@ Sacramento, CA
July 2024
This weathered Republic F-105 Thunderchief (63-8278) stands as a gate guard in front of the Sacramento VA Medical Center. When it entered service, the Thunderchief was the largest single-seat, single-engine combat aircraft in history, with a gross weight of over 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 (named after the sound the airplane made when it hit the ground). 143 of the F-105F two-seat trainer versions were produced, many being converted to F-105G Wild Weasels as this one was. The F-105G was the definitive Wild Weasel Thunderchief, leading strike missions against heavily defended targets and covering the departure of the strike aircraft afterwards. To free up weapons stations on the wing, the Wild Weasel Thunderchiefs utilized two long blisters on the underside of the fuselage to house the permanently installed electronic countermeasure systems. This airframe was retired in 1980 and transported to this location in 1985. Two Wild Weasel F-105 pilots are among the recipients of the Medal of Honor.
