dry air at 20 °C , the threshold value required for an object to be traveling at a supersonic speed is approximately 343 m/s, . Speeds greater than 5 times the speed of sound are often referred to as hypersonic...
, low altitude penetration into the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
on a hi-lo-hi mission and delivery of a single, internally carried nuclear bomb. Thus, with emphasis placed on low-altitude speed and flight characteristics, range and payload, the aircraft would be fitted with a large engine, and a relatively small wing with a high
wing loadingIn aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of wing, so a smaller wing can carry the same weight in level flight, operating at a higher wing loading. Correspondingly,...
which would give a stable ride at low altitudes, and less drag at supersonic speeds.
Traditional fighter attributes such as maneuverability were a secondary consideration. Enthusiastic at first, the
United States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
awarded Republic with a contract for 199 aircraft in September 1952. However, by March 1953 the USAF had reduced the order to 37 fighter-bombers and 9 tactical reconnaissance aircraft, citing the approaching end of the
Korean WarThe Korean War is a war that started between North Korea and South Korea on 25 June 1950 and paused with an armistice signed 27 July, 1953...
. By the time the F-105 mock-up had been completed in October 1953, the aircraft had grown so large that the
Allison J71The Allison J71 was a turbojet engine, designed and built in the United States. It began development in 1948 as a modified J35 and was originally designated the J35-A-23.-Operational History:...
turbojetTurbojets are the oldest kind of general purpose jet engines. Two engineers, Frank Whittle in the United Kingdom and Hans von Ohain in Germany, developed the concept independently into practical engines during the late 1930s, although credit for the first turbojet is given to Whittle who submitted...
intended for it was abandoned in favor of an even more powerful Pratt & Whitney J75. Anticipating protracted development of the engine, it was expected that the first aircraft would use the smaller Pratt & Whitney J57. On 28 June 1954, the USAF officially ordered 15
F-105As under the Weapon System designation
WS-306A.
The
YF-105A prototype first flew on 22 October 1955, with the second YF-105A following on 28 January 1956. In spite of being powered by a less potent J57-P-25 engine with 15,000 lbf (66.7 kN) of
afterburningThe AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
thrust (the J75 was expected to generate 24,500 lbf (109.0 kN) with the afterburner), the first prototype attained the speed of
Mach 1.2Mach number is the speed of an object moving through air, or any fluid substance, divided by the speed of sound as it is in that substance...
on its maiden flight. Both prototypes featured conventional wing root air intakes and slab-sided fuselages typical of the early jets. However, insufficient power and aerodynamic problems with
transonicTransonic is an aeronautics term referring to the condition in which a range of velocities of airflow exist surrounding and flowing past an air vehicle or an airfoil. Air flow velocities are concurrently below, at, and above the speed of sound at the pressure and temperature of the airflow of the...
dragIn fluid dynamics, drag refers to forces that oppose the relative motion of an object through a fluid . Drag forces act in a direction opposite to the oncoming flow velocity...
, as well as
ConvairThe Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation, commonly known as Convair, was a United States aerospace development and manufacturing complex of the 1940s and later. It was formed in 1943 from a merger of Consolidated Aircraft and Vultee Aircraft. The merger produced one of the world's larger...
's experience with their
F-102 Delta DaggerThe Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets....
, led to a redesign of the fuselage in order to conform to the
Area ruleThe Whitcomb area rule, also called the transonic area rule, is a design technique used to reduce an aircraft's drag at transonic and supersonic speeds, particularly between Mach 0.8 and 1.2...
, giving it a characteristic "wasp waist". In combination with the distinctive forward-swept variable-geometry air intakes which regulated airflow to the engine at supersonic speeds and the J75 engine, this enabled the resulting
F-105B to attain Mach 2.15.
In March 1956, the USAF replaced its F-105A order with that for 65
F-105B. This model added the MA-8 fire control system with an AN/APG-31 ranging radar, and K-19 gunsight which allowed
toss bombingToss bombing is a method of bombing where the attacking aircraft pulls upwards when releasing its bomb load, giving the bomb additional time of flight by starting its ballistic path with an upward vector.-Pop-up:In pop-up bombing, the pilot approaches from low altitude in level...
. The first pre-production
YF-105B flew on 26 May 1956, and on 19 June, the aircraft was officially named
Thunderchief, continuing the Republic Aviation's nomenclature sequence of
P-47 ThunderboltThe Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, also known as the "Jug," was the biggest, heaviest, and most expensive fighter aircraft in history to be powered by a single reciprocating engine. It was one of the main United States Army Air Forces fighters of World War II, and also served with other Allied air...
,
F-84 ThunderjetThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Force proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
, and F-84F Thunderstreak/RF-84 Thunderflash. The first production F-105B flew on 14 May 1957.
