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By 1967, the Thunderbirds had flown 1,000 shows. In 1969, the squadron re-equipped with the front-line F-4E Phantom, which it flew until 1973, the only time the Thunderbirds would fly jets similar to those of the Navy's Blue Angels as it was the standard fighter for both services in the 1960s and 1970s.
Aircraft Origin Type Variant In service Notes Fighter aircraft (1,690) F-15 Eagle: United States air superiority: F-15C: 145 145 F-15C total force as of September 2023 (USAF Almanac). [1] 29 F-15C - Active. 116 F-15C - Air National Guard. Trainer aircraft listed separately. F-15E Strike Eagle: United States multirole: 218
The F-84 was the first aircraft flown by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds, which operated F-84G Thunderjets from 1953 to 1955 and F-84F Thunderstreaks from 1955 to 1956. [31] The F-84E was also flown by the Skyblazers team of United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE). [60]
Aircraft Tail Code 64th Aggressor Squadron: Gomers [5] Air Combat Command: United States Air Force Warfare Center: 57 WG: 15 January 1941 Nellis AFB, Nevada: F-16C/D [6] WA: 65th Aggressor Squadron: Air Combat Command: United States Air Force Warfare Center: 57 WG: 15 January 1941 Nellis AFB, Nevada [7] F-35A [8] WA: 706th Aggressor Squadron ...
The Thunderbirds form up into a delta. Delta formation is a flight pattern where multiple flying objects will come together in a V in order to fly more efficiently. Each trailing object is positioned slightly higher than the one in front, and uses the air moved by the forward object to reduce wind resistance.
In addition to active duty in the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, and Air National Guard units, the aircraft is also used by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds aerial demonstration team, the US Air Combat Command F-16 Viper Demonstration Team, [8] and as an adversary/aggressor aircraft by the United States Navy.
The F-16 is currently used by the USAF Air Demonstration squadron, the Thunderbirds, while a small number of both man-rated and non-man-rated F-4 Phantom II are retained as QF-4 aircraft for use as full-scale aerial targets (FSATs) or as part of the USAF Heritage Flight program. These extant QF-4 aircraft are being replaced in the FSAT role by ...
Nicole Margaret Ellingwood Malachowski [3] (born 26 September 1974) is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) officer and the first female pilot selected to fly as part of the USAF Air Demonstration Squadron, better known as the Thunderbirds. [4] She later became a speaker and advocate on behalf of patients with tick-borne illnesses. [5] [6]