@Palmdale, CA
March 2017
The Thunderchief was the largest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in history, weighing approximately 50,000 pounds. The Mach 2 capable F-105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War and was the only U.S. aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief was in service from 1958-1984 and was commonly known as the “Thud” by its crews (some say it stood for the sound of an F-105 crashing into the ground). The two-seat F-105G “Wild Weasel” version was developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses during strike missions, a mission that the F-105 would conduct until 1984. This airframe entered service in 1963 and saw extensive duty in Thailand before rotating back to the States and eventual retirement in 1980. Nikon D500 w/18-200mm.