The F-105 was a mid-wing monoplane with a 45°
swept wingA swept wing is a wing planform with a wing root to wingtip direction angled beyond the spanwise axis, generally used to delay the drag rise caused by fluid compressibility. Swept wings provide lateral stability and it was for this reason that the concept was first employed in the designs of...
and tail surfaces. The single engine was fed by two intakes in the wing roots, leaving the nose free for a
radomeA radome is a structural, weatherproof enclosure that protects a microwave or radar antenna. The radome is constructed of material that minimally attenuates the electromagnetic signal transmitted or received by the antenna. In other words, the radome is transparent to radar or radio waves...
housing the multi-mode
radarRadar is an object detection system that uses electromagnetic waves to identify the range, altitude, direction, or speed of both moving and fixed objects such as aircraft, ships, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The term RADAR was coined in 1941 as an acronym for RAdio Detection And...
. At the time, the F-105 was the largest single-seat combat aircraft ever built. Its capacious fuselage provided room for 1,160 US gal (4,391 l) of fuel and a bomb bay measuring 15 ft 10 in by 32 in by 32 in (4.82 m x 0.81 m x 0.81 m), originally intended for a single
nuclear weaponA nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion...
but typically containing an additional 390 US gal (1,476 l) fuel tank. Two underwing and one fuselage wet-stores-capable pylons were provided for 450 and 650 US gal (1,703 and 2,461 l) expendable fuel tanks. Two outboard (dry) stations were wired for missiles or bombs. A single 20 mm (.79 in)
T-171E3The M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling-style cannon, which fires 20 mm rounds at an extremely high rate. The M61 and its derivatives have been the principal cannon armament of United States military fixed-wing aircraft for...
Gatling cannon was installed in the left side of the nose with a magazine for 1,028 rounds of ammunition, combined with a radar ranging gunsight in B and D models. The aircraft was designed to carry the short-range Sidewinder but it would not be equipped with the medium-range radar-guided missiles.
On 11 December 1959, an F-105B piloted by Brig Gen Joseph Moore (commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing) set a world record of 1,216.48 mph (1,958.53 km/h) over a 62 mi (100 km) circuit. Moore received the Bendix Trophy in 1959 for this feat.
Plans to build over 1,500 F-105Ds were cut short when the Secretary of Defense
Robert McNamaraRobert Strange McNamara was an American business executive and the eighth Secretary of Defense, serving under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson from 1961 to 1968. Following that he served as President of the World Bank from 1968 until 1981...
decided to equip no more than seven combat wings with the type. Production was cut in favor of the Air Force adopting the Navy's
F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
. A total of 833 F-105s were produced before production ended in 1964.
Design
The F-105 was designed primarily for low-level interdiction and its low-altitude speed was its greatest asset when dealing with Soviet/Communist Chinese-made
MiG-17The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic performance jet fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants...
/J-5s and
MiG-21The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed and built by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish...
fighters. The Thunderchief's
highly loaded wingIn aerodynamics, wing loading is the loaded weight of the aircraft divided by the area of the wing. The faster an aircraft flies, the more lift is produced by each unit area of wing, so a smaller wing can carry the same weight in level flight, operating at a higher wing loading. Correspondingly,...
was excellent for speed and aerodynamic stability but not for sustained turns in a dogfight. Nevertheless, the F-105 managed 27.5 officially credited air-to-air victories against
North VietnamNorth Vietnam, also called the Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976....
ese aircraft at the cost of 17 aircraft lost to enemy fighters (North Vietnamese pilots claimed to have shot down an additional 23 F-105s but none have been confirmed by USAF). All victories were against MiG-17s. A total of 24.5 were shot down with cannon fire (one victory was shared with an F-4), and three with
AIM-9 SidewinderThe AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft and recently, certain gunship helicopters. Variants and upgrades remain in active service with many air forces after five decades...
missiles. F-4 Phantoms were tasked with escorting the Thuds from enemy fighters, but they lacked the internal gun and ranging gunsight of the Thunderchief until late in the war.
On the basis of combat experience, the F-105D was updated with a better
ejection seatIn aircraft, an ejection seat is a system designed to rescue the pilot or other crew of an aircraft in an emergency. In most designs, the seat is propelled out of the aircraft by an explosive charge or rocket motor, carrying the pilot with it. The concept of an ejectable escape capsule has also...
, radar homing and warning (RHAW) antenna on the tail fin, additional armor, and protection to the hydraulic system which proved to be very vulnerable to combat damage. The hot and humid climate of Southeast Asia created problems for the capricious electronics, a problem encountered by virtually all advanced U.S. aircraft of the war. High ambient temperatures also exacerbated the F-105's propensity for engine fires due to inadequate cooling of the
afterburnerThe AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
. Most of the aircraft deployed to Vietnam were eventually fitted with ram-air scoops to ameliorate this problem.
Unfortunately, the low-altitude attacks and dive bombings brought the F-105s into the range of North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire; the attrition rates were so high that the USAF began experiencing shortages of combat-ready aircraft. A total of 382 F-105s were lost in Southeast Asia, 320 of those in combat. The vast majority of losses were the result of enemy ground fire. Of the 610 single-seat F-105Ds built, 283 were shot down and 52 lost operationally. Of the 143 F-105F/G two-seaters, 37 were shot down and 10 lost operationally (one "Ryan's Raiders" night interdiction aircraft and one Combat Martin jammer without a back-seat WSO were lost in combat, the other 45 losses were Wild Weasel aircraft).
