The Republic F-84F Thunderstreak was an American swept-wing turbojet fighter-bomber. While an evolutionary development of the straight-wing F-84 Thunderjet, the F-84F was a new design. The RF-84F Thunderflash was a photo reconnaissance version.
1950 fighter-bomber aircraft
This article's lead section may be too short to adequately summarize the key points. (May 2021)
In 1948, a swept wing version of the F-84 was created with the hope of bringing performance to the level of the F-86. The last production F-84E was fitted with a swept tail, a new wing with 38.5degrees of leading edge sweep and 3.5degrees of anhedral, and a J35-A-25 engine producing 5,300pound-force (23.58kN) of thrust.[1] The aircraft was designated XF-96A. It flew on 3 June 1950 with Oscar P. Haas at the controls.[2] Although the airplane was capable of 602knots (693mph, 1,115km/h), the performance gain over the F-84E was considered minor.[1] 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 55percent commonality in tooling.[1]
YF-84F and YRF-84F prototypes in 1952. Note the early style wing root jet intakes, which were eventually only retained on the RF-84F, due to the need to fit cameras in the nose. The standard F-84F reverted to the original nose intake due to a loss of thrust from the wing root intakes.
In the meantime, the USAF, hoping for improved high-altitude performance from a more powerful engine, arranged for the British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engine to be built in the United States as the Wright J65. To accommodate the larger engine, YF-84Fs with a British-built Sapphire as well as production F-84Fs with the J65 had a vertically stretched fuselage, with the air intake attaining an oval cross-section. Production delays with the F-84F forced the USAF to order a number of straight-wing F-84Gs as an interim measure.[1]
Production quickly ran into problems. Although tooling commonality with the Thunderjet was supposed to be 55percent, in reality only fifteen percent of tools could be reused.[1] To make matters worse, the F-84F utilized press-forged wing spars and ribs. At the time, only three presses in the United States could manufacture these, and priority was given to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber over the F-84.[1] 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 22 November 1952, it differed from the service test aircraft. It had a different canopy which opened up and back instead of sliding to the rear (a unique design, the canopy was mounted on a pair of hydraulic rams and a pivoted lever arm that allowed it to lift up and backwards while remaining almost level with the fuselage, instead of the more common simple hinged canopy), as well as airbrakes on the sides of the fuselage instead of the bottom of the aircraft.[1] The aircraft was considered not ready for operational deployment due to control and stability problems. The first 275 aircraft, equipped with conventional stabilizer-elevator tailplanes, suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up and poor turning ability at combat speeds. Beginning with Block 25, the problem was improved upon by the introduction of a hydraulically powered one-piece stabilator. A number of aircraft were also retrofitted with spoilers for improved high-speed control. As a result, the F-84F was not declared operational until 12 May 1954.[1]
Thunderflash
RF-84F Thunderflash, the reconnaissance version of the F-84F. Note the unique articulation of the canopy, which is mounted on a pair of hydraulic rams and a lever arm, allowing it to automatically pivot up and backwards behind the cockpit.
The second YF-84F prototype was completed with wing-root air intakes. These 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.[1] 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 the ANG in 1972.[1]
Several modified Thunderflashes were used in the FICON project.
Design
The Thunderstreak suffered from the same poor takeoff performance as the straight-wing Thunderjet despite having a more powerful engine. In reality, almost 700pounds-force (3.11kN) or ten percent of total thrust was lost because the J65 was installed at an angle and its jet pipe was not perfectly straight (in addition to the usual thrust losses from the long jet pipe). On a hot day, 7,500feet (2,285m) of runway were required for takeoff roll.[3] A typical takeoff speed was 160knots (185mph, 300km/h).[3] 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 10,000feet (3,000m).[3]
Operational history
An Ohio Air National Guard F-84F in the late 1960sF-84F Thunderstreaks flown by USAF ThunderbirdsF-84F
Project Run In completed operational tests in November 1954 and 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. Also, the J65 engine continued to suffer from flameouts when flying through heavy rain or snow.[1] As the result of the problems, 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 associated with construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961 resulted in reactivation of the F-84F fleet. In 1962, the fleet was grounded due to the corrosion of control rods. A total of 1,800 man hours were expended to bring each aircraft to full operational capacity.[1] Stress corrosion eventually forced the retirement of ANG F-84Fs in 1971.
