Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
Since the straight-wing F-84E Thunderjet could not reach the performance of the rival swept-wing North American F-86 Sabre, Republic converted a F-84E with all swept control surfaces and an uprated engine. Further design changes were made when the engine was replaced by a license-built British Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, requiring the fuselage to be redesigned and the speedbrakes moved to the fuselage sides. As a result, the F-84F was significantly delayed, not entering production until 1952. Even then, it suffered from control issues that would not be solved until 1954; the F-84F, renamed Thunderstreak, would not be operational until after the Korean War was over.
While it possessed better maneuverability and range than the straight-wing F-84, the Thunderstreak still had considerable problems operationally--the engine tended to flameout in bad weather, it took seemingly forever to get off the ground, and spin recovery was near impossible. It remained in service because nothing else was available, but the USAF began looking for a replacement almost as soon as the F-84F entered service. This would be another Republic project--the F-105 Thunderchief--but delays to that aircraft kept the Thunderstreak in service much longer than the USAF would have liked. After 1961, F-84Fs were relegated to Air National Guard units, while some entered NATO service. The reconnaissance variant, the RF-84F Thunderflash, was more successful: it was practically a new aircraft, and RF-84Fs would soldier on with the Hellenic Greek Air Force until 1991.
Though marked as 52-6877, this F-84F is actually 51-9522. It was delivered to the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing at Turner AFB, Georgia in 1955. It was transferred to Air National Guard service in 1957, and spent most of its career in ANG units, finishing with the 132nd Tactical Fighter Group (Iowa ANG) in 1971. After spending decades at the Hawkeye Institute of Technology, it was donated to the Evergreen Air Museum recently. It has since been completely restored in the more colorful scheme of the 81st Fighter-Bomber Group at RAF Bentwaters, where the real 52-6877 was stationed (the real aircraft crashed in 1957). This is one of the more impressive aircraft in Evergreen's collection, with a fuselage so polished one could shave in it!
Republic F-84F Thunderstreak
Since the straight-wing F-84E Thunderjet could not reach the performance of the rival swept-wing North American F-86 Sabre, Republic converted a F-84E with all swept control surfaces and an uprated engine. Further design changes were made when the engine was replaced by a license-built British Armstrong-Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, requiring the fuselage to be redesigned and the speedbrakes moved to the fuselage sides. As a result, the F-84F was significantly delayed, not entering production until 1952. Even then, it suffered from control issues that would not be solved until 1954; the F-84F, renamed Thunderstreak, would not be operational until after the Korean War was over.
While it possessed better maneuverability and range than the straight-wing F-84, the Thunderstreak still had considerable problems operationally--the engine tended to flameout in bad weather, it took seemingly forever to get off the ground, and spin recovery was near impossible. It remained in service because nothing else was available, but the USAF began looking for a replacement almost as soon as the F-84F entered service. This would be another Republic project--the F-105 Thunderchief--but delays to that aircraft kept the Thunderstreak in service much longer than the USAF would have liked. After 1961, F-84Fs were relegated to Air National Guard units, while some entered NATO service. The reconnaissance variant, the RF-84F Thunderflash, was more successful: it was practically a new aircraft, and RF-84Fs would soldier on with the Hellenic Greek Air Force until 1991.
Though marked as 52-6877, this F-84F is actually 51-9522. It was delivered to the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing at Turner AFB, Georgia in 1955. It was transferred to Air National Guard service in 1957, and spent most of its career in ANG units, finishing with the 132nd Tactical Fighter Group (Iowa ANG) in 1971. After spending decades at the Hawkeye Institute of Technology, it was donated to the Evergreen Air Museum recently. It has since been completely restored in the more colorful scheme of the 81st Fighter-Bomber Group at RAF Bentwaters, where the real 52-6877 was stationed (the real aircraft crashed in 1957). This is one of the more impressive aircraft in Evergreen's collection, with a fuselage so polished one could shave in it!