Republic F-105 Thunderchief
Republic Aviation · United States · first flew 1955 · fighter
One of the largest single-seat, single-engine fighters ever built, the F-105 Thunderchief was a Mach 2 nuclear strike aircraft that became a workhorse of the Vietnam air war.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, swept |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Very large single-engine fuselage with area-ruled coke-bottle waist |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Very large single-engine fuselage with area-ruled coke-bottle waist
- Forward-swept wing-root engine intakes
- Sharply swept wings, tall fin and an internal bomb bay
Spot it by its sheer size, the pinched area-ruled fuselage and the unusual forward-swept intakes at the wing roots. The swept wing and single tall fin complete the bulky profile.
Specifications
- The Republic F-105 Thunderchief has a length of 19.63 m (64 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.65 m (35 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 2240 km/h (1392 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Republic's prototype first flew in 1955 and the type entered USAF service in 1958, conceived as a fast low-level nuclear striker with an internal bomb bay and distinctive forward-swept intakes. Its size and power earned it the nickname Thud.
Variants
The F-105B was the initial production model, the F-105D the definitive all-weather version, and the two-seat F-105F a combat-capable trainer. The F-105G Wild Weasel was adapted for anti-radar and SAM-suppression missions.
Where you'll see it
The Thunderchief was exclusively a US Air Force aircraft and was never exported, flying over 20,000 sorties in Southeast Asia at heavy cost before retiring in 1984. It is not a British type and preserved examples are held almost entirely in the United States.
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- Republic P-47D Thunderbolt (Razorback)
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- Dassault MD 550 Mystère-Delta
- Dassault Super Mystère
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