Republic F-84 Thunderjet

The F-84 Thunderjet was an American built fighter-bomber aircraft made by the Republic Aviation Company.

Development

It was the first new aircraft to be built after World War II, and it made its first flight on February 26, 1946. Over 4,000 were produced and they served in the United States Air Force and in the air forces of other nations which were allied to the US at that time.

Operational History

The Thunderjet had a distinguished record during the Korean War where it was used primarily for low-level interdiction missions. Almost daily the F-84 attacked enemy railroads, bridges, supply depots and troop concentrations with bombs, rockets and napalm. The Thunderjet was one of the first American fighters to be able to carry a tactical nuclear bomb.

The F-84 was the first aircraft flown by the USAF Thunderbirds.

The Thunderjet was eventually replaced by the F-100 and relegated to duty in the Air National Guard.

Variants

F-84F Thunderstreak

XF-84 or XP-84 - 3 prototype aircraft were built .
XP-84A - The designation of the third XF-84 prototype.
YF-84A - 15 service test aircraft were built.
P-84A or F-84A - 99 A models were canceled
P-84B or F-84B - 226 of the first production model were built
P-84C or F-84C - 191 Imp. -B model
F-84D - 154 Imp. -C; longer fuselage, new wing
F-84E - 843 Imp. -D model
EF-84E - Two F-84Es were converted into test prototypes, to test various methods of air-to-air refuelling.
F-84F - Single-seat fighter-bomber. This swept wing derivative was known as the Thunderstreak, initially designated YF-96. The aircraft used the 15,917 kg (6000 lb) Curtiss Wright J65-W-3 engine.
RF-84F - Single-seat sept-wing reconnaissance version, known as the Thunderflash.
F-84G - Single-seat fighter-bomber, capable of carrying nuclear weapons. 3025 built (1,936 to NATO)
XF-84H - 2 experimental turboprop test aircraft were built - dubbed the "Thunderscreech" by ground crew due to its noise level

A program was also developed for the F-84 to perform a zero-length launch by attaching a rocket booster. See the external link at the bottom of the page.

Specifications (F-84)

RF-84F Thunderflash, the reconnaissance version of the swept-wing F-84F.

XF-84H Thunderscreech prototype

General characteristics

Crew: One
Length: 38 ft 6 in (11.77 m)
Wingspan: 36 ft 5 in (11.10 m)
Height: 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
Wing area: ft² ( m²)
Empty: lb ( kg)
Loaded: 15,227 lb (6,921 kg)
Maximum takeoff: 22,455 lb (10,207 kg)
Powerplant: 1x Allison J35, 4,900 lbf (21.8 kN) of thrust

Performance

Maximum speed: 620 mph (1,000 km/h)
Range: 1,485 miles (2,390 km)
Service ceiling: 43,240 ft (13,200 m)
Rate of climb: ft/min ( m/min)
Wing loading: lb/ft² ( kg/m²)
Thrust-to-weight:

Armament

6 x .50-cal (12.7 mm) machine guns
8 x 5 in (127 mm) rockets or
2,000 lb (900 kg) of bombs or napalm tanks.