The F-105D Thunderchief on display at the Museum of Aviation was built by Republic Aviation in Farmingdale, New York, and delivered to the USAF in March 1963. It was retired from active service in 1983 and arrived at the Museum of Aviation in the summer of 2011.
Republic F-105D
Thunderchief
In 1951 Republic began a project to develop a supersonic tactical fighter-bomber to replace the F-84F. The result was the F-105 Thunderchief, later nicknamed the Thud. The prototype YF-105A first flew in October 1955, but the first F-105D did not fly until June 1959. A total of 833 Thunderchiefs of all types were built, including 610 F-105Ds. Although designed as a nuclear strike aircraft, the F-105 could carry a total of over 12,000 pounds of conventional ordnance - a heavier bomb load than a World War II B-17.