DONE @p.5 +++ Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard', USAF 325th FIS, 1959

[kerick]

Before the decals the wing fences gave it a little Soviet look to me.

Not only to you! The silhouette from above also reminded a lot of the Yak-28 interceptor!

Helps keep the airflow from defecting! (Joke stolen from someone on this website)


I found it! It was Logan Hartley. Blame him!

[Wardukw]

Ahhh it's a stealthy bird..the enemy will think it's one of theirs at a distance..then it's to late 

[Dizzyfugu]

Photo session finished, picture selection and first rough editing done.

[Dizzyfugu]

Pictue editing made/makes progress! 

[NARSES2]

Tease 

  

[scooter]

[sandiego89]

Further delays, but impressions of the ordnance before mounting them to the hardpoints. 


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; USAF, late Fifties (What-if/modified Italeri kit) - WiP by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr

Genies are perfect for a 1950's build!  Falcons on the other hand, never seemed worth much.....

Brig it on!

[Dizzyfugu]

Here we are, finally! 


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
In 1948, a swept wing version of the F-84 was created with the hope of bringing performance to the level of the F-86. The last production F-84E was fitted with a swept tail, a new wing with 38.5 degrees of leading-edge sweep and 3.5 degrees of anhedral, and a J35-A-25 engine producing 5,300 pound-force (23.58 kN) of thrust. The aircraft was designated XF-96A and flew on 3 June 1950. Although the airplane was capable of 602 knots (693 mph, 1,115 km/h), the performance gain over the F-84E was considered minor. Nonetheless, it was ordered into production in July 1950 as the F-84F Thunderstreak. The F-84 designation was eventually retained because the fighter was expected to be a low-cost improvement of the straight-wing Thunderjet with over 55 percent commonality in tooling.


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


In the meantime, the USAF, hoping for improved high-altitude performance from a more powerful engine, arranged for the British Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire turbojet engine to be built in the United States as the Wright J65. To accommodate the larger engine, YF-84Fs with a British-built Sapphire as well as production F-84Fs with the J65 had a vertically stretched fuselage, with the air intake attaining an oval cross-section. Production quickly ran into problems, though. Although tooling commonality with the Thunderjet was supposed to be 55 %, but just 15 % of the tools could actually be re-used. To make matters worse, the F-84F utilized press-forged wing spars and ribs. At the time, only three presses in the United States could manufacture these, and priority was given to the Boeing B-47 Stratojet bomber over the F-84. The YJ65-W-1 engine was considered obsolete, too, and the improved J65-W-3 did not become available until 1954. When the first production F-84F flew on 22 November 1952, it was considered not ready for operational deployment due to control and stability problems. The first 275 aircraft, equipped with conventional stabilizer-elevator tailplanes, suffered from accelerated stall pitch-up and poor turning ability at combat speeds. Beginning with Block 25, the problem was improved upon by the introduction of a hydraulically powered one-piece stabilator. A number of aircraft were also retrofitted with spoilers for improved high-speed control. As a result, the F-84F was not declared operational until 12 May 1954.

The second YF-84F prototype was completed with wing-root air intakes. These were not adopted for the fighter due to loss of thrust, but this arrangement kept the nose section free and permitted placement of cameras, and the different design was adopted for the RF-84F Thunderflash reconnaissance version. Being largely identical to the F-84F, the Thunderflash suffered from the same production delays and engine problems, though, delaying operational service until March 1954.


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


During the F-84F's development the Air Defense Command was looking for a replacement for the outdated F-94 'Starfire' interceptor, a hasty development from the T-33 trainer airframe with an afterburner engine and an on-board radar. However, the F-94 was only armed with machine guns in its early versions or unguided missiles in its later incarnations, which were inadequate. An aircraft with better performance, ideally with supersonic speed, a better radar, and the ability to carry guided missiles (in the form if the AIR-1 and 2 'Falcon' AAMs) as well as the AIR-2 'Genie' missile was now requested.

