The F-105 Thunderchief is the largest single-engine, single seat warplane in history. It could carry a heavier bomb load than even the B-17 Flying Fortress or the B-24 LIberator. Its massive dimensions earned it the nickname of Thud, leading to some derisory jokes; The Thud could kill you in three ways. It could bomb you, strafe you, or fall on you. The F-105 and their pilots soon earned respect for successful strike missions with high risk profiles. Able to carry up to three times the payload of even the heaviest World War Two bombers, the Thunderchief saw most of its actions early in the Vietnam War. The Thunderchief also took on the SEAD missions where they were to first to arrive at the target zones and the last to leave, since their job was the dangerous one of eliminating enemy air defence. Seeing losses to heavy ground fire and air defence, as well as to the more agile Mig-17s and Mig-21s, 334 Thunderchiefs were lost to enemy action. However, urban legend does boast of an official kill when a Thunderchief pilot jettisoned the center rack of bombs into the path of a Mig. With the losses suffered, the F-105 Thunderchief was eventually taken off strike duties, but continued in the SEAD roles. With the bristling air defence systems around Hanoi and North Vietnam, it is doubtful that any of it contemporaries of the period could do a better job. youtube/watch?v=MR2F677wYm0
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 03:16:58 +0000
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