Special modifications
The rear cockpits of several two-seat
F-105Fs were modified under project
Commando Nail with an R-14A radar and a radar scope that offered high resolution. These aircraft were used for all-weather and night low-level strikes against especially dangerous targets by a unit from the
13th Tactical Fighter SquadronThe 13th Fighter Squadron is part of the 35th Fighter Wing at Misawa Air Base, Japan. It operates the F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft conducting air superiority missions.-History:...
(1966 - 1975) dubbed "Ryan's Raiders" starting in April 1967.
Commando Nail aircraft were also used to develop tactics for proposed
B-58 HustlerThe Convair B-58 Hustler was the first operational supersonic jet bomber, and the first capable of Mach 2 flight. The aircraft was developed for the United States Air Force for service in the Strategic Air Command during the late 1950s...
bomber missions in Vietnam, although the Hustler was never deployed to Southeast Asia. Some of these aircraft were later converted to the Wild Weasel III standard.
In an effort to thwart MiG attacks, several F-105Fs were also fitted with
HallicraftersThe Hallicrafters Company was a business that manufactured, marketed, and sold radio equipment. The company was based in Chicago, Illinois, USA.-History:William J. Halligan founded his own radio manufactory in Chicago in late 1932...
QRC-128 VHF jammers under project
Combat Martin. The North Vietnamese interceptor force followed Soviet air-defense doctrine, with pilots under rigid direction of ground controllers over radio links. The QRC-128, nicknamed "Colonel Computer", filled up the rear cockpit of the F-105F and bounced voice communications over the radio channel back out after a delay, resulting in an obnoxious garble. However, the first time the Combat Martin was used, the US
National Security AgencyThe National Security Agency/Central Security Service is a cryptologic intelligence agency of the United States government, administered as part of the United States Department of Defense. Created on November 4, 1952 by President Harry S...
(NSA), in charge of US strategic signals intelligence, ordered the Air Force to cease and desist immediately, since the NSA believed that the intelligence obtained by monitoring the channels outweighed the benefits of jamming them. Some of these aircraft were eventually brought to the Wild Weasel III standard.
Persistent problems with the AN/ARN-85
LORANLORAN is a terrestrial radio navigation system using low frequency radio transmitters that uses multiple transmitters to determine location and/or speed of the receiver. The current version of LORAN in common use is LORAN-C, which operates in the low frequency portion of the EM spectrum from 90...
system resulted in 30 F-105Ds being upgraded to the AN/ARN-92 in a long dorsal spine. Known as
Thunderstick II aircraft, these F-105s could achieve a bombing
circular error probableIn the military science of ballistics, circular error probable is an intuitive measure of a weapon system's accuracy...
of 50 ft (15 m) from an altitude of 15,000 ft (4,570 m). Although the first of these aircraft flew in 1969, they were never deployed to Vietnam.
Wild Weasel
In 1965, the USAF began operating two-seat
F-100F Super SabresThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. As the first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was capable of supersonic speed in level flight...
specially equipped for
Suppression of Enemy Air DefensesSEAD , or Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, also known as "Wild Weasels" and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA, are military actions to suppress enemy surface-based air defenses , primarily in, but not limited to, the first hours of an attack.One fourth of American combat sorties in...
mission in Vietnam. Nicknamed the
Wild WeaselWild Weasel is a nickname for an aircraft of the United States Air Force specially equipped with radar seeking missiles used to remove radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems...
, these aircraft achieved 9 confirmed victories against North Vietnamese
surface-to-air missileA Surface to Air Missile or ground-to-air missile is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft. It is a type of anti-aircraft system....
radars. The second crew member was a Navigator trained as an Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO), nicknamed the
Bear (as in trained bear), whose job was to decipher the information from the aircraft's sensors and guide the pilot towards the targets. However, the F-100F was an interim solution and because of its limited payload it usually had to rely on accompanying strike aircraft to actually attack the SAM sites. It also lacked the speed and the endurance to effectively protect the USAF's primary strike fighter—the F-105. With twice the payload capacity of the Super Sabre and considerably better performance, the two-seat F-105F was an ideal candidate for a more definitive SEAD platform.
The resulting
EF-105F Wild Weasel III (the EF designation was popularly used but unofficial) supplemented its sensors and electronic jamming equipment with
AGM-45 ShrikeAGM-45 Shrike is an American anti-radiation missile designed to home in on hostile antiaircraft radars. The Shrike was developed by the Naval Weapons Center at China Lake in 1963 by mating a seeker head to the rocket body of an AIM-7 Sparrow. It was phased out by U.S...
anti-radiation missiles and conventional bombs, giving it an offensive capability lacking in the F-100F. The first of these aircraft flew on 15 January 1966 and they began arriving in Southeast Asia in June, with five assigned to the 13th TFS at Korat RTAFB and six more to the 354th TFS at Takhli RTAFB. In a typical early mission, a single EF-105F would accompany one or two flights of F-105Ds to provide protection from enemy ground fire. While this strategy was effective in reducing F-105D losses, the Weasel aircraft suffered heavy casualties with five of the first 11 lost in July and August 1966. Attacks into high-risk environments saw the Weasels operating in "Iron Hand" Hunter-Killer flights of mixed single-seat and two-seat Thunderchiefs, suppressing sites during attacks by the strike force and attacking others during ingress and egress.
