REPUBLIC F-105D THUNDERCHIEF "POLISH GLIDER"

The Republic F-105 Thunderchief is a single-seat, single-engine fighter-bomber, successor to the F-84 Thunderstreak. The main task of the F-105 was to independently penetrate enemy airspace and carry out tactical nuclear attacks on military targets from low altitude, but at high speed. The flight of the prototype took place in October 1955, and the F-105 entered service in 1958. Several versions of the F-105 were created. The first mass-produced version was the "B" version with the Pratt-Whitney J75-P-19W engine. The most widely produced model is the F-105D with a new avionics and AN / APN-131 navigation radar. The under-wing knots were also strengthened. 610 copies of this version were built. Finally, the F-105F and EF-105F are electronic warfare and anti-air defense aircraft as part of "Wild Weasel" units. 833 F-105s of all versions were built. The aircraft was not exported outside of the US. The F-105 was used on a large scale in Vietnam, where, thanks to its high speed and significant lifting capacity, it was an important component of the USAAF until the end of the war. Technical data (version F-105D): Maximum speed: 2,208 km / h, speed of climb: 195 m / s, maximum altitude 14,800 m, maximum range: 2,962 km, armament: fixed-single 20mm M61A-1 six-barrel cannon, Suspended - up to 5,445 kg of bombs and rockets.