Hitting 50 with a 'Thud'

摘要

Direct development of the Republic F-105 Thunderchief strike/fighter can be traced back to the early 1950s when the company presented its latest project, the Allison J71 -powered AP-63-FBX, to representatives from the USAF's Aircraft and Weapon Board. This new machine, which -superficially resembled Republic's earlier F-84 series, featured an internal bomb-bay capable of carrying a nuclear weapon, had advanced flying controls and promised excellent performance. Officials were impressed and an outline order for nearly 200 of the type - including prototypes and development/pre-production examples - was placed shortly after. The F-105, in principle at least, had been born.