On 9 March 1955, Lt. Col. Robert R. Scott, in a F-84F Thunderstreak, set a three-hour, 44-minute and 53-second record for the 2,446 miles (3,936km) flight from Los Angeles to New York.[4]
With the appearance of the Republic F-105 Thunderchief, which used wing-root mounted air intakes of a similar design to those fitted on the RF-84F, the photorecon variant Thunderflash became known as the Thud's Mother.[3] The earlier F-84A had been nicknamed the "Hog" and the F-84F "Super Hog," the F-105 becoming the "Ultra Hog".
In what is probably one of the very few air-to-air engagements involving the F-84F, two Turkish Air Force F-84F Thunderstreaks shot down two Iraqi Il-28 Beagle bombers that crossed the Turkish border by mistake during a bombing operation against Iraqi Kurdish insurgents. This engagement took place on 16 August 1962.[5]
The F-84F was retired from active service with the USAF in 1964, and replaced by the North American F-100 Super Sabre. The RF-84F was replaced by the RF-101 Voodoo in USAF units, and relegated to duty in the Air National Guard. The last F-84F Thunderflash retired from the ANG in 1971. Three Hellenic Air Force RF-84Fs that were retired in 1991 were the last operational F-84s.
Two swept-wing prototypes of the F-84F, initially designated YF-96.
F-84F Thunderstreak
Swept wing version with 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 with intakes relocated to the wing-roots, 715 built.
RF-84K Thunderflash (FICON)
RF-84F with a retractable probe for hookup with carrier GRB-36Ds and tailplanes with marked anhedral, 25 redesignated from RF-84F.[6]
Two F-84Fs were converted into experimental aircraft. Each was fitted with an Allison XT40-A-1turboprop engine of 5,850shaft horsepower (4,365kW) driving a supersonic propeller. Ground crews dubbed the XF-84H the Thunderscreech due to its extreme noise output.[1]
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; the YF-84J reached Mach1.09 in level flight on 7 April 1954.[1] The project was cancelled due to the excessive cost of converting existent F-84Fs.
Operators
Royal Netherlands Air Force F-84FRepublic RF-84F Thunderflash at Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow, Berlin, Germany; note the distinctive Republic-type wing root intakes that led to the RF-84F being called "Thud's Mother", due to the use of similar intakes on the later Republic F-105 ThunderchiefA Michigan Air National Guard RF-84F
Belgium
Belgian Air Force - 197 x F-84F, 34 x RF-84F operated from 1955.[7]
Denmark
Royal Danish Air Force - 23× RF-84F received, in service from 1957 to 1971.[8]
France
French Air Force - 328 F-84Fs and 88 RF-84Fs received from 1955.[9]
Germany
West German Air Force - 450 F-84Fs and 108 RF-84Fs received.[10] In service from 1956 to 1966.[11]
Greece
Greek Air Force
Israel
Israeli Air Force - 18 French F-84Fs along with their pilots were temporarily transferred to the IAF during the Suez Crisis.[12]
Italy
Italian Air Force - operated 194 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and 78 RF-84F Thunderflash from 1956 until 1974[13][14][15]
Netherlands
Royal Netherlands Air Force (180× F-84F, 24× RF-84F 1955–1970)
Norway
Royal Norwegian Air Force (35× RF-84F 1956–1970)
Taiwan (Republic of China)
Republic of China Air Force - About 25 RF-84Fs operated from 1954.[16]
Turkey
Turkish Air Force
United States
United States Air Force (1496× F-84F, 388× RF-84F 1952–1972)
On 7 July 1954, one F-84F of a flight of four en route to Bergstrom Air Force Base in Austin, TX, crashed into the Kansas City, Kansas business district shortly after departing Fairfax Municipal Airport, Kansas City, KS. 2nd Lt. John H. Kapeles, pilot, assigned to the 27th Fighter Escort Wing, died in the crash. Three civilians died on the ground when the plane crashed onto their homes. The plane had just come off the General Motors Fairfax Assembly Plant production line and had been test flown. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane plunged at a high speed toward the ground after the flight had banked toward the west from the east. The three remaining planes returned to Fairfax Municipal Airport.[100]
On 9 December 1955, a USAF F-84F on an instrument training flight from RAF Sculthorpe in Norfolk experienced a flameout and the pilot ejected. The aircraft crashed into Lodge Moor Hospital, Sheffield. The crash killed one patient and injured seven others.
