Made by Republic to promote the F105 Thunderchief, MACH OF THE THUNDERCHIEF shows the aircraft going through maneuvers. It had just recently set a new world's record for speed at Edwards Air Force Base. The film shows the design, construction and testing of this unique supersonic aircraft at the Republic Aviation factory in Bethpage, New York, including the rollout of the aircraft. The film concludes with a mock war game at Eglin AFB, with F105s dropping munitions on a B29 or B50 target aircraft.

The Republic Aviation Corporation was an American aircraft manufacturer based in Farmingdale, Long Island, New York. Originally known as the Seversky Aircraft Company, the company was responsible for the design and production of many important military aircraft, including its most famous products: World War II's P47 Thunderbolt fighter, the F84 Thunderjet and F105 Thunderchief jet fighters, as well as the A10 Thunderbolt II closesupport aircraft.

The F105B entered USAF service with the Tactical Air Command's 335th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing in August 1958, although the squadron did not become fully operational until 1959. On 11 December 1959, an F105B piloted by Brig Gen Joseph Moore (commander of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing) set a world record of 1,216.48 miles per hour (1,958 km/h) over a 62 miles (100 km) circuit.

The Republic F105 Thunderchief was a supersonic fighterbomber used by the United States Air Force. The Mach 2 capable F105 conducted the majority of strike bombing missions during the early years of the Vietnam War; it was the only U.S. aircraft to have been removed from combat due to high loss rates. Originally designed as a singleseat, nuclearattack aircraft, a twoseat Wild Weasel version was later developed for the specialized Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) role against surfacetoair missile sites. The F105 was commonly known as the "Thud" by its crews.

As a followon to the Mach 1 capable North American F100 Super Sabre, the F105 was also armed with missiles and a cannon; however, its design was tailored to highspeed lowaltitude penetration carrying a single nuclear weapon internally. First flown in 1955, the Thunderchief entered service in 1958. The F105 could deliver a greater bomb load than some American heavy bombers of World War II such as the Boeing B17 Flying Fortress and Consolidated B24 Liberator. The F105 was one of the primary attack aircraft of the Vietnam War; over 20,000 Thunderchief sorties were flown, with 382 aircraft lost including 62 operational (noncombat) losses (out of the 833 produced). Although less agile than smaller MiG fighters, USAF F105s were credited with 27.5 kills.

During the war, the singleseat F105D was the primary aircraft delivering the heavy bomb loads against the various military targets. Meanwhile, the twoseat F105F and F105G Wild Weasel variants became the first dedicated Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) platforms, fighting against the Sovietbuilt S75 Dvina (NATO reporting name: SA2 Guideline) surfacetoair missiles. Two Wild Weasel pilots were awarded the Medal of Honor for attacking North Vietnamese surfacetoair missile sites, with one shooting down two MiG17s the same day. The dangerous missions often required them to be the "first in, last out", suppressing enemy air defenses while strike aircraft accomplished their missions and then left the area.

The Thunderchief was the largest singleseat, singleengine combat aircraft in history, weighing approximately 50,000 pounds (23,000 kg). It could exceed the speed of sound at sea level and reach Mach 2 at high altitude; the F105 could carry up to 14,000 lb (6,400 kg) of bombs and missiles. The Thunderchief was later replaced as a strike aircraft over North Vietnam by both the McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantom II and the swingwing General Dynamics F111 Aardvark. However, the "Wild Weasel" variants of the F105 remained in service until 1984 after being replaced by the specialized F4G "Wild Weasel V".

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