The Douglas AIR-2 Genie followed a unique but effective concept that represented the technological state-of-the-art: it was an unguided air-to-air rocket with a 1.5 kt W25 nuclear warhead. The interception of Soviet strategic bombers was a major military preoccupation of the late 1940s and 1950s. The World War II-age fighter armament of machine guns and cannon were inadequate to stop attacks by massed bomber formations, which were expected to come in at high altitude and at high subsonic speed. Firing large volleys of unguided rockets into bomber formations was not much better, and true air-to-air missiles were in their infancy. In 1954 Douglas Aircraft began a program to investigate the possibility of a nuclear-armed air-to-air weapon. To ensure simplicity and reliability, the weapon would be unguided, since the large blast radius made precise accuracy unnecessary. Full-scale development began in 1955, with test firing of inert warhead rockets commencing in early 1956. The final design carried a 1.5-kiloton W25 nuclear warhead and was powered by a Thiokol SR49-TC-1 solid-fuel rocket engine of 162 kN (36,000 lbf) thrust, sufficient to accelerate the rocket to Mach 3.3 during its two-second burn. Total flight time was about 12 seconds, during which time the rocket covered 10 km (6.2 mi). Targeting, arming, and firing of the weapon were coordinated by the launch aircraft's fire-control system. Detonation was by time-delay fuze, although the fuzing mechanism would not arm the warhead until engine burn-out, to give the launch aircraft sufficient time to turn and escape. However, there was no mechanism for disarming the warhead after launch. Lethal radius of the blast was estimated to be about 300 meters (980 ft). Once fired, the Genie's short flight-time and large blast radius made it virtually impossible for a bomber to avoid destruction. The rocket entered service with the designation MB-1 Genie in 1957.


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


During the development phase the first carrier aircraft earmarked to carry the AIR-2 was the Northrop F-89 Scorpion, which had already been introduced in the early Fifties. While being an all-weather interceptor with on-board radar, it was a slow and large aircraft, and outdated like the F-94. Trying to keep the F-84 production lines busy, however, Republic saw the chance to design an all-weather interceptor aircraft that would surpass the F-89's mediocre performance and meet the AIR-2 carrier requirements on the basis of the swept-wing (R)F-84F. To emphasize its dedicated interceptor role and set it apart from its fighter-bomber ancestors, the heavily modified aircraft was designated F-96B (even though it had little to do with the XF-96A that became the F-84F) and called 'Thunderguard'.

The F-96B was largely based on the RF-84F's airframe with its wing-root air intakes, what offered ample space in the aircraft's nose for a radar system and other equipment. The radar was coupled with a state-of-the-art Hughes MC-10 fire control system. To relieve the pilot from operating the radar system one of the fuel cells behind the cockpit was deleted and a second crew member was placed behind him under an extended, strutless hood that opened to starboard. To compensate for the loss of fuel and maintain the F-84F's range, a new tank was mounted under the cockpit floor in the aircraft's center of gravity.
To improve performance and cope with the raised take-off weight, the F-96B was powered by an uprated Wright J65-W-18 turbojet, which generated 0.4 kN more dry thrust than the F-84F's original J65-W-3 (7,700 lbf/34 kN). This was not too much, though, so that the J65 was additionally outfitted with an afterburner. With this upgrade the powerplant provided a maximum thrust of 10,500 lbf (47 kN), what resulted in a markedly improved rate of climb and the ability to break the sound barrier in level flight. The additional reheat section necessitated a wider and longer rear fuselage, which had to be redesigned. As an unintended side benefit, this new tail section reduced overall drag due to a slightly area-ruled coke-bottle shape behind the wings' trailing edge, which was even emphasized through the ventral brake parachute fairing.
Armament consisted only of missiles, which were all carried externally on wing stations, all guns of the former F-84 versions were deleted to save weight. The F-96B's weapons range included GAR-1/2/3/4 (Later re-designated as AIM-4) radar- and IR-guided Falcon air-to-air missiles and a pair of MB-1 Genie missiles. Up to four pods with nineteen unguided 2.75 in (70 mm) "Mighty Mouse" Mk 4/Mk 40 Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets each were an alternative, too, and a pair of drop tanks were typically carried under the inner wings to provide the aircraft with sufficient range, since the new afterburner significantly increased fuel consumption.


