F-84 Thunderjet
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| F-84 Thunderjet/Thunderstreak/ Thunderflash | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| USAF F-84E Thunderjet | |
| Type | Fighter-bomber |
| Manufacturer | Republic Aviation Company |
| Designed by | Alexander Kartveli |
| Maiden flight | 1946-02-28 |
| Introduced | November 1947 |
| Retired | 1972 US ANG 1991 Greece |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Number built | 7,524 |
| Unit cost | US$237,247 (F-84G)[1] US$769,330 (F-84F) |
The Republic Aviation F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Air Force proposal for a daytime fighter, the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program. The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter and RF-84F Thunderflash photoreconnaissance aircraft.
The USAF Strategic Air Command had F-84 Thunderjets (F-84s and RF-84s) in service from 1948 through 1957.
The Thunderjet became the Air Force's primary strike aircraft during the Korean War, flying 86,408 missions and destroying 60% of all ground targets in the war as well as 8 Soviet-built MiG fighters. Over half of the 7,524 F-84s produced served with NATO nations, and it was the first aircraft to fly with the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team.
The F-84 was the first production fighter aircraft to utilize in-flight refueling and the first fighter capable of carrying a nuclear bomb. Modified F-84s were used in several unusual projects, including the FICON and Tom-Tom dockings to the B-29 and B-36 bomber motherships, and the proposed XF-84H Thunderscreech supersonic turboprop.
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[edit] Development
In 1944, Republic Aviation's chief designer, Alexander Kartveli, began working on a turbojet-powered replacement for the P-47 Thunderbolt piston-engined fighter. The initial attempts to redesign the P-47 to accommodate a jet engine proved futile due to the large cross-section of the early centrifugal compressor turbojets. Instead, Kartveli and his team designed a brand-new aircraft with a streamlined fuselage largely occupied by an axial compressor turbojet engine and fuel stored in rather thick unswept wings. On 1944-09-11, the United States Army Air Forces released General Operational Requirements for a day fighter with a top speed of 600 mph (521 knots, 966 km/h), combat radius of 705 miles (612 nm, 1,135 km), and armament of either six 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) or four 0.60 inch (15.2 mm) machine guns. In addition, the new aircraft had to use the General Electric TG-180 axial turbojet which entered production as Allison J35. On 1944-11-11, Republic received an order for three prototypes of the new XP-84. Since the design promised superior performance to the P-80 Shooting Star and Republic had extensive experience in building single-seat fighters, no competition was held for the contract. The name Thunderjet was chosen to continue the Republic Aviation tradition started with the P-47 while emphasizing the new method of propulsion. On 1945-01-04, even before the aircraft took to the air, USAAF expanded its order to 25 service test YP-84A and 75 production P-84B (later modified to 15 YP-84A and 85 P-84B). Meanwhile, wind tunnel testing by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics revealed longitudinal instability and buckling of stabilizer skin at high speeds. The weight of the aircraft, a great concern given the low thrust of early turbojets, was growing so quickly that USAAF had to set a gross weight limit of 13,400 pounds (6,078 kg). The results of preliminary testing were incorporated into the third prototype, designated XP-84A, which was also fitted with a more powerful J35-GE-15 engine with 4,000 pound-force (17.80 kN) of thrust.
The first prototype XP-84 was transferred to Muroc Army Air Field (present-day Edwards Air Force Base) where it flew for the first time on 28 February 1946 with Major William A. Lien at the controls. It was joined by the second prototype in August, both aircraft flying with J35-GE-7 engines producing 3,745 pound-force (16.66 kN) of thrust. The fifteen YP-84As delivered to Patterson Field (present-day Wright-Patterson Air Force Base) for service tests differed from XP-84s in having an upgraded J35-A-15 engine, carrying six 0.50 inch (12.7 mm) Browning M2 machine guns (four in the nose and one in each wing root), and having the provision for wingtip fuel tanks holding 226 US gallon (870 L) each. Due to delays with delivery of jet engines and production of the XP-84A, the Thunderjet had undergone only limited flight testing by the time production P-84Bs began to roll out of the factory in 1947. In particular, the impact of wingtip tanks on aircraft handling was not thoroughly studied which proved problematic later.
After creation of United States Air Force by the National Security Act of 1947, the Pursuit designation was replaced with Fighter, and P-84 became the F-84.
