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The F-84 represents a time in tactical aircraft development when designers transitioned from proven piston-powered prop concepts to totally new, sometimes unpredictable, fire-spewing jets. Creating the F-84 required extreme technological leaps and mental foresight, and for years the fruits of these labors seemed devoid of solid, reliable success. Yet, the troublesome Thunderjet eventually emerged triumphant, with its multiple variants proving to be as powerful a force as nature´s raw thunder they were named after. The F-84 forged the way to modern air superiority for many nations, and served a myriad of purposes, some traditional, some completely unorthodox.
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INTERESTING F-84 FACTS Speedy Flier: Capable of 695 mph, the F-84 set a transcontinental speed record from NY to LA in 3 hrs. 33 min. • Technologically Advanced: The F-84 was the first production fighter to employ in-flight refueling capabilities. • Red, White, and Blue Paint Scheme: The USAF Thunderbirds demonstration flight team began its legacy first flying the F-84. • Korean War Workhorse: During the Korean War, Thunderjets flew over 80,000 missions accounting for 60% of all ground targets destroyed by U.S. forces. Additionally, Thunderjets shot down eight Migs. • International Ambassador: F-84 production reached roughly 7,500, and half of those aircraft found their way to foreign service, including combat flying for the French Air Force against Egypt in the Suez Canal Crisis.2
content Thunderjet · Thunderstreak · Thunderflash · Thunderscreech Four Stunning Names, Four Awesome Planes: The F-84 Thunderjet entered service in 1947. At that time, the design was a straight-winged fighter. Inspired by the F-86 Sabre Jet, Republic Aviation designed a swept-winged version of the F-84, calling it the Thunderstreak, the prototype for which flew in 1950. The Thunderflash was a swept-winged reconnaissance variant, and the Thunderscreech? An experimental, supersonic, turbo-prop aircraft. All, of course, rode into the skies on the coat-strings of their magnificent WWII predecessor, the P-47 Thunderbolt3
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