Hobby Master 1/72 Air Power Series
HA2555
F-105F Thunderchief 63-8304, USAF, Soellingen, 1965

General Background
The F-105 earned the nickname Thud after the character Chief Thunderthud on the Howdy Doody TV show. The main mission of the F-105G was the detection and destruction of North Vietnamese SAMs that would then allow other aircraft to safely carry out their assignments. In order for the F-105Gs to do this they were always “First In Last Out” and piloted by volunteers. The F-105 was the only U.S. aircraft withdrawn from combat due to high losses. Having flown 20,000 sorties over Vietnam 382 of the 833 F-105s produced were lost.

Specifications
Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
Number Produced: 65
Year Of Conversion From F-105F: 1970
Year Of Last Flight 1983
Crew: 2 X (1 Pilot / 1X Navigator - Electronic Warfare Officer (EWO)
Role: Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions
Powerplant: 1 X P7W J75-P-19W After-Burning Turbojet With Water Injection Producing 26,500
Pounds Of Thrust
Maximum Speed: 1,372 mph (2,208 km/h) @36,090 ft (11,000 m)
Service Ceiling: 48,500 ft (14,782.8 m)
Maximum Range: 1,493 miles (2,403 km)
Fuel: 450 US Gallon Tank Under Starboard Wing
650 US Gallon Tank On Center-Line
Dimensions
Length: 67 ft (20.4 m)
Wing Span: 34 ft 11 in (10.6 m).
Height: 20 ft 1 in (6.1 m)
Gun: Nose Mounted 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan Cannon
Missiles: AGM-78A Standard Anti-Radiation Missile - Range 75 miles
AGM-45A Shrike Anti-Radiation Missile - Range 10 miles
Pods AN/ALQ-5 – Automatic Jamming System