US Republic F105 ''Thunderchief'' Fighter Jet

By Crusader1307

The once vaunted Republic Aircraft F-105 ''Thunderchief'' was an early workhorse of The Vietnam War. A supersonic Fighter-Bomber, The F-105 was also a “specialized” Fighter in that it was Nuclear capable. Despite it's high volume of work, it is the only US Fighter to have been removed from US Air Force service to  high losses. First introduced in 1958, The F-105 was though to be an effective counter to North Vietnamese Surface To Air Missile deployments. It could also carried more firepower than previous World War II Light Bombers. It had an impressive “kill ratio’’ of 27 to 1 when encountering Russian and Chinese made MIG Fighters. While the Crew nicknamed ‘’Thud’’ was very effective it’s removal from combat was more due to Pilot excess in flying too low or over taxing the specifications of The F-105. Of the over 880 produced, 61 were lost to direct Enemy contact, with another 335 lost to Pilot or other mechanical error. Phased out by 1964, The F-105 remained in War inventory until 1984. (12) Variants were developed, some as twin-seaters. The ‘’Thunderchief’’ was 65-feet long with a wingspan of 36-feet. Powered by a single Pratt-Whitney J75 afterburning Turbo Jet Engine, The F-105 could achieve Mach 2 or over 1,300-mph). The F-105 could achieve an operational ceiling of 50,000-feet. She could be configured to carry up to 16,000-pounds of Ordnance to include AIM Sidewinder Air-To-Air Rockets. The Fighter was also equipped with (1) 20mm Cannon – a modified ‘’Vulcan’’ 6-barrel rotating Gatling.