Republic F-105 Thunderchief
Written by Peter Davies
Illustrated by Adam Tooby and Henry Morshead
This 64 page book is number 2 in Osprey Publishing’s Air Vanguard series.
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief was the fastest most successful fighter-bomber used by the United States Air Force during the Cold War. Its original design was to deliver nuclear weapons at low altitude and then fight its way back to base. By the early 1960’s it was the USAF’s primary weapon in its tactical strike arsenal in Europe and the Far East. While the F-105 had already made its presence felt, it was to become a legend and have a larger impact in another conflict.
As direct American involvement in the Vietnam War increased, more and more F-105’s were deployed to the Far East. While the initial Mach 2 F-105’s were deployed as a deterrent, their missions undertook a different involvement as they were used as conventional attack fighters against communist insurgency in Laos and Vietnam.
While the original design of the Thunderchief was as a single-seat nuclear-attack aircraft, a two-seat version was created for specialized missions. The most well-known variant of this aircraft was the Wild Weasel version that was used in missions for the specialized “Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses” (SEAD) which was a role against enemy surface-to-air (SAM) missile sites. The Thunderchief was to become a vital element in attacks against some of the most heavily defended territory in Vietnam in modern history.
This Air Vanguard book takes the reader through the design and development of this ground breaking aircraft. You are also given a look at a number of the variants that were designed from this plane. The contents of this book are:
Contents:
- Introduction
- Design and Development
- The Kartveli Heritage
- Weapons System Concept
- The Revial
- Technical Specifications
- Airframe
- Flight Controls
- Cockpit
- Engine
- Fuel System
- Armament
- F-105 Conversions, Modifications and Projects
- Project Look-Alike
- Thunderbird F-105B
- RF-105B (AP-71)/JF-105B
- F-105C (AP-63-5) and F-105E
- F-105D Thunderstick II
- RF-105D
- RF-105F
- F-105F Conversions
- F-105D European
- F-105F/G Wild Weasel
- Operational History
- Thunder in the East
- The MiG Threat
- Weaseling On
- Later Life
- Conclusion
- Further Reading
- Index
As you can see from the above Contents, a lot of information has been crammed into the 64 pages of this book.
Air Vanguard #2, Republic F-105 Thunderchief is a very informative book and will interest readers from a wide range of interests. The historian, the Century Series enthusiasts or the individual with an interest in aircraft, will enjoy the book from cover-to-cover. The wargamer will enjoy the rich history of this aircraft as it is presented in this book and how it can be used to supplement air warfare on the Vietnam War wargaming table. Finally there is the modeler. This individual will enjoy all of the aircraft variations presented in this book. All of the readers of this book will enjoy all of the full color artwork, the quality of the illustrations and most of all, the Cutaway artwork that is at the rear of the book. The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is an excellent book on this remarkable aircraft that is quite enjoyable to read.
This excellent Air Vanguard book is available from Osprey Publishing.
Paperback US $18.95
eBook ePub $15.16
eBook PDF $15.16
