In the mid-1950s the U.S. Air Force saw a need for jet fighters capable of accompanying bombers on long-range missions. These fighters could perform strike missions and even deliver nuclear warheads or, outfitted with photo gear, be used for aerial observation and photography. Given the much greater range of bombers of the era, the Air Force experimented with the notion of a “parasite” fighter ferried by a bomber mother ship.
The resulting application of this concept, known as the FICON (Fighter Conveyor) project, ultimately paired Republic RF-84F Thunderflash reconnaissance planes that had been
