Republic Aircraft’s F-105 Thunderchief

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There were three excellent reasons why the F-105 was chosen to bear the brunt of the intense air war over North Vietnam: speed, range and bombload. The nature of the extremely dangerous, long-haul missions into the north country demanded an aircraft of unprecedented versatility and survivability. The Thud possessed both. On a daily basis, it had to confront an unbelievably dense air-defense system designed and supplied by the Soviets and manned by specialized Chinese and North Vietnamese operators. There were hundreds of radar-directed SA-2 SAM (surface-to-air missile) sites and radar-controlled 57mm, 80mm and 120mm gun batteries too numerous to count, as well as Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 and MiG-21 interceptors flown by North Vietnamese and Soviet pilots. And then there was the weather–some of the worst on the planet, including ‘thunderbumpers’ with tops reaching over 50,000 feet that could toss around a fighter like a basketball, ceilings so low and thick that punching through the underside often meant exchanging greetings with a hilltop farmer, and monsoon rains strong enough to cut visibility down to zero.

Despite the many obstacles, Thud pilots persevered. The Thunderstick bombing and navigation system that had previously caused operational headaches was now paying off–in spades. Hauling a 12,000-pound bombload, the F-105 could fly the 600-mile route to the North from bases deep within Thailand, push Mach 1 down Thud Ridge on approach to target Hanoi while skimming the terrain and dodging SAMs, MiGs and anti-aircraft artillery, and put its bombs right on the money. Kicking in the afterburner, the Thud was on its merry way back to Thailand via a rendezvous with a Boeing KC-135 tanker.

The North Vietnamese MiGs had a nasty habit of harassing Thud pilots just as they were approaching or departing the target. But at low altitude, where the F-105 was designed to operate, it could more than handle the air circus. During the course of the war, F-105 aircrews downed 271ž2 MiGs, sharing one with a F-4D Phantom crew. Twenty-five of those kills were achieved with the Thud’s deadly M-61 20mm Vulcan cannon, which could spit out rounds at a fantastic rate of 6,000 per minute. The remaining MiGs were downed with AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.

To combat the many SAM sites plaguing Thud pilots, the F-105F trainer was equipped with ECM (electronic counter measures) equipment, anti-radiation sensing devices and missiles. Dubbed ‘Wild Weasel,’ the F-105F was crewed by a pilot and an electronic weapons systems officer who locked on to radar-emitting guns and SAM batteries, countering them with radar-seeking Shrike missiles. Although the system was new and in need of continual refinement — at first, Wild Weasel crews were shot down faster than they could be formed–it proved very successful in the latter stages of the war. Today, Wild Weasels are an integral part of Air Force strike missions.

The year 1968 witnessed both the end of the Rolling Thunder bombing campaign against the North and the widespread incorporation of the F-4 Phantom into the Air Force inventory. The battle-scarred warhorse F-105s, their numbers depleted by the intensity of the northern air war, began being phased out of active duty and relegated to Air Guard and Reserve units. On May 25, 1983, the last Thud was retired from service with the Georgia Air National Guard. It was a somewhat somber occasion, shrouded in memories, but the illustrious, lone Thud stood on the line big and proud as ever, reflecting the glory of the many who flew beside her.

This article was written by John D. Cugini and originally published in the February 1996 issue of Vietnam Magazine.

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Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Vietnam War

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