Our Aircraft’s History

Republic F-84F-40-RE “Thunderstreak” (S/N 52-6524) ~ Our swept-wing Thunderstreak was truly a fully new design on the F-84 Thunderjet and hoped to be of similar performance of the North American F-86 Sabre. Though designed primarily as a fighter, it was used more for ground attack.

This particular F-84F was built at the Republic Aviation facility in Farmingdale, New York and delivered to the US Air Force on September 10, 1954.  Her first assignment was with the 12th Strategic Fighter Wing, Strategic Air Command (SAC), Bergstrom Air Force Base (AFB), Texas.

  • October 1954 – 27th Strategic Fighter Wing, SAC, Bergstrom AFB, Texas; deployed to Royal Air Forces (RAF) Base, Sturgate, England
  • August 1955 – 3928th Air Base Group, SAC, RAF Boase, Sturgate, England
  • September 1955 – 7559th Maintenance Group, United States Air Forces – Europe (USAFE), RAF Burtonwood, England
  • January 1956 – Mobile Air Material Area – Brookley AFB, Alabama
  • June 1956 – Returned to Republic Aviation, Farmingdale, New York for upgrades
  • January 1958 – 162nd Tactical Fighter Wing, Ohio Air National Guard (ANG), Springfield, Ohio
  • December 1962 – 15th Tactical Fighter Wing (TAC), MacDill AFB, Florida
  • July 1964 – 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Ohio ANG, Mansfield, Ohio
  • May 1972 – Dropped from Air Force inventory as surplus
  • October 1972 – Purchased for private collection by owner in Newberry, Ohio

Donated and arrived at MAPS Air Museum on March 28, 2010. Starting in 2011, she was refurbished and completed in November of 2016 to pristine museum status.  She is maintained by Crew Chief Paul Gates.

Specifications/Performance

  • Role: Fighter-bomber/Reconnaissance
  • Manufacturer: Republic Aviation
  • First flight: June 3, 1950
  • Introduction: May 12, 1954
  • Produced: 1950-1957
  • Retired: June 14, 1972 (US ANG); 1991 (Greece)
  • Built: 3,428 (all variants)
  • Unit cost: $769,330
  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 43 ft 4 3/4 in
  • Wingspan: 33 ft 7 1/4 in
  • Height: 14 ft 4 3/4 in
  • Empty weight: 13,830 lb
  • Max takeoff weight: 28,000 lb
  • Engine: 1 x Wright J65-W-3 turbojet, 7,220 lbf
  • Max speed: 695 mph at sea level (Mach .91)
  • Range: 810 mi
  • Service ceiling: 46,000 ft

Armament, notable

  • 6 x .50 in Browning M3 machine guns (4 in nose, 2 in wings), 1,800 round total
  • Up to 6,000 lb of rockets and bombs including one Mark 7 nuclear bomb

Museum display notes: Our Thunderstreak is marked from her time in the Ohio National Guard, as part of the 164th Tactical Fighter Squadron in Mansfield, Ohio during mid to late 1960’s.

Designed to replace: Republic F-84 “Thunderjet” (straight-wing)

Replaced by: North American F-100 “Super Sabre”

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