52-06541
The Museum's aircraft is ex Greek Air Force, and was tranported to Sunderland by road. (Photo courtesy of Tony Oliver). It is one of 160 aircraft classified as F-84F-40-RE.
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The F-84F was nominally a swept-wing version of the F-84 Thunderjet but incremental re-designs prior to production lead to a fundamentally new aircraft.
Republic started a jet project in Summer 1944. The resulting XP-84 first flew on 28. February 1946 with a General-Electric J-35-7 axial-flow engine, and straight wings. This became the F-84 Thunderjet.
Construction began on the F-84F in February 1950, as the YF-84F, although it was later re-designated the YF-96A. On August 6 1950, it was re-designated back again as the YF-84F. This design had wing sweepback of 40%, and was powered by the J-65, a license-built version of the British Sapphire engine.
It later received its name of Thunderstreak. A reconnaissance version, the RF-84F, was developed simultaneously.
The F84-F was chosen as the standard fighter-bomber of NATO air forces. It first saw action with the Armeé de l'Air - in October 1956, French F-84Fs were used in Suez.
Other deliveries were made in 1955 to Belgium, and in 1956 to Holland, Italy and Deutschland ( the aircraft became the first to display the Luftwaffe cross since the end of World War 2).
It was phased out of the Luftwaffe when the F104G Starfighter was introduced, and these machines were re-distributed to Greece and Turkey. Both these countries operated six squadrons of F-84Fs.
A dozen aircraft flying with the Greek Air Force became the last active aircraft left from the 2,716 built by Republic and General Motors. They served with 348th squadron (along with 18 reconnaissance versions), as a finishing school' for newly-qualified fighter pilots.