A comparative evaluation of the tactics and technology involved in the
battles between the USAF's Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bombers
and their VPAF MiG-17 opponents during the Vietnam War.
Fully illustrated with stunning artwork, this book shows how the F-105
and the MiG-17, totally different in design and purpose, fought in a
series of duels that cost both sides dearly.
The F-105D Thunderchief was originally designed as a low-altitude
nuclear strike aircraft, but the outbreak of the Vietnam War led to it
being used instead as the USAF's primary conventional striker against
the exceptionally well-defended targets in North Vietnam and Laos. F-105
crews conducted long-distance missions from bases in Thailand, refueling
in flight several times and carrying heavy external bombloads.
The MiG-17 was the lightweight, highly maneuverable defending fighter it
encountered most often in 1965-68 during Operation Rolling Thunder. A
development of the MiG-15, which shocked UN forces during the Korean
War, its emphasis was on simplicity and ease of maintenance in
potentially primitive conditions.