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Even though it was only a derivative design, the F-96B introduced a lot of innovations. One of these was the use of a diverertless supersonic inlet (DSI), a novel type of jet engine air intake to control air flow into their engines. Initial research into the DSI was done by Antonio Ferri in the 1950s. It consisted of a "bump" and a forward-swept inlet cowl, which worked together to divert boundary layer airflow away from the aircraft's engine. In the case of the F-96B this was realized as an inward-turning inlet with a variable contraction ratio. However, even though they had not been deemed necessary to guarantee a clean airflow, the F-96B's air intakes were further modified with splitter plates to adapt them to the expected higher flight speeds and direct the air flow. The initial flight tests had also revealed a directional instability at high speed, due to the longer nose, so that the tail surfaces (both fin and stabilizers) were enlarged for the serial aircraft to compensate.

Another novel feature was an IRST sensor in front of the windscreen which augmented the on-board radar. This sensor, developed by Hughes International and designated 'X-1', was still very experimental, though, highly unreliable, and difficult to handle, because it relied on pressurized coolant to keep the sensor cold enough to operate properly, and dosing it at a consistent level proved to be difficult (if not impossible). On the other side the IRST allowed to track targets even in a massively radar-jammed environment. The 7" diameter silicone sensor was, together with the on-board radar, slaved to the fire control system so that its input could be used to lock guided missiles onto targets, primarily the GAR-1 and GAR-2 AAMs. The X-1 had a field of view of 70×140°, with an angular resolution of 1°, and operated in 2.5 micron wavelength range. When it worked properly the sensor was able to detect a B-47-sized aircraft's tails aspect from 25 nm (29 ml/46 km) and a target of similar size from directly ahead from 10 nm (12 ml/19 km). Later, better developed versions of Hughes IRST, like the X-3 that was retrofitted to the F-101B in the early Sixties, had a better range and were more reliable.

During the Thunderguard's development another competitor entered the stage, the F-101B Voodoo. In the late 1940s, the Air Force had already started a research project into the future interceptor aircraft that eventually settled on an advanced specification known as the 1954 interceptor. Contracts for this specification eventually resulted in the selection of the F-102 Delta Dagger, but by 1952 it was becoming clear that none of the parts of the specification other than the airframe would be ready by 1954; the engines, weapons, and fire control systems were all going to take too long to get into service. An effort was then started to quickly produce an interim supersonic design to replace the various subsonic interceptors then in service, and the F-101 airframe was selected as a starting point. Although McDonnell proposed the designation F-109 for the new aircraft (which was to be a substantial departure from the basic Voodoo fighter bomber), the USAF assigned the designation F-101B. Its development was protracted, so that the F-96B – even though it offered less performance – was ordered into production to fill the USAF's urgent interceptor gap.


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


F-96B production started after a brief test phase in late 1957, and the first aircraft were delivered to the 60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron in 1958. However, when it became clear that the F-101B would finally enter service in 1959, F-96B production was quickly cut down and the initial order of 300 aircraft reduced to only 150, which were produced until early 1960 in three batches. Only sixty were directly delivered to ADC units, because these were preferably equipped with the supersonic F-102A and the new F-101B, which could also carry the nuclear Genie missile. The rest was directly handed over to Air National Guard units – and even there they were quickly joined and replaced by the early ADC aircraft. 

