Republic F-84 Thunderjet

The Republic Aviation F-84 Thunderjet was an American-built turbojet fighter-bomber aircraft. Originating as a 1944 United States Air Force proposal for a daytime fighter, the F-84 flew in 1946. Although it entered service in 1947, the Thunderjet was plagued by so many structural and engine problems that a 1948 Air Force review declared it unable to execute any aspect of its intended mission and considered cancelling the program. The aircraft was not considered fully operational until the 1949 F-84D model and the design matured only with the definitive F-84G introduced in 1951. In 1954, the straight-wing Thunderjet was joined by the swept-wing F-84F Thunderstreak fighter and RF-84F Thunderflash photo reconnaissance aircraft. The F-84 The Thunderjet was also used as a parasite fighter on the Convair B-36 Peacemaker.

The F-4 Phantom

The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II was the primary fighter bomber of the Vietnam War. It was developed after the F-3 lost a naval contract and Mc Donnell decided to develop an ground attack/ interceptor. The F-4 was armed with four semi-recessed Sparrow III missiles for interception instead of machine guns or cannons. The ground attack armament was all the bombs that could be placed on the eleven hardpoints. As of 2001 more than 1,000 F-4 remained in service.

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