The EF-105Fs were upgraded to the definitive Wild Weasel Thunderchief, the
F-105G, with the first aircraft arriving in Southeast Asia in late 1967. The genesis of the F-105G was a PACAF policy that all USAF fighter-bombers operating over North Vietnam had to carry ECM pods, which served to degrade the Weasel's own electronics and occupied one ordnance wing hardpoint.
The F-105G incorporated a considerable amount of new SEAD-specific avionics, including an upgraded RHAW system which required a redesign of the wingtips. To free outboard hardpoints for additional weapons, the Westinghouse AN/ALQ-105
electronic countermeasuresElectronic countermeasures are a subsection of electronic warfare which includes any sort of electrical or electronic device designed to trick or deceive radar, sonar, or other detection systems like IR and Laser. It may be used both offensively or defensively in any method to deny targeting...
were permanently installed in two long blisters on the underside of the fuselage. Thirty aircraft were fitted with specially designed pylons to permit carrying of the AGM-78 Standard anti-radiation missile, a considerable improvement over the somewhat lackluster Shrike. On a typical mission, the F-105G carried two Shrikes on outboard pylons, a single Standard on an inboard pylon balanced by a 450 US gal (1,703 l) fuel tank on the other side, and a 650 US gal (2,461 l) centerline fuel tank. The Wild Weasel aircraft were usually the first to arrive in the target area and the last to leave, staying after the strike to support rescue of downed aircrews. As such, fuel was a precious commodity and it was not uncommon for a Wild Weasel to require a 30-minute leave for aerial refueling in order to continue its mission.
Although the F-105D was withdrawn from Vietnam in 1970, the Wild Weasel aircraft soldiered on until the end of the war. They were gradually replaced by the F-4G Wild Weasel IV variant of the
F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
. F-105B/D/F/Gs served with the Air Force Reserve and the
Air National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
units until the mid-1980s. The last Air National Guard unit was the
116th Tactical Fighter GroupThe United States Air Force's 116th Air Control Wing is a joint active duty/Air National Guard air control wing located at Robins AFB, Georgia.-Mission:...
of the
Georgia Air National GuardThe Georgia Air National Guard has 3,000 Airmen and officers assigned to two flying wings and six geographically separated units throughout Georgia....
at Dobbins AFB, Georgia, flying the F-105G through 1983. The last Air Force Reserve unit, and the last USAF operator of the Thunderchief, was the
419th Tactical Fighter WingThe 419th Group trained in the Reserve for troop carrier operations from 1949 to 1951. Since 1982, the 419th, now as a wing, trained for worldwide combat fighter operations. It was the last wing to fly F-105 aircraft, and in early 1984 was the first Air Force Reserve wing to fly F-16s. Personnel of...
at Hill AFB, Utah, which flew the F-105B/D/F through 1984.
Flying the F-105
The initial reaction of the fighter pilot community to their new aircraft was lukewarm. Between its massive dimensions and troubled early service life, the F-105 had garnered a number of uncomplimentary nicknames. In addition to the aforementioned "Thud", nicknames included the "Squat Bomber", "Lead Sled", and the "Hyper Hog" and/or "Ultra Hog". With time, however, the F-105's responsive controls, excellent performance at high speed and low altitude, and sophisticated electronics won over even some of the
F-104 StarfighterThe Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was an American single-engined, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1958 until 1967. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it continued in service with Air National Guard units until it was phased out...
pilots. The "Thud" changed to a term of respect and endearment to the point where the
F-84F ThunderflashThe Republic F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Army Air Force proposal for a "day fighter", the F-84 flew in 1946...
became known as the "Thud's Mother".
Former
F-86 SabreThe North American Aviation F-86 Sabre was a transonic jet fighter aircraft. The Sabre is best known for its Korean War role where it was pitted against the Soviet MiG-15 and obtained UN air superiority...
pilot Jerry Noel Hoblit recalled the awe of the F-105's size after seeing it in person for the first time; he could not manage to reach the air intake lip even with a running jump. The F-105 had a spacious cockpit with a good layout (particularly after introduction of "tape" instruments) and visibility (except to the rear), and the advanced electronics were easy to learn and operate. With high wing loading, the Thunderchief was by all accounts an excellent aircraft to fly at high speeds. Takeoffs and landings were often performed in the 230 mph (370 km/h) range. The
spoilersIn aeronautics a spoiler is a device intended to reduce lift in an aircraft. Spoilers are plates on the top surface of a wing which can be extended upward into the airflow and spoil it. By doing so, the spoiler creates a carefully controlled stall over the portion of the wing behind it, greatly...
provided good roll control at all speeds and the distinctive four-petal airbrakes (which also opened slightly when the
afterburnerThe AfterBurner is a lighting solution for the Game Boy Advance system that was created by Triton-Labs.Originally, portablemonopoly.net was a website created to petition Nintendo to put some kind of light in their Game Boy Advance system...
was engaged to allow for the larger flow of exhaust gases) were highly effective even at supersonic speeds. Loss of control due to a
spinIn aviation, a spin is an aggravated stall resulting in rotation about the spin axis wherein the aircraft follows a downward corkscrew path. Spins can be entered unintentionally or intentionally, from any flight attitude and from practically any airspeed—all that is required is sufficient yaw rate...
or complications of
adverse yawAdverse yaw is a secondary effect of the application of the ailerons in aircraft. Its cause and effect can be explained as follows:When the control column of an aircraft is moved to the right, the right aileron is deflected upwards, and the left aileron is deflected downwards, causing the aircraft...
required deliberate effort from the pilot and spontaneous spin recovery was rapid.
