page_title: Republic F-105 Thunderchief
section_title: Introduction
hierarchical_section_title: Republic F-105 Thunderchief / Operational history / Introduction
caption_attribution_description: A U.S. Air Force Republic F-105D-6-RE Thunderchief (s/n 59-1762) refueling probe detail. The F-105D/F/G models had two types of in-flight refueling equipment: a probe (for the drogue) and a receptacle (for the boom). The F-105D 59-1762 was lost over Southeast Asia on 12 September 1968 while in service with the 357th Tactical Fighter Squadron, 355th Tactical Fighter Wing. On 12 September 1968, Major Samuel C. Maxwell was the pilot of the lead aircraft (F-105D 59-1762), call sign "Wolf 03", in a flight of 4 that was conducting a late afternoon/early evening strike mission in the region of North Vietnam that bordered on the south by the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), on the north by an imaginary line 30 miles north of the DMZ, on the east by the coastline and on the west by Laotian border. At 1731 hours, Wolf flight was directed to attack a line of small boats sailing on the Song Ron River 15 miles south of Mui Ron Ma. Major Maxwell initiated his strafing run on the boats and was seen firing at the target when his aircraft was hit by intense and accurate ground fire. Other flight members also saw the Thunderchief hit the ground and explode on impact (location 17 52 N 106 23 E), Major Maxwell was killed.
context_page_description: The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was an American supersonic fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force. Capable of Mach 2, it conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it was the only American aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. Originally designed as a single-seat, nuclear-attack aircraft, a two-seat Wild Weasel version was later developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses role against surface-to-air missile sites. The F-105 was commonly known as the "Thud" by its crews.
  As a follow-on to the Mach 1 capable North American F-100 Super Sabre, the F-105 was also armed with missiles and a rotary cannon; however, its design was tailored to high-speed low-altitude penetration carrying a single nuclear weapon internally. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief entered service in 1958. The single-engine F-105 could deliver a greater bomb load than some American heavy bombers of World War II such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B-24 Liberator.
context_section_description: The F-105B entered USAF service with the Tactical Air Command's 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing in August 1958, although the squadron did not become fully operational until 1959. On 11 December 1959, an F-105B piloted by Brig Gen Joseph Moore (commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing) set a world record of 1,216.48 miles per hour (1,958 km/h) over a 62 miles (100 km) circuit. Difficulties with its avionics and the MA-8 fire-control system were experienced early on; typically the F-105 required 150 hours of maintenance for each flying hour. Most of these problems were addressed under Project Optimize. The lack of spares resulted in the entire F-105B fleet being briefly grounded in 1960. In 1964, modified F-105Bs with ballast replacing the cannon, fuselage and wing reinforcement for aerobatics, and the addition of a smoke generator, briefly flew with the United States Air Force Thunderbirds demonstration team. After only six shows, a fatal accident from overstressing the airframe led to the reintroduction of the F-100 Super Sabre.
  By 1964, the F-105B was relegated to USAF Air National Guard (ANG) squadrons. It was replaced in frontline service by the definitive F-105D whose advanced NASARR R-14A radar and AN/ASG-19 Thunderstick fire-control system gave it all-weather capability. The R-14A radar also added a terrain-avoidance radar capability, while a completely new instrument panel was fitted, replacing dial-type instrument with vertical tape instruments which were easier to read in combat. In order to accommodate the new radar, with a much larger radar dish, the forward fuselage was redesigned, increasing overall length by 16 inches (41 cm).
  The F-105D entered service with the 335th TFS in September 1960, although it was not fully operational on the F-105D until early 1961. The first overseas F-105 units formed in West Germany in 1961, with the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing at Bitburg Air Base in May and the 49th Tactical Fighter Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base in October. Both wings had a primary tactical nuclear strike role for NATO. The F-105D was also deployed to the Pacific, with the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing at Kadena in Okinawa converting in 1962 and the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing converting from 1963.
  Like the F-105B, the F-105D's early career was plagued with maintenance problems and in-flight failures. The origins of the nickname "Thud" were obscure; some claim that it stood for the sound of an F-105 crashing into the ground. The entire F-105D fleet was grounded in December 1961 and then again in June 1962. Many of the issues were worked out during the production run and by 1964, early F-105Ds were upgraded with these fixes under Project Look Alike, although engine failures and fuel system problems persisted until 1967.
  Meanwhile, the USAF was gradually changing the anticipated F-105 mission from nuclear interdiction to conventional bombing. The Look Alike upgrades increased the aircraft's capacity from four to 16 conventional 750 lb (340 kg) bombs on underwing and fuselage centerline hardpoints and added the equipment to launch AGM-12 Bullpup air-to-ground missiles. In June 1961, an F-105D delivered 15,430 lb (7,000 kg) of conventional bombs during a USAF test—at the time a record for a single-engine aircraft with a payload three times heavier than American four-engine heavy bombers of World War II such as the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress and the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, though aerial refueling would be required for long missions. One of the F-105Ds was named Memphis Belle II after the famed World War II B-17.
caption: F-105D refueling probe detail. The -D model had two types of in-flight refueling equipment: a probe (for the drogue) and a receptacle (for the boom).
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