Description

The f-105 armed with missiles and a cannon; however, its design was tailored to high-speed low-altitude penetration carrying a single nuclear bomb internally. First flown in 1955, the thunderchief entered service in 1958. As the largest single-engined fighter ever employed by the usaf, the single-seat f-105 would be adapted to deliver a greater iron bomb load than the four-engined ten-man strategic bombers of world war ii. The f-105 would be best remembered as the primary strike bomber over north vietnam in the early stages of the vietnam war.