Costs
The costs are in approximately 1960 United States dollarThe United States dollar is the unit of currency of the United States. The U.S. dollar is normally abbreviated as the dollar sign, $, or as USD or US$ to distinguish it from other dollar-denominated currencies and from others that use the $ symbol. It is divided into 100 cents .The U.S...
s and have not been adjusted for inflation.
| F-105B | F-105D | F-105F/G |
|---|
| Unit R&D The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
cost |
2,716 prorated per aircraft |
| Airframe |
4,914,016 |
1,472,145 |
1,524,000 |
| Engine |
328,797 |
244,412 |
290,000 |
| Electronics |
141,796 |
19,346 |
251,000 |
| Armament |
232,913 |
167,621 |
154,000 |
| Ordnance |
32,021 |
19,346 |
21,000 |
| Flyaway cost |
5,649,543 |
2.14 million |
2.2 million |
| Modification costs by 1973 |
261,793 |
282,687 |
701,645 plus 1,803 for F-105G conversion |
| Cost per flying hour |
|
1,020 |
1,020 |
| Maintenance cost per flying hour |
718 |
809 |
808 |
Operational history
The F-105B entered USAF service with the
Tactical Air CommandTactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on March 21, 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
's 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron on 27 May 1958. Typical of advanced aircraft, early F-105 service life was plagued by problems with
avionicsAvionics means "aviation electronics". It comprises electronic systems for use on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft, comprising communications, navigation and the display and management of multiple systems...
and the MA-8
fire-control systemA fire-control system is a number of components working together, usually a gun data computer, a director, and radar, which is designed to assist a weapon system in hitting its target. It performs the same task as a human gunner firing a weapon, but attempts to do so faster and more...
, with the aircraft requiring some 150 hours of maintenance for each hour of flying time. Most of the problems were addressed under
Project Optimize. The lack of spares resulted in the entire F-105B fleet being briefly grounded in 1960. Nevertheless, the Thunderchief became the first aircraft in USAF history to complete its first operational year without a single major accident.
By 1964, the F-105B was relegated to
Air National GuardThe National Guard of the United States is a reserve military force composed of state National Guard militia members or units under federally recognized active or inactive armed force service for the United States...
squadrons. It was replaced in frontline service by the definitive
F-105D whose advanced NASARR R-14A radar and AN/ASG-19 Thunderstick fire-control system gave it all-weather performance. The R-14A radar also added a
terrain guidanceTerrain-following radar is an aerospace technology that allows a very-low-flying aircraft to automatically maintain a relatively constant altitude above ground level. It is sometimes referred-to as ground hugging or terrain hugging flight...
capability. The F-105D entered service with 335th TFS in 1960. Designed for a European conflict with the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
, the F-105D saw considerable deployment in West Germany to provide
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
with tactical nuclear strike capability, and in Japan. Like the F-105B, the F-105D's early career was plagued with maintenance problems and in-flight failures. The origins of the nickname
Thud were obscure—some claim that it stood for the sound of an F-105 crashing into the ground. Another theory is that the name was in reference to the detonation of bombs during a "mud-moving" sortie. The entire F-105D fleet was grounded in December 1961 and then again in June 1962. Many of the issues were worked out during the production run and by 1964, early F-105Ds were upgraded with these fixes under project
Look Alike, although engine failures and fuel system problems persisted until 1967.
Meanwhile, the USAF was gradually changing the anticipated F-105 mission from nuclear interdiction to conventional bombing. The
Look Alike upgrades increased the aircraft's capacity from four to 16 conventional 750 lb (340 kg) bombs on underwing and fuselage centerline hardpoints and added the equipment to launch
AGM-12 BullpupThe AGM-12 Bullpup is an air-to-ground missile which was used on the A-4 Skyhawk, A-6 Intruder and F-4 Phantom among others. It has been superseded by more advanced armaments, notably the AGM-62 Walleye and AGM-65 Maverick.-Design:...
air-to-ground missiles. In June 1961, an F-105D delivered 15,430 lb (6,999 kg) of conventional bombs during a USAF test—at the time a record for a single-engine airplane and a payload three times heavier than
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
's four-engined heavy bombers such as the
B-17 Flying FortressThe Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Corps , introduced in the 1930s. Competing against Douglas and Martin for a contract to build 200 bombers, the Boeing entry outperformed both competitors and more than met the Air Corps'...
and the
B-24 LiberatorThe Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, built by Consolidated Aircraft. It was produced in greater numbers than any other American combat aircraft of World War II and still holds the record as the most produced U.S. military aircraft. It was used by many Allied air forces and...
