The Republic F-105 Thunderchief nicknamed by it's flight crew the "Thud" entered served with the USAF in 1958 as a supersonic fighter bomber with nuclear capability, although a total of 833 F-105's were produced, over half these were lost in the Vietnam War and each hour of flight required a ridiculous one hundred and fifty hours of maintenance, it came as no surprise when the aircraft was taken out of USAF service following the end of the Vietnam War although some were operated by the Air National Guard until early 1984, the Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon was purchased to replace the F-105 and has proved to be a very good choice.
Specifications: Republic F-105D Thunderchief - Crew: Pilot only
- Length: 64 ft 4.75 in (19.63 m)
- Wingspan: 34 ft 11.25 in (10.65 m)
- Height: 19 ft 8 in (5.99 m)
- Empty weight: 27,500 lb (12,470 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 52,546 lb (23,834 kg)
- Engine: Single 26,500 lbf (118 kN) Pratt & Whitney J75-P-19W afterburning turbojet
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.08 (1,372 mph, 2,208 km/h) at 36,000 ft (11,000 m)
- Combat radius: 780 mi (680 nm, 1,250 km)
- Service ceiling: 48,500 ft (14,800 m)
- Rate of climb: 38,500 ft/min (195 m/s)
Armament: - Single: 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan cannon
- Four AIM-9 Sidewinder and AGM-12 Bullpup missiles
- A maximum of 14,000 lb (6350 kg) of ordnance, including conventional or nuclear bombs
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