F-84s were assigned to the 27th Fighter Wing, 27th Fighter Escort Wing, 27th Strategic Fighter Wing, 31st Fighter Escort Wing, 127th Fighter Day Wing, 127th Fighter Escort Wing, 127th Strategic Fighter Wing, 407th Strategic Fighter Wing and the 506th Strategic Fighter Wing of the Strategic Air Command from 1947 through 1958.
[edit] Operational History
The F-84B, which differed from YP-84A only in having faster-firing M3 machine guns, became operational with 14th Fighter Group at Dow Field, Bangor, Maine in December 1947. Flight restrictions followed immediately, limiting maximum speed to Mach 0.8 due to control reversal, and limiting maximum acceleration to 5.5 Gs due to wrinkling of fuselage skin. To compound the problem, parts shortages and maintenance difficulties earned the aircraft the nickname "Mechanic's Nightmare".[1] On 1948-05-24, the entire F-84B fleet was grounded due to structural failures. A 1948 review of the entire F-84 program discovered that none of the F-84B or F-84C aircraft could be considered operational or capable of executing any aspect of their intended mission. The program was saved from cancellation by the fact that the F-84D, whose production was well underway, had satisfactorily addressed the major faults. A fly-off against the F-80 revealed that while the Shooting Star had shorter takeoff roll, better low altitude climb rate, and superior maneuverability, the F-84 was faster, had better high altitude performance and range, and could carry a greater warload.[1] As a temporizing measure, in 1949 the USAF committed US$8 million to implement over 100 upgrades, most notably reinforcing the wings, to all F-84Bs. Despite the resultant improvements, the F-84B was withdrawn from active duty by 1952.
The F-84C utilized a somewhat more reliable J35-A-13 engine and some engineering refinements. Being virtually identical to the F-84B, the C model suffered from all of the same defects and underwent a similar structural upgrade program in 1949. All F-84Cs were withdrawn from active service by 1952.
The structural improvements were factory-implemented in the F-84D which entered service in 1949. Wings were covered with thicker aluminum skin, the fuel system was winterized and capable of using JP-4 fuel, and a more powerful J35-A-17 engine with 5,000 pound-force (22.24 kN) of thrust was fitted. It was discovered that the untested wingtip fuel tanks contributed to wing structural failures by inducing excessive twisting during high-G maneuvers. To correct this, small triangular fins were added to the outside of the tanks. The F-84D was phased out of USAF service in 1952 and left Air National Guard service in 1957.
The first competent Thunderjet model was the F-84E which entered service in 1949. The aircraft featured further reinforcement of the wings, a 12 inch (30 cm) fuselage plug in front of the wings and 3 inch (76 mm) plug aft of the wings to enlarge the cockpit and the avionics bay, the J35-A-17 engine, an A-1C gunsight with APG-30 radar, and provision for an additional pair of 230 US gallon (871 L) fuel tanks to be carried on underwing pylons. The latter increased the combat radius from 850 to 1,000 miles (740 to 870 nm, 1,370 to 1,610 km). Despite the improvements, the in-service rates remained poor with less than half of the aircraft operational at any given time. This was primarily due to severe shortage of spares for the Allison engines. The expectation was that F-84Es would fly 25 hours per month, accumulating 100 hours between engine overhauls. The reality of Korean War and NATO deployments rapidly outpaced the supply and Allison's ability to manufacture new engines.[1] The F-84E was withdrawn from USAF service in 1956, lingering with ANG units until 1959.
The definitive straight-wing F-84 was the F-84G which entered service in 1951. The aircraft introduced a refueling boom receptacle in the left wing, autopilot, Instrument Landing System, J35-A-29 engine with 5,560 pound-force (24.73 kN) of thrust, and the ability to carry a single Mark 7 nuclear bomb. The F-84G was retired from USAF in the mid-1960s.
