CombatACE: F-105F_and_G.rar - CombatACE

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F-105F-1 Early, F-105F-1 Late and F-105G
for
Strike Fighters : Project 1
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build 21-03-2004


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Installation
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To install these aircraft simply unzip the 3 three folders and place them in your "Strikefighters\Objects\Aircraft" directory.
Then simply run strike fighters selecting Single Mission and picking the F-105F-1 Early, F-105F-1 Late or F-105G from the list of flyable aircraft.


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Notes
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You'll need to wait for Service pack 3 to get working tape gauges.

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F-105F and G Thunderchief introduction & History
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The F-105F was heavily committed to combat over Southeast Asia. Some were quickly adapted for the "Wild Weasel" air-defense suppression role, fitted with electronics to detect enemy radars and target air defense sites for destruction in advance of strike packages. The original Air Force "Wild Weasel I" was a modified two-seat North American F-100F Super Sabre, but the F-100 wasn't fast enough to keep up with F-105 strike packages, and so the F-105F was selected for the role.

The major elements of the modification were addition of the "APR-25 Radar Homing And Warning (RHAW)" system, which picked up and located radar sites; the "APR-26 Launch Warning Receiver (LWR)", which provided warning of a missile launch; and an "IR-133 Scan Receiver" to search for emitters. The back-seat "electronics warfare officer (EWO)" controlled these devices and had a cockpit CRT to help locate targets.

The first such F-105F "Wild Weasel II", sometimes informally known as an "EF-105F", performed its first flight on 15 January 1966, and the Wild Weasel Thuds were engaged in active combat by the spring of that year. A total of 86 Wild Weasel F-105F conversions were performed.

The Wild Weasel F-105F was armed with the new "AGM-45 Shrike Anti-Radar Missile (ARM)", a modified Sparrow AAM with a radar-homing head, to destroy radar transmitters, and attacked air-defense sites with CBU-24 cluster bombs and other munitions. Sometimes Wild Weasel F-105Fs worked with F-105Ds in "hunter-killer" teams, with the Wild Weasel Thud pinpointing the target and the F-105Ds destroying it.

While other aircraft could avoid air-defense sites when possible, Wild Weasels actually had to attract their attention and take them on. This led to the Wild Weasel motto, which was "YGBSM", standing for "You Gotta Be s**ttin' Me!" Apparently this was the reaction of the first Wild Weasel aircrews when they were told what they were getting themselves into.

Wild Weasel crews were generally gutsy sorts, and they evolved tactics for outflying SAMs launched at them. They would watch for a missile launch, and then fly straight at the SAM at high speed, turning at the last moment. The fast-moving SAM would not be able to turn quickly enough to bring the fighter into the blast radius of its warhead.


Two Wild Weasel F-105F pilots won the highest American military award, the Congressional Medal of Honor. On 10 March 1967, Captain Merlyn F. Dethlefsen was piloting one of four Wild Weasel Thuds paving the way for a strike package. The leader was shot down by anti-aircraft fire, and North Vietnamese MiG-21 fighter made repeated passes on the survivors, trying to force them to dump their ordnance. Dethlefsen pressed home the attack anyway and destroyed the site. All three surviving Wild Weasels returned home with severe damage. Dethlefsen was personally awarded the medal by President Johnson.

On 19 April 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Leo K. Thorsness had completed a Wild Weasel strike when his wingmates were shot down. He was low on fuel but stayed around to cover the air rescue operation, driving of a flight of MiG-17s that tried to interfere. Thorsness shot down one MiG and damaged another. He passed up an opportunity to refuel from a tanker when another aircraft breathing fumes showed up, and landed safely at Ubon, a forward base in Thailand.

On 30 April, Thorsness' F-105 was hit and badly damaged. He and his EWO ejected, Thorsness being badly injured in the process, and were captured by the North Vietnamese. They spent over six years in a North Vietnamese POW camp.

* 56 Wild Weasel F-105Fs were later updated to an improved "Wild Weasel III" configuration with the designation "F-105G", featuring improved avionics, as well as jammer pods that were faired into the forward fuselage, freeing up the underwing pylons for other stores. 14 of the F-105Gs were further modified to carry the big AGM-78 "Standard Anti-Radar Missile (STARM)", an air-launched variant of the US Navy's "Standard" SAM.


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Known Issues
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* Service pack 3 needed for tape gauges


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Aircraft Files
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Authored by David:

Models and Cockpit models

Authored by Lansen & David:

Cockpit textures

Authored by Sundowner:

All Skins

Authored by Column5:

Flight model/data file

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Thanks to
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Sundonwer
Lansen
Sundowner
Column5
Volksjaeger
Sundonwer ;)