, though aerial refueling would be required for long missions. In fact, one of the F-105Ds was named
Memphis Belle II after the
famed World War II B-17Memphis Belle was the nickname of a B-17F Flying Fortress during the Second World War that inspired the making of two motion pictures: a 1944 documentary film: Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress and a 1990 Hollywood feature film: Memphis Belle. In May 1943 it became the first U.S. Army...
.
Vietnam War
In spite of a troubled early service life, the F-105 became the dominant attack aircraft during the early
Vietnam WarThe Vietnam War or the Second Indochina War was a Cold War military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1959 to 30 April 1975...
. The F-105 could carry more than twice the bomb load further and faster than the F-100, which was used mostly in South Vietnam. In a foreshadowing of its
Wild WeaselWild Weasel is a nickname for an aircraft of the United States Air Force specially equipped with radar seeking missiles used to remove radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems...
role, the first F-105D combat mission of the war involved an attack on 14 August 1964 against an anti-aircraft artillery site on Plaine des Jarres. This mission was carried out by aircraft of the 36th TFS, 6441st Tactical Fighter Wing deployed from
Yokota Air Base, is a United States Air Force base located in the city of Fussa and surrounding communities in Tokyo, Japan.The base houses 14,000 personnel. The base occupies a total area of and has a runway...
Japan to
Korat Royal Thai Air Force BaseKorat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force. It is located in in central Thailand, located approximately 157 miles northeast of Bangkok and about 5 miles south of Nakhon Ratchasima , the third largest city in Thailand.During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was...
. The first Thunderchief of the war was also lost in this mission (the pilot managed to eject safely). The first strike mission took place on 13 January 1965 with the destruction of the Ben Ken bridge in
LaosLaos , officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and People's Republic of China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
. Following the start of
Operation Rolling ThunderOperation Rolling Thunder was the title of a gradual and sustained U.S. 2nd Air Division , U.S. Navy, and Republic of Vietnam Air Force aerial bombardment campaign conducted against the Democratic Republic of Vietnam from 2 March 1965 until 1 November 1968, during the Vietnam War.The four...
on 1 March 1965, a large number of F-105Ds were deployed in
Royal Thai Air Force BasesWithin the period of 1954-1975 , the Thai Government allowed the Joint United States Military Assistance Group to fund and manage the modernization of Royal Thai Air Force airbases...
at
KhoratKorat Royal Thai Air Force Base is a base of the Royal Thai Air Force. It is located in in central Thailand, located approximately 157 miles northeast of Bangkok and about 5 miles south of Nakhon Ratchasima , the third largest city in Thailand.During the 1980s and early 1990s, the airfield was...
and
TakhliTakhli Royal Thai Air Force Base is a Royal Thai Air Force facility. It is located in Central Thailand, approximately 144 miles northwest of Bangkok in Takhli district, Nakhon Sawan Province, near the city of Nakhon Sawan.- Units :...
. On 2 August 1967, F-105Ds from 335th and 338th Tactical Fighter Squadrons made the first of many successful raids on the Paul Doumer bridge. While the planes were first deployed with their original natural metal finish, they soon adopted the distinctive two-green and tan Vietnam camouflage scheme which blended into the jungle landscape.
On a typical combat mission into North Vietnam, the F-105D carried two 450 US gal (1,703 l) wing-mounted fuel tanks, a 390 US gal (1,476 l) fuel tank in the bomb bay, and five 1,000 lb (454 kg) or six 750 lb (340 kg) bombs, and required
inflight refuelingAerial refueling, also called air refueling, in-flight refueling , air-to-air refueling or tanking, is the process of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. Applied to helicopters, it is known as HAR for Helicopter Aerial Refueling...
both going to and sometimes returning from
HanoiHanoi , estimated population 6.232.940 , is the capital and second-largest city of Vietnam. From 1010 until 1802, with a few brief interruptions, it was the political centre of an independent Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyen Dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi served as...
700 mi (1,125 km) distant. Thunderchiefs made a loop north of Hanoi over a mountain nicknamed the
Thud Ridge at high speed and low altitude in order to avoid the heavily defended airspace around the city. Although the ridge provided proper shielding from the North Vietnamese radars and SAMs, the installment of anti-aircraft artillery and a
MiG fighterRussian Aircraft Corporation MiG, or RSK MiG, is a Russian joint stock company. Formerly Mikoyan or Mikoyan-i-Gurevich Design Bureau , it is a military aircraft design bureau, primarily designing fighter aircraft...
airfield at the southern end of the valley prevented the F-105s from fully exploiting the benefit of cover. The name "
Thud RidgeThud Ridge is a 1969 memoir by Jack Broughton about flying the F-105 "Thud" for the United States Air Force in the Vietnam War during Operation Rolling Thunder...
" (also the name of a book by Jack Broughton about the F-105) came from the prominent role of the mountain in F-105 missions.