[edit] Flying the Thunderjet
Typical of most early jets, the Thunderjet's takeoff performance left much to be desired. In hot Korean summers with a full combat load, the aircraft routinely required 10,000 feet (3,050 m) of runway for takeoff even with the help of RATO bottles (two or four of these were carried, each producing 1,000 pound-force (4.45 kN) of thrust for 14 seconds). All but the lead aircraft had their visibility obscured by the thick smoke from the rockets. Early F-84s had to be pulled off the ground at 140 knots (160 mph, 260 km/h) with the control stick held in the rearmost position. Landings happened at a similar speed (for comparison, the P-51 Mustang landed at approximately 100 knots (120 mph, 190 km/h)). Despite the "hot" landing speeds, the Thunderjet was easy to fly on instruments and crosswinds did not present much of a problem.[2]
Thanks to the thick straight wing, the Thunderjet, which was otherwise blessed with good aerodynamics, rapidly reached its Mach 0.82 limitation at full throttle and low altitude. The aircraft had sufficient power to fly faster but exceeding the Mach limit at low altitudes resulted in a violent pitch-up and structural failure causing the wings to fall off. Above 15,000 feet (4,600 m), the F-84 could be flown faster but at the expense of severe buffeting. Fortunately, the airspeed was sufficiently easy control to make safe dive bombing from 10,000 feet (3,000 m) possible. The top speed limitation proved troublesome against Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15s in Korea. Slower than the MiG, the F-84 was also unable to turn tightly with a maximum instantaneous-turn load of only 3 Gs followed by rapid loss of airspeed. One F-84E pilot credited with two MiG kills achieved his second victory by intentionally flying his aircraft into pitch-up. The MiGs chasing him were unable to follow the violent maneuver and one crashed into the ground. Luckily for the pilot, the aircraft did not disintegrate but the airframe did suffer heavy warping. The F-84 was a stable gun platform and the computing gunsight aided in accurate gunnery and bombing. Pilots praised the aircraft for Republic's legendary ruggedness.[2]
The Thunderjet was nicknamed "The Lead Sled" by those who flew it (the nickname was later passed on to the F-100 Super Sabre). It was also called "The Iron Crowbar," "a hole sucking air," "The Hog," ["The Groundhog"], and "The World's Fastest Tricycle" as a testament to the long takeoff rolls. The F-84 lore stated that all aircraft were equipped with a "sniffer" device that, upon passing V2, would look for the dirt at the end of the runway. As soon as the device could smell the dirt, the controls would turn on and let the pilot fly off the ground. In the same vein, it was suggested a bag of dirt should be carried in the front landing gear well. Upon reaching V2, the pilot would dump the dirt under the wheels, fooling the sniffer device.[3]
[edit] Thunderstreak/Thunderflash
In 1949, Republic created a swept wing version of the F-84 hoping to bring performance to the F-86 level. The last production F-84E was fitted with a swept tail, a new wing with 38.5 degrees of leading edge sweep and 3.5 degrees of anhedral, and a J35-A-25 engine producing 5,300 pound-force (23.58 kN) of thrust. The aircraft, designated XF-96A flew on 3 June 1950 with Otto P. Haas at the controls. Although the airplane was capable of 602 knots (693 mph, 1,115 km/h), the performance gain over the F-84E was considered minor. Nonetheless, it was ordered into production in July 1950 as the F-84F Thunderstreak. The F-84 designation was retained because the fighter was expected to be a low-cost improvement of the straight-wing Thunderjet with over 55 percent commonality in tooling. In the meantime, USAF arranged for the British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet to be built in the United States as the Wright J65 in the hopes that the more powerful engine would improve high-altitude performance. To accommodate the larger engine, YF-84F with a British-built Sapphire as well as production F-84Fs with J65 had a vertically stretched fuselage with the air intake attaining an oval cross-section. Production delays with the F-84F forced USAF to order a number of straight-wing F-84Gs as an interim measure.
Production quickly ran into problems. Although tooling commonality with the Thunderjet was supposed to be 55 percent, in reality only 15 percent of tools could be reused. To make matters worse, the F-84F utilized press-forged wing spars and ribs. At the time, only three presses in United States could manufacture these and the priority was given to the B-47 Stratojet bomber. The YJ65-W-1 engine was considered obsolete and the improved J65-W-3 did not become available until 1954. When the first production F-84F finally flew on 1952-11-22, it differed from the service test aircraft in having a different canopy which opened up and back instead of the sliding to the rear as well as airbrakes on the sides of the fuselage instead of the bottom of the aircraft. The aircraft was considered not ready for operational deployment due to control and stability problems. Since early aircraft suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up, F-84F-25-RE introduced an all-moving tailplane. A number of aircraft were also retrofitted with spoilers for improved high-speed control. As the result, the F-84F was not declared operational until 1954-05-12. Project Run In operational tests completed in November 1954 finally found the aircraft to be to USAF satisfaction and considerably better than the F-84G. However, ongoing engine failures resulted in the entire fleet being grounded in early 1955. Furthermore, the J65 continued to suffer from flameouts when flying through heavy rain or snow. As the result of the delays, the active duty phaseout began almost as soon as the F-84F entered service in 1954, and was completed by 1958. Increased tensions in Germany assocated with construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 resulted in reactivation of the F-84F fleet. In 1962, the fleet was grounded due to corrosion of control rods and a total of 1,800 man hours was expended to bring each aircraft to full operational capacity.[1] The aircraft were finally retired in 1964. Stress corrosion forced retirement of ANG F-84Fs in 1971.
