F-105
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The F-105, officially the Thunderchief but called the Thud by its crews, was designated as a fighter-bomber, used extensively in air operations against North Vietnam]]. The aircraft was really more of a light to medium bomber than a fighter, optimized for nuclear delivery. It was extremely fast and carried a heavy payload for its size, but neither had the agility for air combat maneuvering|dogfighting]] nor a long-range air-to-air missile]] and thus did not do well in air superiority fighter roles. It was extensively used in the suppression of enemy air defense#Counter-SAM (Wild Weasel|Wild Weasel]] role, but had limited maneuverability if it needed to evade a surface-to-air missile]]. Eventually, it was replaced by different variants of the F-4 Phantom II]], although the F-4G]] suppression of enemy air defense]] (SEAD) version was not used in Vietnam. |