The next production version of the Thunderjet was the F-84E. By this time, the P-designation had been changed to F. The F-84E had the same engine as did the P-84D--the Allison J35-A-17D, rated at 5000 pounds of thrust. However, there were quite a few changes added to the fuselage. The F-84E had a Sperry APG-30 radar ranging gun-sight, improved wingtip tanks for combat use, and a 12-inch extension to the fuselage to provide more space for the pilot in the cockpit. Retractable jet assisted take-off (JATO) racks were added to the underside of the rear fuselage, raising the maximum takeoff weight to 22,460 pounds. Internal fuel capacity was increased from 416 US gallons to 452 US gallons. Two 230-gallon tanks could be carried at the wingtips, bringing the total fuel capacity to 912 gallons and giving a range of 1485 miles. In addition, the fuel system was modified to allow a 230-US gallon tank to be carried under each inner wing shackle, enabling a ferry range of 1950 miles to be attained.
The first F-84E was ordered on December 29, 1948, and the first example (49-2022) flew on May 18, 1949. In all, 843 F-84Es were built.
The F-84E was the version that equipped most of the six USAF wings using Thunderjets when the Korean War began. It was first taken into combat on December 7, 1950 by the 27th Fighter Escort Group, which had reequipped from F-82E Twin Mustangs only a couple of months earlier.
The 27th's F-84Es were initially assigned to B-29 escort duties, in the course of which they were engaged in frequent combat with MiG-15s. The first F-84 MiG kill took place on January 21, 1951. However, the straight-winged F-84E was much too slow to match the swept-wing MiG-15, and MiGs were often able to slip through the escort screen and make successful attacks on B-29s. The total air-to-air score ended up as nine MiGs downed as opposed to 18 Thunderjets lost, which gave the Thunderjet a 2 to 1 inferiority against the MiG-15.
The task of dealing with the MiGs was left to the more capable F-86 Sabre, and the Thunderjets were transferred to ground attack duties, a task at which they excelled. The F-84 replaced the F-80 in the fighter-bomber role in the 49th, 58th, 116th, and 474th Wings. The F-84E and the later F-84G flew a total of 86,400 sorties and delivered 55,897 tons of bombs. 122 Thunderjets were lost to antiaircraft fire. Perhaps the two most spectacular Thunderjet operations of the Korean War were the attacks on the Toksan irrigation dam on May 13, 1953, and the raid on the Chusan irrigation dam three days later.
Specification of the F-84E:
One Allison J35-A-17, 5000 lb.st. Maximum speed: 613 mph at sea level Initial climb rate 6061 feet per minute. Service ceiling 43,220 feet. Normal range 1485 miles. Maximum range 1950 miles. Weights were 10,205 pounds empty, 14,724 pounds gross, 22,460 pounds maximum takeoff. Dimensions were wingspan 36 feet 5 inches, length 38 feet 7 inches, height 12 feet 10 inches, wing area 260 square feet. Offensive load included two 1000-pound bombs, or two 1200-lb 11.75-inch "Tiny Tim" rockets carried on the inboard underwing pylons. For short ranges, an array of 32 five-inch rockets could be carried underneath the wings.
F-84E-20-RE serial number 50-1143R is on display at the Wright Patterson Air Force Base Museum in Dayton, Ohio.
Serials of the F-84E:
49-2022 Republic F-84E Thunderjet 49-2023/2122 Republic F-84E-1-RE Thunderjet 49-2123/2222 Republic F-84E-5-RE Thunderjet 49-2223/2322 Republic F-84E-10-RE Thunderjet 49-2323/2429 Republic F-84E-15-RE Thunderjet 50-1111/1200 Republic F-84E-20-RE Thunderjet 50-1201/1230 Republic F-84E-25-RE Thunderjet 50-1813/1837 Republic F-84E-20-RE Thunderjet 51-477/606 Republic F-84E-25-RE Thunderjet 51-607/691 Republic F-84E-30-RE Thunderjet 51-9548/9622 Republic F-84E-30-RE Thunderjet
Sources:
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Fighters of the United States Air Force, Robert F. Dorr and David Donald,
Temple Press Aerospace, 1990.
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The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
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American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner,
Doubleday, 1982.
- United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