The second YF-84F prototype was completed with wing-root air intakes which were not adopted for the fighter due to loss of thrust. However, this arrangement permitted placement of cameras in the nose and the design was adopted for the RF-84F Thunderflash reconnaissance version. The first YRF-84F was completed in February 1952. The aircraft retained an armament of four machine guns and could carry up to fifteen cameras. Innovations included computerized controls which adjusted camera settings for light, speed, and altitude, a periscope to give the pilot better visualization of the target, and a voice recorder to let the pilot narrate his observations. Being largely identical to the F-84F, the Thunderflash suffered from the same production delays and engine problems, delaying operational service until March 1954. The aircraft was retired from active duty in 1957, only to be reactivated in 1961, and finally retired from ANG in 1972.
Several modified Thunderflashes were used in the FICON project.
[edit] Flying the Thunderstreak
The Thunderstreak suffered from the same poor takeoff performance as the straight-wing Thunderjets in spite of having a more powerful engine. In reality, almost 700 pound-force (3.11 kN) or 10 percent of total thrust was lost because the J65 was installed at an angle and its exhaust had a prominent kink. On a hot day, 7,500 feet (2,285 m) of runway were required for takeoff roll. A typical takeoff speed was 160 knots (185 mph, 300 km/h). Like the Thunderjet, the Thunderstreak excelled at cruise and had predictable handling characteristics within its performance envelope. Like its predecessor, it also suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up and potential resulting separation of wings from the airplane. In addition, spins in the F-84F were practically unrecoverable and ejection was the only recourse below 10,000 feet (3,000 m).
An amusing story is told, courtesy of a Korean War-era ground crewman, concerning the takeoff performance. It was proposed that a container of sand be placed in front of the nose wheel. At the proper moment, the sand would be dumped beneath the wheel which would fool the aircraft into thinking it had reached the end of the runway and compel it to fly.[4]
With the appearance of the F-105 Thunderchief, the Thunderstreak became known as the Thud's Mother.
[edit] Korean War
The Thunderjet had a distinguished record during the Korean War. Although the F-84B and F-84C could not be deployed because their J35 engines had a service life of only 40 hours, the F-84D and F-84E entered combat with 27th Fighter Escort Group on 7 December 1950. The aircraft were initially tasked with escorting the B-29 Superfortress bombers. The first Thunderjet air-to-air victory was scored on 21 January 1951 at the cost of two F-84s. The F-84 was a generation behind the swept-wing Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 and outmatched, especially when the MiGs were flown by Soviet pilots, and the escort duties were soon relegated to the F-86 Sabre. Like its famous predecessor, the P-47, the F-84 switched to the low-level interdiction role at which it excelled. The aircraft flew a total of 86,408 missions and dropped 111,171,000 pounds (50,427 tons) of bombs and 12,258,000 pounds (5,560 tons) of napalm. The USAF claimed that the F-84s were responsible for 60 percent of all ground targets destroyed in the war. The F-84 pilots were credited with 8 MiG-15 kills at a loss of 64 aircraft in air combat. The total losses were 335 F-84D, E, and G models. During the war, the F-84 became the first USAF fighter to utilize aerial refueling in combat.
The F-84 was the first aircraft flown by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which operated Thunderjets from 1953 to 1955 and Thunderstreaks from 1955 to 1956. The F-84E was also flown by the Skyblazers team of United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) from 1950 to 1955.
The Thunderjet was eventually replaced by the F-100 Super Sabre and the RF-101 Voodoo and was relegated to duty in the Air National Guard. The last F-84F retired from ANG in 1971. The last operational F-84s were 3 Hellenic Air Force RF-84Fs that retired in 1991.
[edit] Notable achievements
- On 1946-09-07, the second XP-84 prototype set a national speed record of 607.2 mph (527.6 knots, 977.2 km/h) -- a bit slower than the world record 612.2 mph (532.0 knots, 985.2 km/h) held by the British Gloster Meteor.
- On 1950-09-22, two EF-84Es flew across the North Atlantic from Great Britain to United States. One aircraft ran out of fuel over Newfoundland but the other successfully made the crossing which took 10 hours 2 minutes and three aerial refuelings. The flight demonstrated that large numbers of fighters could be rapidly moved across the Atlantic.
