War fighting potential
With in-flight refueling, all F-105s had the potential to fly to any part of the world. Their advanced design included swept-forward air intake ducts on each side of the fuselage. The ducts made it possible to inhale air at tremendous speeds to prevent the engine from “choking.” They could also increase flying stability by shattering supersonic shockwaves, reducing the wave effect on the aerodynamically sensitive tail surfaces. D-model Thunderchiefs were single-seat aircraft, but later F- and G-models were two-seaters. Thuds could also be fitted with air-to-air or air-to-surface rockets and missiles and a 6,000 rounds per minute Vulcan automatic cannon that could make short work of adversaries in the air as or on the ground. They were the first fighters to carry bomb loads internally. The Thunderchiefs went through their baptism of fire in Southeast Asia and many came out as stalwart victors of some of the greatest aerial dogfights in Air Force history.
Vietnam and the Thud
Manufactured by Republic Aviation in New York and delivered to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing based out of Itazuke Air Base, Japan. Japanese air bases were homes for many Thunderchiefs during hostilities in Vietnam. For four years, the F-105s flew 75 percent of all air strikes against North Vietnam. Thud “drivers” (pilots) also shot down 28 MiG interceptors in dogfights that roared at speeds in excess of 1,300 miles per hour, well past the speed of sound. Thunderchiefs also suffered heavier proportional losses than any aircraft employed in the Vietnam War because they attacked targets surrounded by some of the densest anti-aircraft defenses in the history of military aviation. Of 833 F-105 aircraft made from 1958 to 1964, approximately a third are estimated to have never made it back to the States. The pilots of these supersonic war machines comprised a distinguished fraternity of decorated daredevils. Rules for pilots in Southeast Asia were different from the average airman, soldier or sailor, depending on the missions they flew. Combat areas were divided into six “route packs.” Many Thuds to take on Route Pack Six, the area encompassing the North Vietnamese capital of Hanoi and the most heavily defended enemy territory since World War II Berlin. Pilots flying this route could finish up a tour in six months and most flew at least 100 combat missions.
After the War
Most Thunderchiefs in the Air Force
inventory were D-model.
In May 1972, its part in Vietnam played through; the Thuds began
work for a tenant Air Force Reserve unit that would grow to become the
507th Air Refueling Wing. The last F-105D was retired from service in July 1980.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Span: 34 feet, 11 inches
Length: 64 feet, five inches
Height: 19 feet, eight inches
Weight: 52,838 pounds maximum
Armament: One M61 Vulcan 20mm cannon and more than 12,000 pounds of internal and external stores of ordnance
Engine: One Pratt & Whitney J75-P-19W of 24,500 pounds thrust with afterburner
Maximum Speed: 1,390 miles per hour
Cruising Speed: 778 miles per hour
Range: 2,206 miles
Service ceiling: 51,000 feet
Cost: $2,136,668