Years In Service: 1959-1984
Initial Flight: October 22, 1955
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was a supersonic fighter bomber by the United States Air Force. The Mach-2 capable F-105 being designed to deliver nuclear weapons at high speeds over long range, conducted most of the strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War bombing North Vietnam’s most heavily defended targets using conventional weapons. They flew 101,000 strike missions and dropped 202,596 tons of bombs with 382 F-105 aircraft lost. Six airshows by the USAF Thunderbirds demonstration team were flown in 1964 using the F-105. Following an in the F-105, the Thunderbirds transitioned back to the F-100 Super Sabre.
Aircraft Specifications
Height: 19′ 7″ Wingspan: 34′ 9″ Length: 64′ 4″ Crew: 1; Pilot Armament: One M61 Vulcan 20mm internal automatic cannon Payload: Internal bomb load capacity up to 8,000 lbs. Thrust: 26,500 lbs. No. of Engines: 1 Cruise speed: 778 mph Max Speed: 1,390 mph Ceiling: 48,500 ft.