Unfortunately, the low-altitude attacks and dive bombings forced the F-105s to fly right through the frequently heavy North Vietnamese anti-aircraft fire. Designed originally to be a nuclear bomber and not for hitting precision targets, the F-105 had only a dive bombing sight for the pilot to hit its target, and lacked any kind of a bomb guidance system that would allow for bombing from a stand-off distance, and so it could only hit its targets by dive bombing through the local anti-aircraft fire. This period of time was also before the "smart" laser and TV-guided bombs were developed. The attrition rates were so high that the USAF began experiencing shortages of combat-ready aircraft. A total of 382 F-105s were lost in Southeast Asia, 320 of those in combat. The vast majority of losses were the result of enemy ground fire. Of the 610 single-seat F-105Ds built, 283 were shot down and 52 lost operationally. Of the 143 F-105F/G two-seaters, 37 were shot down and 10 lost operationally (one "Ryan's Raiders" night interdiction aircraft and one Combat Martin jammer without a back-seat WSO were lost in combat, the other 45 losses were Wild Weasel aircraft).
As production of F-105s had ended, the type was thus replaced in the Vietnam War by other aircraft, primarily the F-4 Phantom, and, the new
A-7 Corsair IIThe Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War. The Corsair was later adopted by the United States Air Force, to include the Air National Guard, to...
, which despite being a cheaper subsonic aircraft, had the computerized stand-off bombing and guidance systems that the F-105 lacked. By November 1970, the last of the F-105Ds had been withdrawn from combat in Vietnam.
Medal of Honor recipients
Two Wild Weasel pilots received the
Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
:
- USAF Captain
The army rank of Captain is an officer rank historically corresponding to command of a company of soldiers. The rank is also used by some air forces and marine forces. Today a captain is typically the commander, or second in command, of a company or squadron...
Merlyn H. Dethlefsen was awarded the Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
and Capt Kevin "Mike" Gilroy the Air Force CrossThe Air Force Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. The Air Force Cross is the Air Force decoration equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross .The Air Force Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism...
for an F-105F Wild Weasel mission on 10 March 1967, flying F-105F, AF Ser. No. 63-8352. After their aircraft was damaged by ground fire, Dethlefsen and Gilroy elected to stay in the skies above the steel works at Thai Nguyen until the SAM site was found and destroyed.
- USAF Captain Leo K. Thorsness
Leo K. Thorsness is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force who was awarded the Medal of Honor for valor in the Vietnam War, for an air engagement on April 19, 1967. He was shot down two weeks later and spent six years in captivity in North Vietnam as a prisoner of war...
was awarded the Medal of HonorThe Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed on a member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes themselves "conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while...
and Capt Harold Johnson the Air Force CrossThe Air Force Cross is the second highest military decoration that can be awarded to a member of the United States Air Force. The Air Force Cross is the Air Force decoration equivalent to the Distinguished Service Cross and the Navy Cross .The Air Force Cross is awarded for extraordinary heroism...
for an F-105F Wild Weasel mission on 19 April 1967, flying F-105F, AF Ser. No. 63-8301. Thorsness and Johnson protected an attempted rescue of another Wild Weasel crew that had been shot down, in the process destroying two MiG-17s. After running out of ammunition, Thorsness and Johnson continued to act as decoys to draw the MiGs away from the rescue aircraft. Nonetheless, the rescue eventually failed.
Retirement
The Thunderchief was rapidly withdrawn from USAF service after the end of the Vietnam War. Of the 833 F-105s built, nearly 50% were lost in Vietnam. By US military standards the F-105 was no longer considered combat-effective. Some aircraft remained in service in the 1970s and 1980s with Air Force Reserve and
Air National GuardThe Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
units, but their extended wartime service meant that many F-105s had already reached or exceeded their service lives by the mid-1970s. The F-105 Thunderchief was officially retired on 25 February 1984. and replaced by the
F-4 Phantom IIThe McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the U.S. Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. Proving highly adaptable, it became a major part of the air wings of the United States...
. The F-105, however, had a very good service life since most of its fellow US made 2nd generation aircraft were also retired from service in the mid-1970s, 10 years before the Thud retired.
In 1964, specially modified F-105Bs with ballast replacing the Vulcan cannon, a number of fuselage and wing reinforcements for aerobatics, and the addition of a smoke generator, briefly flew with the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team. After only six shows, a fatal accident from overstressing the airframe forced a switch back to the
F-100 Super SabreThe North American F-100 Super Sabre was a jet fighter aircraft that served with the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1971 and with the Air National Guard until 1979. As the first of the Century Series collection of USAF jet fighters, it was capable of supersonic speed in level flight...
.