- F-84G was the first fighter with built-in aerial refueling capability and the first single-seat aircraft capable of carrying a nuclear bomb.
- On 1953-08-20, 17 F-84Gs utilizing aerial refueling flew from United States to United Kingdom. The 4,485 mile (3,900 nm, 7,220 km) journey was the longest-ever nonstop flight by jet fighters.[1]
[edit] Costs
The costs are in approximately 1950 United States dollars and have not been adjusted for inflation.[1]
| F-84B | F-84C | F-84D | F-84E | F-84G | F-84F | RF-84F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airframe | 139,863 | 139,863 | 150,846 | 562,715 | 482,821 | ||
| Engine | 41,654 | 41,654 | 41,488 | 146,027 | 95,320 | ||
| Electronics | 7,165 | 7,165 | 4,761 | 9,623 | 21,576 | ||
| Armament | 23,559 | 23,559 | 37,433 | 41,713 | 63,632 | ||
| Ordnance | 2,719 | 9,252 | 4,529 | ||||
| Flyaway cost | 286,407 for the first 100 163,994 for the next 141 |
147,699 | 212,241 | 212,241 | 237,247 | 769,300 | 667,608 |
| Cost per flying hour | 390 | ||||||
| Maintenance cost per flying hour | 185 | 185 |
[edit] Variants
- XP-84
- The first two prototypes.
- XP-84A
- The third prototype with a more powerful J35-GE-15 engine.
- YP-84A
- Service test aircraft; 15 built.
- P-84B (F-84B)
- First production version, J35-A-15 engine; 226 built.
- EF-84B
- Two F-84Bs converted into parasite fighters to be attached to the wingtips of an ETB-29 bomber as part of Project Tom-Tom.
- F-84C
- Reverted to the more reliable J35-A-13 engine, improved fuel, hydraulic and electrical systems; 191 built.
- F-84D
- J35-A-17 engine, various structural improvements. The pitot tube was moved from the tail fin to the splitter in the air intake, and fins were added to the wingtip fuel tanks; 154 built.
- F-84E
- J35-A-17D engine, Sperry AN/APG-30 radar-ranging gunsight, fuselage stretched 12 in (30 cm) to enlarge the cockpit, retractable attachements for RATO bottles, inboard wing hardpoints made "wet" to permit carrying an additional pair of 230 US gal (885 L) fuel tanks. Can be distinguished from earlier models by the presence of two fuel vents on ventral rear fuselage. Most aircraft retrofitted with F-84G-style reinforced canopies; 843 built.
- EF-84E
- Two F-84Es were converted into test prototypes, to test various methods of air-to-air refuelling.
- F-84F Thunderstreak
- Swept wing version initially designated F-96. Wright J65 engine, Tactical Air Command aircraft were equipped with Low-Altitude Bombing System (LABS) for delivering nuclear bombs. 2,711 built, 1,301 went to NATO under Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP).
- GRF-84F
- 25 RF-84Fs were converted to be carried, and launched from the bomb-bay of a GRB-36F bomber as part of the FICON project. The aircraft were later redesignated RF-84K.
- RF-84F Thunderflash
- Reconnaissance version of the F-84F, 715 built.
- YF-84F
- Two swept-wing prototypes of the F-84F.
- F-84G
- Single-seat fighter-bomber capable of delivering the Mark 7 nuclear bomb using the LABS, J35-A-29 engine, autopilot, capable of in-flight refueling using both the boom (receptacle in left wing leading edge) and drogue (probe fitted to wingtip fuel tanks), introduced the multi-framed canopy which was later retrofitted to earlier straight-winged F-84s. 3,025 built (1,936 for NATO under MDAP).
- EF-84G
- Zero length launch version for point defense, used the booster rocket from MGM-1 Matador cruise missile, did not enter production.
- XF-84H
- Two F-84Fs were converted into experimental aircraft with an Allison XT40-A-1 turboprop engine of 5,850 shaft horsepower (4,365 kW) driving a supersonic propeller. It was dubbed the Thunderscreech by ground crews due to its noise level.
- YF-84J
- Two F-84Fs were converted into YF-84J prototypes with enlarged nose intakes and a deepened fuselages for the General Electric J73 engine. Reached Mach 1.09 in level flight on 1954-05-07. Cancelled due to excessive cost of conversion of existing F-84Fs.
- F-84KX
- 80 ex-USAF F-84Bs converted into target drones for the United States Navy.
