F-84F “Thunderstreak”

Aircraft Type: F-84F, S/N 51-1714, Thunderstreak, Republic

Mission: Fighter-Interceptor, Fighter-Bomber, and fighter escort.

Number Built: Counting 3,515 aircraft accepted by the Air Force, the program attained a grand total of 7,524 F-84s of all sorts. The 4,009 tagged for the Air Force embraced 2 XP-84s (accepted by the AF in 1946), 15 YF-84As, 226 F-84Bs, 191 F-84Cs, 154 F-84Ds , 743 F-84Es, 789 F-84Gs, 3 YF-84Fs, 1,496 F-84Fs, 1 YF-84J, 1 YRF-84F, 25 RF-84Ks (FICON),and 363 RF-84Fs.

Powerplant: One Wright 765-W-3 turbojet, 7,800 lbs. thrust

Weight: Empty 13,800 lbs., Loaded 28,000 lbs.

Dimensions: Wingspan 33’7″, Length 41’9″, Height 14′.

Performance: Maximum speed 695 MPH, Cruising speed 490 MPH, Service ceiling 46,000 feet.

Pilots of the 33rd Fighter Wing flew the first F-84Bs assigned to SAC at Roswell AFB (later renamed Walker), New Mexico. The first five arrived on 9 June 1948 and by the end of the month 47 F-84Bs were in place. After the 1 December 1948 reassignment of the 33rd Fighter Wing, it was nearly a year before the F-84s were again assigned to SAC. In September 1949, the first F-84s began arriving at Bergstrom AFB, Texas, for the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing. The F-84E was an improved version of the F-84B. The first F-84G models assigned to SAC went to the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing in September 1951, followed in October by others assigned to the 31st Fighter-Escort Wing. The F-84G remained the basic fighter of SAC until mid-1954 when the F-84F began to arrive. The first F-84Fs were assigned to the 506th Strategic Fighter Wing in January 1954. SAC’s last two models of F-84s were the RF-84Fs and RF-84Ks. From 24 January 1955 to 1 July 1957, SAC possessed one strategic reconnaissance fighter wing, the 71st, stationed at Larson AFB, Washington. It was an unusual organization in that two of the three tactical squadrons, the 25th and 82nd, were equipped with RF-84F aircraft. The third squadron, the 91st, was equipped with RF-84K aircraft (FICON). On 1 July 1957 SAC’s fighter units were inactivated or reassigned to TAC.

About Our F-84F, S/N 51-1714 : The Museum’s F-84 was manufactured by Republic Aviation, Farmingdale NY and delivered to the USAF on December 31, 1954. Below are the unit assignments of this aircraft:

January, 1955- To 366th Fighter-Bomber Wing (TAC), Alexandria (Later England) AFB, Louisiana

January, 1956- To 401st Fighter-Bomber Group (TAC), England AFB (deployments to Sewart AFB, Tennessee and Eglin AFB, Florida)

December, 1957- To 112th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (ANG), Toledo Express AP, Ohio

November, 1958- Unit became 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron

October, 1961- Unit Assigned to TAC

July, 1962- To 122nd Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), Toledo Express AP

October, 1962- To 112th Tactical Fighter Squadron (ANG), Toledo Express AP (deployment to MacDill AFB, Florida)

April, 1964- To 122nd Tactical Fighter Group (ANG), Baer Field, Fort Wayne, Indiana

January, 1971- Dropped from inventory by transfer to the Strategic Air & Space Museum