Serial Data
| Serial Number | Type | Remarks |
|---|
| 54-0001/54-0097 |
Republic F-105A Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 54-0098/54-0099 |
Republic YF-105A-1-RE Thunderchief |
Prototype Aircraft |
| 54-0100/54-0103 |
Republic F-105B-1-RE Thunderchief |
| 54-0104 |
Republic F-105B-5-RE Thunderchief |
| 54-0105 |
Republic JF-105B-1-RE Thunderchief |
Test Aircraft |
| 54-0106/54-0107 |
Republic F-105B-5-RE Thunderchief |
| 54-0108 |
Republic JF-105B-1-RE Thunderchief |
Test Aircraft |
| 54-0109/54-0110 |
Republic F-105B-5-RE Thunderchief |
| 54-0111 |
Republic F-105B-6-RE Thunderchief |
| 54-0112 |
Republic JF-105B-2-RE Thunderchief |
Test Aircraft |
| 57-5776/57-5784 |
Republic F-105B-10-RE Thunderchief |
| 57-5785/57-5802 |
Republic F-105B-15-RE Thunderchief |
| 57-5803/57-5840 |
Republic F-105B-20-RE Thunderchief |
| 57-5841/57-5845 |
Republic F-105C Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 58-1146/58-1148 |
Republic F-105D-1-RE Thunderchief |
| 58-1149/58-1173 |
Republic F-105D-5-RE Thunderchief |
| 58-1174/58-1190 |
Republic F-105D Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 59-1717/59-1757 |
Republic F-105D-5-RE Thunderchief |
| 59-1758/59-1774 |
Republic F-105D-6-RE Thunderchief |
| 59-1775/59-1816 |
Republic F-105D Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 59-1817/59-1826 |
Republic F-105D-6-RE Thunderchief |
| 59-1827/59-1842 |
Republic F-105E Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 60-0409/60-0426 |
Republic F-105D-6-RE Thunderchief |
| 60-0427/60-0535 |
Republic F-105D-10-RE Thunderchief |
| 60-0536/60-0546 |
Republic F-105D Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 60-5374/60-5385 |
Republic F-105D-10-RE Thunderchief |
| 61-0041/61-0106 |
Republic F-105D-15-RE Thunderchief |
| 61-0107/61-0161 |
Republic F-105D-20-RE Thunderchief |
| 61-0162/61-0220 |
Republic F-105D-25-RE Thunderchief |
| 61-0221/61-0260 |
Republic F-105D Thunderchief |
Contract Canceled |
| 62-4217/62-4237 |
Republic F-105D-25-RE Thunderchief |
| 62-4238/62-4276 |
Republic F-105D-30-RE Thunderchief |
| 62-4277/62-4411 |
Republic F-105D-31-RE Thunderchief |
| 62-4412/62-4447 |
Republic F-105F-1-RE Thunderchief |
| 63-8260/63-8366 |
Republic F-105F-1-RE Thunderchief |
Variants
YF-105A
- Two pre-production prototypes.
YF-105B
- Four pre-production aircraft.
F-105B
- Initial production model, 71 built.
JF-105B
- Test aircraft built from re-allocated RF-105B airframes; 3 built.
RF-105B
- Proposed reconnaissance version of the F-105B; none built (three ordered but completed as JF-105Bs).
F-105C
- Proposed dual-control trainer; cancelled in 1957, none built
F-105D
- The definitive production model, all-weather capability thanks to advanced avionics, first flight 9 June 1959; 610 built.
RF-105D
- Proposed reconnaissance version of the F-105D; none built.
F-105E
- Proposed trainer version of F-105D; cancelled in 1959, none completed
F-105F
- Two-seat trainer version of F-105D with lengthened forward fuselage, dual controls, taller fin, fully combat-capable, first flight 11 June 1963; 143 built.
EF-105F
- Initial designation for a SEAD
SEAD , or Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, also known as "Wild Weasels" and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA, are military actions to suppress enemy surface-based air defenses , primarily in, but not limited to, the first hours of an attack.One fourth of American combat sorties in...
/Wild WeaselWild Weasel is a nickname for an aircraft of the United States Air Force specially equipped with radar seeking missiles used to remove radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems...
version, 54 conversion from F-105Fs.
F-105G
- Two-seat Wild Weasel
Wild Weasel is a nickname for an aircraft of the United States Air Force specially equipped with radar seeking missiles used to remove radars and SAM installations of enemy air defence systems...
SEADSEAD , or Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses, also known as "Wild Weasels" and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA, are military actions to suppress enemy surface-based air defenses , primarily in, but not limited to, the first hours of an attack.One fourth of American combat sorties in...
version, re-designation of the RF-105F conversions.
Operators
- United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
- Air Force Reserve
- Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
Specifications (F-105D)
See also
External links
- USAF Museum F-105D Factsheet
- USAF Museum F-105f/G Factsheet
- The Republic F-105 Thunderchief from Greg Goebel's AIR VECTORS
- The F-105 Thud, a legend flown by legends
- Craig Baker's F-105 Site
- Thud Ridge Web: Republic F-105 Thunderchief In Combat
- Break-left: F-105 Thunderchief
- F-105 Thunderchief Walk Around at Wings Oover the Rockies Museum
The Wings Over the Rockies Air and Space Museum is located on the former grounds of Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, Colorado. The museum, which opened in 1994, is housed in the Hangar #1 built in 1939. The museum preserves the history of Lowry AFB's operations from 1938 to 1994 in its...
, Denver, COThe City and County of Denver is the capital and the most populous city of the state of Colorado, in the United States. Denver is a consolidated city-county located in the South Platte River Valley on the High Plains just east of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains...
.
- Aerospaceweb.org profile of the F-105
- Twenty-five hour day - Film primarily covering an F-105 attack over North Vietnam. Plenty of Thud footage, and coverage of the support required for such an operation: maintenance crews, planning, refuelling, search and rescue, etc (thumbnails).
- AeroWeb list of F-105 Thunderchiefs on display in the US.