[edit] Operators
Belgium, France, Denmark, Germany, Greece, Iran, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United States (Air Force), Yugoslavia.
[edit] Specifications (F-84G Thunderjet)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 38 ft 1 in (11.60 m)
- Wingspan: 36 ft 5 in (11.10 m)
- Height: 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m)
- Wing area: 260 ft² (24 m²)
- Empty weight: 11,470 lb (5,200 kg)
- Loaded weight: 18,080 lb (8,200 kg))
- Max takeoff weight: 23,340 lb (10,585 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Allison J35-A-29 turbojet, 5,560 lbf (24.89 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 622 mph (1,000 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 475 mph (770 km/h)
- Range: 1,000 mi combat, 2,000 mi ferry with external tanks (1,600 km / 3,200 km)
- Service ceiling: 40,500 ft (12,350 m)
- Rate of climb: 3,765 ft/min (19.1 m/s)
- Wing loading: 70 lb/ft² (342 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.31
Armament
- 6x .50-cal (12.7 mm) Browning M3 machine guns, 300 rounds/gun
- Up to 4,450 lb (2,020 kg) on four external hardpoints including external fuel tanks, bombs, 8x 5 in (127 mm) rockets, or 1x Mark 7 nuclear bomb.
Avionics
- A-1CM or A-4 gunsight with APG-30 or MK-18 ranging radar
[edit] Specifications (F-84F Thunderstreak)
General characteristics
- Crew: One
- Length: 43 ft 5 in (13.23 m)
- Wingspan: 33 ft 7 in (10.24 m)
- Height: 14 ft 5 in (4.39 m)
- Wing area: 325 ft² (30 m²)
- Empty weight: 13,830 lb (6,275 kg)
- Loaded weight: 19,340 lb (8,770 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 27,000 lb (12,250 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Wright J65-W-3 turbojet, 7,220 lbf (32.12 kN)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 695 mph (1,120 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 540 mph (865 km/h)
- Range: 810 mi combat, 2,340 mi ferry with external tanks (1,300 km / 3,770 km)
- Service ceiling: 46,000 ft (14,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 8,200 ft/min (41.7 m/s)
- Wing loading: 60 lb/ft² (292 kg/m²)
- Thrust/weight: 0.37
Armament
- 6x .50-cal (12.7 mm) Browning M3 machine guns, 300 rounds/gun
- Up to 6,000 lb (2,720 kg) on four external hardpoints including external fuel tanks, bombs, 8x 5 in (127 mm) rockets, 24x 3 in (75 mm) rockets, or 1x Mark 7 nuclear bomb.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e f g Knaack MS (1978). Encyclopedia of US Air Force aircraft and missile systems. Office of Air Force History.
- ^ a b Higham, R, Williams, C (1975). Flying combat aircraft of USAAF-USAF (Vol.1). Air Force Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-8138-0325-X.
- ^ McLaren, David (1998). Republic F-84 Thunderjet, Thunderstreak, & Thunderflash: A photo chronicle. Schiffer Military/Aviation History. ISBN 0-7643-0444-5.
- ^ Higham, R, Williams, C (1978). Flying combat aircraft of USAAF-USAF (Vol.2). Air Force Historical Foundation. ISBN 0-8138-0375-6.
- Bowers, PM, Angellucci, E. (1987) The American Fighter. Orion Books. ISBN 0-517-56588-9
- Donald, D, Lake J. (eds.) (1996) Encyclopedia of world military aircraft. AIRtime Publishing. ISBN 1-880588-24-2
- Keaveney, K (1987) Republic F-84/Swept-Wing Variants (Aerofax Minigraph, No 15). Aerofax. ISBN 0-942548-20-5
- McLaren DR. (1998) Republic F-84: Thunderjet, Thunderstreak, & Thunderflash : A Photo Chronicle. Schiffer. ISBN 0-7643-0444-5
- Swanborough, G, Bowers, PM. (1989) United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. Smithsonian. ISBN 0-87474-880-1
- Wagner, R. (1982) American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition. Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-13120-8
- Forrer, F. (1992) The fun of flying. Hollands Glory. ISBN 0-9714490-3-1
[edit] External links
- http://www.f84thunderjet.com/
- http://www.geocities.com/nmdecke/thunderflash/RF-84F.html
- Edwards Air Force base F-84 site
[edit] Related content
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Comparable aircraft
Designation sequence
XP-81 - F-82 - XP-83 - F-84 - XF-85 - F-86 - XF-87
