American postwar aircraft

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Republic F-84F Thunderstreak

The swept-wing F-84F evolved from the straight-wing F-84. The prototype first flew on June 3, 1950 and deliveries began in 1954, primarily to the tactical Air Command as a ground support fighter bomber.
Republic built 2,112 "-F"s while General Motors fabricated an additional 599. Of these, 1,301 were delivered to NATO air forces. Production of a reconnaissance version, the RF-84F Thunderflash, totaled 715 aircraft, including 386 for allied countries. The RF-84F featured engine air intakes at the wing roots plus cameras in the nose.
F-84Fs gradually were replaced by supersonic F-100s in the late 1950s and were turned over to Air National Guard units. However, some F-84Fs were called back to temporary USAF service in the early 1960s due to the Berlin Crisis.

The origin of the Republic Aircraft Corporation's swept wing F-84 variants can be traced back to the summer of 1944.
The Army Air Force proposed to convert the rugged radial engine P-47 Thunderbolt to a jet power by installing 2 single General Electric TG-180 axial flow turbojets in its fuselage.
Though several years in the making, what eventually emerged became the most famous of Republic's early jet fighter's, the straight winged P/F-84 Thunderjet. The Thunderjet made its first flight on Feb. 28, 1946. Preliminary design on the swept wing version began in March of 1947.
The swept wing Thunderstreak flew June 3, 1950. This version was much more capable and reliable. The F-84 was the first single seat fighter capable of carrying a nuclear weapon. A total of 2,711 were built. The F-84 was the first jet fighter to fly the Atlantic Ocean nonft using in-flight refueling.
In 1946, a Thunderjet set a world speed record of 611 mph. Different versions of the F-84 saw service in Korea. Some F-84s remained in service until the 1970s.
This F-84F was delivered to Bergstrom AFB, Texas, July 1, 1954. Later, it served with the Texas Air National Guard, Kelly AFB, Texas, where it stayed until its retirement in March 1971.

General characteristics F-84F
Power plant	One Wright J65-W-3 turbofan
Max. speed	695 mph		1,118 km/h
Ceiling	45,930 ft		14,000 m
Range	combat	790 miles	1,271 km
	maximum	2,140 miles	3,443 km
Initial climb rate	8,200 ft/min		2,500 m/min
Max. takeoff weight	28,000 lb		12,700 kg
Wingspan	33.6 ft		10.24 m
Length	43.4 ft		13.23 m
Height	14.4 ft		4.39 m
Armament	6x .50 cal machine guns with 1,800 rounds of ammunition; external bombs 6,000 lb.

Jirka Wagner