On 4 April 1957, the USAF Captain Richard W. Higgins died after a low ejection with one of the first F-84Fs of the German Air Force near the Fürstenfeldbruck Air Base.
On 14 September 1961, two West German F-84Fs of the West German Air Force crossed into East German airspace due to a navigational error, eventually landing at Berlin Tegel Airport, evading a large number of Soviet fighter aircraft. The event came at a historically difficult time during the Cold War, one month after the construction of the Berlin Wall.[101]
On 28 January 1962, the USAF Lieutenant Donald Slack died after striking a 6,188ft (1,886m) (ASL) mountain in central France in his F-84F of the New Jersey Air National Guard. The book Stranger to the Ground by Richard Bach was dedicated to him.
Specifications (F-84F)
3-view drawing of the Republic F-84F Thunderstreak.
Data from Fighters of the United States Air Force,[102]Combat Aircraft since 1945[103]
Maximum speed: 695mph (1,119km/h, 604kn) at sea level
Range: 810mi (1,304km, 704nmi) combat radius with two droptanks
Service ceiling: 46,000ft (14,000m)
Rate of climb: 8,200ft/min (42m/s)
Wing loading: 86lb/sqft (423kg/m2)
Armament
6× .50 in (12.7 mm) Browning M3 machine guns, four mounted in nose over intake, two mounted in the wing roots, 1,800 rounds total
Up to 6,000lb (2,727 kg) of rockets and bombs, including one Mark 7 nuclear bomb
Avionics
A-1CM or A-4 gunsight with APG-30 or MK-18 ranging radar
Communications Equipment
AN/ARC-33 or 34 command set radio
AN/APX-6 or 6A IFF set
AN/AR-6 radio compass
AN/APW-11 or 11A radar set
AN/APN-21 TACAN set
Notable appearances in media
Richard Bach, who later wrote the bestseller Jonathan Livingston Seagull, was an ANG F-84F pilot who was once activated for duty in Europe. His first book, Stranger to the Ground, described in detail what it was like to fly the Thunderstreak in the course of an operational flight at night from England to France in adverse weather.
F-84Fs were also used to represent North Korean MiG-15 fighters in the 1958 film version of James Salters' novel "The Hunters", because none of the Soviet fighters were available during the ongoing Cold War for filming. They were painted a flat gray with red star insignia.
"Chronology: 1950-1959". Air Force Magazine. Air Force Association. 24 November 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
Higham, Robin and Carol Williams. Flying Combat Aircraft of USAAF-USAF (Vol.2). Rockville, Maryland: Air Force Historical Foundation, 1978. ISBN0-8138-0375-6.
Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Vol.2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp.38–39. ISBN0-912799-59-5.
Stafrace 2014, pp. 32–33.
Schrøder, Hans (1991). "Royal Danish Airforce". Ed. Kay S. Nielsen. Tøjhusmuseet, 1991, p. 62. ISBN87-89022-24-6.
This plane was flown by the Pauchard brothers, Jean and Marcel. It is displayed in the yard of Marcel Pauchard's farm. Coordinates: 46°54′09″ N - 4°04′28″ E
Knaack, Marcelle Size (1988). Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems. Vol.2, Post-World War II Bombers 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History. pp.38–39. ISBN0-912799-59-5.
Knaack, Marcelle Size. Encyclopedia of US Air Force Aircraft and Missile Systems: Volume 1 Post-World War II Fighters 1945–1973. Washington, DC: Office of Air Force History, 1978. ISBN0-912799-59-5.
Miller, Jay. "Tip Tow & Tom-Tom". Air Enthusiast, No. 9, February–May 1979, pp.40–42. ISSN0143-5450.
Stafrace, Charles. Republic F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash. Warpaint Series No. 100. Denbigh East, UK: Warpaint Books Ltd., 2014. OCLC898151300.
Swanborough, Gordon and Peter M. Bowers. United States Military Aircraft Since 1909. Washington, DC: Smithsonian, 1989. ISBN0-87474-880-1.
United States Air Force Museum Guidebook. Wright-Patterson AFB, Dayton, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.
Wagner, Ray. American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition. New York: Doubleday, 1982. ISBN0-385-13120-8.
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