The Thunderbirds & The F-84G "Thunderjet" 1953-1955

The Republic F-84G Thunderjet was chosen as the T-birds' first mount because it represented an Air Force front line combat aircraft (it had more than proven its worth as an attack bomber in Korea), was stable enough for formation flying, strong enough for aerobatic maneuvers and reliable enough to be maintained on the road during the team's busy air show season. Being a product of its 1950's origins, Catledge wanted the planes painted in patriotic red, white and blue and with stars and stripes. The team's spare pilot, Captain Bob McCormick, took home a small model of the F-84 and came back with both a paint scheme and emblem that have been the team's trademarks for over 50 years. After their first season, the Thunderbirds started a tradition of being their nation's Ambassadors in Blue by touring 12 Central and South American countries. Thereafter, their F-84Gs -- and all subsequent T-birds' planes -- would carry a decal under the cockpit showing the flags of the various countries in which they had performed.

The F-84, the USAF's first post-war fighter, made its initial flight on February 26, 1946. It began rolling off the production lines in June 1947, and by the time production ceased in 1953, approximately 4,450 "straight-wing" F-84s (in contrast to the swept-wing F-84F) had been built. In addition to being used by the USAF, many were supplied to allied nations participating in the Mutual Security Program. During its service life, the F-84 became the first USAF jet fighter able to carry a tactical atomic weapon.

The airplane gained its greatest renown during the Korean Conflict where it was used primarily for low-level interdiction missions. Almost daily the F-84 attacked enemy railroads, bridges, supply depots and troop concentrations with bombs, rockets and napalm.

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General characteristics F-84E
Power plant	One Allison J35-A-17 turbofan
Thrust	4,900 lb		21.8 kN
Max. speed	613 mph		986 km/h
Initial climb rate	6,063 ft/min		1,848 m/min
Ceiling	43,240 ft		13,180 m
Range	normal	1,485 miles	2,390 km
	maximum	1,950 miles	3,137 km
Max. takeoff weight	22,455 lb		10,185 kg
Wingspan	36.4 ft		11.10 m
Length	37.43 ft		11.41 m
Height	12.8 ft		3.91 m
Armament	Six .50-cal. machine guns and eight 5 in. rockets or 2,000 lbs. of bombs or napalm tanks

1	The F-84E /G	THE F-84F	2
3	More About THE F-84F	The Thunderbirds & The& The F-84F	4
5	THE F-84	The RF-84F Recon	6
7	YRF-84F FICOM	The XF-84H	8
9			10