Flying a ‘thud’
The Republic F-105 Thunderchief Flew The most American bombing missions during The Vietnam WAR And was A Formidable AIRCRAFT
With a top speed of 2,237 kilometres per hour (1,390 miles per hour) and a maximum bomb load of over 5,442 kilograms (12,000 pounds), the F-105 conducted 75 per cent of bombing missions over north vietnam. Developed in the mid-1950s, this supersonic fighter-bomber was designed for low-level, high-speed attacks. it initially had a poor reputation and pilots nicknamed F-105s ‘thuds’, which eventually became a term of endearment. With design modifications and improvements, the thud achieved great performance capabilities that enabled it to carry the heaviest conventional weapons further than any other fighter-bomber. it was faster than most opposing aircraft and was able to sustain heavy damage.
the F-105’s weapons system was formidable. vizcarra recalled, “it could carry a variety of weapons, most commonly eight 750-pound bombs. as the war got more serious with Sams we had defensive weapons, such as electronic countermeasure pods. We could also carry two 3,000-pound bombs, which was a huge weapon.”
vizcarra remembered the thud with affection: “i definitely loved flying the F-105. it had an extremely comfortable cockpit and was very stable. everybody loved the fact that it was fast and could outrun mig-17s while fully loaded. the Soviets initially armed the north vietnamese with mig-17s but they couldn’t catch the F-105s. that’s why they started giving them the mig-21, their best fighter.”
“EVERYBODY LOVED THE FACT THAT IT WAS FAST AND COULD OUTRUN MIG-17S WHILE FULLY LOADED”