F-84F Thunderstreak Walk Around (Soft Cover)
Color Series

Product Code: SS5559

Description
By Ken Neubeck.
The success of the F-86 Sabre prompted Republic to design its own
swept-wing aircraft and the prototype of the Thunderstreak -
designated the YF-96A - took to the skies in 1950. The F-84F
could reach a top speed of 695 mph, and in March of 1955, the
Thunderstreak set a transcontinental speed record by flying from
Los Angeles to New York in just 3 hours and 33 minutes. On the
basis of the F-84F design, a photo-reconnaissance version, known
as the RF-84F Thunderflash, was also developed and placed into
production in 1952. Program delays plagued the development of the
F-84F, and active duty phaseout began almost as soon as it
entered service in 1954. By 1958 the F-84F was relegated to the
Air National Guard. The Thunderstreak did serve as NATO?s
front-line fighter-bomber during the 1950s, and France
successfully sent F-84Fs into battle against Egypt during the
1956 Suez Canal Crisis. The F-84F remained in service with
several European air forces for decades, with Greece only
retiring its last Thunderstreak in 1984. Illustrated with more
than 250 photographs, color art, and profiles; 80 pages.