Website covering the (R)F-84F Thunderstreak / Thunderflash as well as airshow reports, base visits, aircraft museums and lots of aircraft-spotting pictures taken from the sixties to present days
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Dutch F-84F
Dutch Thunderstreaks tries to present a pictorial overview of the F-84Fs that were registered with the Royal Netherlands Air Force (or KLu, Koninklijke Luchtmacht). In total the Klu had 180 Thunderstreaks, registered P-101 to P-277 and P-298 to P-300. The type entered service in 1955 and the last ones were phased out in 1970. Last departures to other air forces (see below) took place in 1971.
The album holds two “galleries”: the first deals with Thunderstreaks in active operational service, the second shows photographs of obsolete ones.
The Dutch F-84F's were in service from 1955 to 1971 ; from 1955 to 1959 they wore squadron-codes and from 1959 to 1971 they carried P-regs. on the nose ; from circa 1961 onwards camouflage was gradually applied. Keep in mind that a lot of these pictures - especially the ones taken near landing-lights and alongside taxy-tracks - were made under difficult circumstances !
225 Photos
After their operational service about 30 Streaks were temporarily used as eye-catchers ("decoys") at air-bases of the KLu: about 4 aircraft were present at each airfield. They were removed and scrapped in 1980. A few Dutch F-84F's still survive today as gate-guards, monuments ,instructional airframes or museum aircraft. In this gallery you will find a selection of pictures . Note that not all withdrawn aircraft depicted here are still present at the locations mentioned.
52 Photos
Service history:
The first Thunderstreak entered K.Lu.-service with 311 squadron at Volkel; as such the type replaced the F-84G Thunderjet. Subsequently 312, 313, 314, 315 and 316 squadron re-equipped. In the early days the Streaks were finished in metal colours. At first the P-regs. were only applied in small digits on the tail and they wore a specific code on the nose, indicating their respective squadrons ; pictures of Thunderstreaks wearing the squadron-codes are not very common , but you will find some in the gallery.
| 311 squadron at Volkel used PP | 314 squadron at Eindhoven used 8T |
| 312 squadron at Volkel used DU | 315 squadron at Eindhoven used TB |
| 313 squadron at Volkel used TA | 316 squadron at Eindhoven used TC |
In 1959/60 the P-registration was applied in large digits on the nose-sections of the Thunderstreaks and maintained in small digits on the tail. From 1961 to 1964 they were gradually re-painted in dark green/grey-blue camouflage colours.
The F-84Fs were phased out of Dutch services in two batches. The first half involved the Streaks of 311 and 312 squadron at Volkel. From October 1964 onwards these squadrons started converting to the Starfighter and this was completed by the end of 1965. Their Thunderstreaks were either returned to the USAF (and subsequently sent to Greece and Turkey), taken in use for spareparts/decoy purposes or transferred to 314 and 315 squadrons at Eindhoven.
At Eindhoven the type remained in service till 1970, when the conversion to the Northrop NF-5 was completed.
The majority of the Thunderstreaks was scrapped. A number of them was allowed to stay in Holland mainly for decoy and museum purposes, and some 20 aircraft were transferred to Greece where they soldiered on till the early 1980s.
