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.
51-9456 began its career as a fighter escort for bombers, with the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing based at Turner AFB, Georgia. In time of war, the 508th would have deployed to Europe to escort Strategic Air Command bombers to their targets in the Warsaw Pact. When the Strategic Fighter units were disbanded in 1956, 51-9456 briefly served as a conversion trainer before going to the 178th Tactical Fighter Group (Ohio ANG) in 1958. It was retired from service in 1963 and eventually placed on display at Wittman Airport, Wisconsin. At some point it was transferred to Grissom AFB's museum, where it is today.
51-9456 likely just received a new paint job, as it looks quite well in the Indiana sunshine. ANG F-84s carried standard USAF Southeast Asia camouflage at the end of their service lives, but the tan on 51-9456 is too light. (That said, the tan on the F-84F displayed at the National Museum of the USAF is also too light, so it may have been something unique to a few F-84 units.)
During my trip to the Midwest in 2017, I likely photographed more F-84s than any other aircraft type--six by my counting, four of them Thunderstreaks. Interestingly, at least three of those four all came from the Ohio ANG.
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.
51-9456 began its career as a fighter escort for bombers, with the 508th Strategic Fighter Wing based at Turner AFB, Georgia. In time of war, the 508th would have deployed to Europe to escort Strategic Air Command bombers to their targets in the Warsaw Pact. When the Strategic Fighter units were disbanded in 1956, 51-9456 briefly served as a conversion trainer before going to the 178th Tactical Fighter Group (Ohio ANG) in 1958. It was retired from service in 1963 and eventually placed on display at Wittman Airport, Wisconsin. At some point it was transferred to Grissom AFB's museum, where it is today.
51-9456 likely just received a new paint job, as it looks quite well in the Indiana sunshine. ANG F-84s carried standard USAF Southeast Asia camouflage at the end of their service lives, but the tan on 51-9456 is too light. (That said, the tan on the F-84F displayed at the National Museum of the USAF is also too light, so it may have been something unique to a few F-84 units.)
During my trip to the Midwest in 2017, I likely photographed more F-84s than any other aircraft type--six by my counting, four of them Thunderstreaks. Interestingly, at least three of those four all came from the Ohio ANG.