Operationally, almost all F-96Bs functioned under the US–Canadian North American Air Defense Command (NORAD), which protected North American airspace from Soviet intruders, particularly the threat posed by nuclear-armed bombers. In service, the F-96Bs were soon upgraded with a data link to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, allowing ground controllers to steer the aircraft towards its targets by making adjustments through the plane's autopilot. Furthermore, the F-96B was upgraded to allow the carrying of two GAR-11/AIM-26 Nuclear Falcon missiles instead of the Genies when they became available in 1961.
A handful F-96Bs were camouflaged during the late Sixties with the USAF's new SEA scheme, but most aircraft retained their original bare metal finish with more or less colorful unit markings. Due to its limited capabilities and the introduction of the Mach 2 McDonnell F-4 Phantom, the last F-96B was retired from ANG service in 1971.


General characteristics:
    Crew: 2
    Length: 54t 11 1/2 in (16,77 m) incl. pitot
    Wingspan: 33 ft 7.25 in (10,25 m)
    Height: 16 ft 9 in (5,11 m)
    Wing area: 350 sq ft (37,55 m²)
    Empty weight: 13,810 lb (6.264 kg)
    Gross weight: 21,035 lb (9.541 kg)
    Max takeoff weight: 28,000 lb (12.701 kg)

Powerplant:
    1× Wright J65-W-18 turbojet with 8,600 lbf (34 kN) dry thrust and 10,500 lbf (47 kN) with afterburner

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 695 mph (1,119 km/h, 604 kn, Mach 1.1) at 35,000 ft (10,668 m)
    Cruise speed: 577 mph (928 km/h, 501 kn)
    Range: 810 mi (1,304 km, 704 nmi) combat radius with two droptanks
    Service ceiling: 49,000 ft (15,000 m)
    Rate of climb: 16,300 ft/min (83 m/s)
    Wing loading: 86 lb/sq ft (423 kg/m²)

Armament:
    No internal guns;
    6× underwing hardpoints for a total ordnance load of up to 6,000lb (2,727 kg),
        including a pair of 191.5 US gal (727 l) or 375 US gal (1.429 l) drop tanks on the inner stations
        and a mix of AIM-4 Falcon (up to six), MB-1 Genie (up to two) and/or pods with nineteen 2.75"/70 mm
        FFAR unguided missiles each (up to four) on the outer stations


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Republic F-96B 'Thunderguard'; aircraft 'FF-950 (s/n 59-3950)' of the USAF 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 325th FW; Truax Field (Wisconsin, USA), 1959 (What-if/modified Italeri kit) by Dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A rather straightforward conversion, even though finishing the project took longer than expected. But the result looks surprisingly natural and plausible. Lots of PSR was needed to modify the fuselage, though, especially the tail section was not easy to integrate into the Thunderflash's hull. Sticking to the simple NMF livery paid IMHO out, too: the livery looks very natural and believable on the fictional aircraft, and it suits the F-84's bulbous shape well.

[jcf]

Nice

300 gallon tanks?

If so, when combined with the heavy Genies and the four Falcons you might want to add JATO units
to get the buggah off of the ground.

[PR19_Kit]

And AWESOME machine indeed.

And it really DOES look like a half-way house between an F-84F and an F-105 too. 

[Wardukw]

Beautiful build and backstory Dizzy ..damn mate that was well worth waiting for      

[DogfighterZen]

Looks very good, Thomas !

[Dizzyfugu]

Thanks a lot, gentlemen.    Pushing this over the finish line was not easy, due to several personal reasons and distractions, a little too much for a fluid build as ususal. Things are looking a little better now, the F-80E photo session comes next.

[thundereagle1997]

I wish the later models of the F-96 had a single M39 20mm cannon mounted in the nose including the 2 seat models.

[Dizzyfugu]

Nah, guns were out of fashion in the USA in the late Fifties/early Sixties, at least at the Air Force. And the F-96 was soon superseded by the Mach 2 fighter generation, so that I doubt that there was any evolution from it.