In terms of performance, the F-104 Starfighter did not disappoint. The definitive F-104G could reach top speeds of 1,328 miles per hour and a ceiling of 50,000 feet. Rate-of-climb was exceedingly exceptional in that the aircraft could hit 48,000 feet per minute. A ferry range of 1,630 miles was reported while a combat radius of 420 miles was possible. Thrust from the General Electric J79-GE-11A series turbojet with afterburning netted 15,600lbs of thrust.
Some 153 F-104A models were eventually produced along with its counterpart 26 F-104B tandem-seat trainers. The USAF Air Defense Command was the first to receive the type through the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron in February of 1958. Of note was that these aircraft did not possess the capability for all-weather attack and were essentially limited from the start in terms of what the USAFADC could do with them. A-models spent a brief time in operational service before being shipped out to Air National Guard units (ANG used their Starfighters up until 1975). Some were shipped to foreign operators overseas who put them to good use in combat. At least 22 A-models were held in reserve and converted for use as radio-controlled drones for testing. Beyond their two-pilot seating arrangement, F-104B trainer models sported larger vertical tail surfaces, no internal gun and less fuel.
Seventy-seven F-104C tactical strike fighter models were produced, these being dedicated fighter-bombers for service with the USAF Tactical Air Command through the 479th Tactical Fighter Squadron in September of 1958. C-models featured an improved fire-control system and hardpoints set to a centerline and two underwing positions. Nuclear capability was officially introduced, expanding the lethality of the aircraft and the reach of USAF firepower. The F-104C also introduced in-flight refueling capability with its induction into service, increasing the operational range of the type somewhat. Like the A-models before them, C-models were quickly transferred to ANG units.
The F-104D was a tandem-seat, dual-control trainer based on the F-104C single-seat models and saw production reach only 21 examples. Likewise, the F-104F was also a two-seat model but based on the F-104D trainers. These Starfighters were fitted with the uprated powerplants of G-models but no radar system, thus making them non-combat ready. The German Luftwaffe produced F-models as interim designs for training purposes and only 30 or so were eventually produced.
As it happened, the F-104G (based on the F-104C series) became the definitive Starfighter model in terms of both numbers and acceptance into service. It was essentially billed as an "improved" Starfighter with all-weather and multi-role capabilities. The aircraft secured its future by the endorsement from NATO and became a stalwart in Europe for decades. Not only did this increase the use of Starfighters globally, it ensured some level of commercial success. In fact, the bribery-laden "Deal of the Century" was struck between Lockheed and the European Starfighter Consortium for quantitative sales of the aircraft to participating NATO nations. License production was handled y MBB, Messerschmitt, FIAT, Fokker and SABCA.
F-104G models featured a reinforced airframe, enlarged vertical tail unit, uprated engines and a revised and improved electronics suite. Design of this model was initially set to German Luftwaffe specifications and first flew in October of 1960. It went on to become the most successful mark in the series. The model was also spawned into the TF-104 trainer and RF-104 reconnaissance platform.
Mitsubishi became a global operator and producer of the Starfighter. This was showcased in their F-104J series mark, a dedicated interceptor /air superiority variant stripped of its strike fighter capability and based on the universal F-104G. Standard armament included the 20mm cannon and up to four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Two Hundred Ten of this model existed with 177 handled by Mitsubishi and 29 produced by Lockheed. Several J-models became UF-104J radio-controlled target drones.
Italy produced the Starfighter under the FIAT label. At least 246 of these were produced as the F-104S and were improved or upgraded in the F-104S-ASA and F-104S-ASA/M marks. Italian Starfighters featured NASARR R-21G/H radar with AIM-7 Sparrow and Selenia Aspide missile compatibility as well as improved stability via ventral fins. The 20mm cannons were dropped from air superiority models in lieu of equipment for the missile systems.
Canadair produced the Starfighter in the CF-104 nuclear strike form while Lockheed handled production of the CF-104D tandem seat dual-control trainers for Canada. Engines were Canadian J79-OEL-7 series.
A highly-modified form of the F-104 was envisioned and mocked up as the CL-1200 Lancer, though this design never materialized.
Production of all forms of F-104 Starfighters ran into 1983. Operational service by Starfighters lasted well into the late 1990's. Italy was one of the last remaining users of the aircraft and sent their Starfighters through a modernization program to increase their longevity. These became an interim design until the arrival of more capable Eurofighter Typhoons. With delays in the Eurofighter program and the last Starfighters retired in 2004, Italy inevitably settled on an interim solution in the solid Lockheed F-16 Fighting Falcon. In total, 2,578 Starfighters were procured by various air forces including the USAF. USAF received just 296 Starfighters in the various single and two-seat configurations. In fact, the USAF use accounted for only a third of all production Starfighters with global operators representing a majority of the owners. In USAF service, the F-104 made up just two fighter squadrons.
As a post-war, jet-powered, ground breaking Mach 2 design, the Starfighter's legacy would forever be tied to its high accident rate. Although the equally defining North American F-100 Super Sabre took the cake, the F-104 prone enough to accident that it is always mentioned in discussions of the aircraft. The aircraft proved a handful to fly and several built-in measures had to be introduced to protect the pilot and aircraft alike. Among these was a feature where the flightstick would shake to warn the pilot of insufficient airspeed. The J79 engine also proved temperamental at times and was the cause of many a flame out.
A notable accident concerning the F-104 occurred on June 8th, 1966, when an Starfighter chase plane collided with the North American XB-70 Valkyrie supersonic bomber, killing pilot Joe Walker. Famed aviator Chuck Yeager nearly died in an NF-104A during an attempt at a new altitude record. The German Luftwaffe suffered an enormous amount of pilot losses during their tenure with the F-104, losing no less than 110 pilots. Canadian losses were also unacceptable. In many cases, however, accidents were deemed the fault of other things besides the aircraft itself, either through pilot error or outside forces damaging integral Starfighter components. Be that as it may, these accidents would forever be tied to the Starfighter name and legacy and duly reinforce upon itself the nickname of "Widowmaker".
The F-104 Starfighter saw its first combat action for America in the Vietnam War. The aircraft was selected to undergo a variety of sorties. As a fighter, the F-104 scored no kills but the aircraft did serve well in keeping MiG fighters at bay from intercepting "friendlies". Starfighters were deployed in the conflict in 1965 and then again from 1966 through 1967. By the end of their tenure, Starfighters accounted for 5,206 missions while losing just 14 aircraft. Starfighters were eventually replaced in whole by the more capable McDonnell F-4 Phantom II's.
Despite its limited combat forays in the Vietnam War, the Starfighter was showcased in other global foreign entanglements. F-104A's saw combat with Pakistan in the Indo-Pak war of 1965 recording the first reported Mach 2 aircraft kill. By the 1971 conflict, however, the Starfighter was wholly outclassed by Indian MiG-21 "Fishbed" fighters. In 1967, tensions between the island nation of Taiwan and mainland China ratchet up several notches leading to an engagement between four F-104G model fighters and 12 MiG-19 "Farmers". The ensuing action lead both sides to claim one kill.
Despite the learning curve inherent in this ground-breaking design, the F-104 had a lot going for it. Kelly Johnson's vision came together with the creation of this missile-inspired rocket ship. The aptly-named "Starfighter" certainly lived up to its namesake and recorded more than its propensity to test the most hardened pilot. Pilots found the aircraft to be a handful to fly but they by no means regretted the experience. The chance for man to fly sustained at Mach 2 in a Mach 1 world was a chance no pilot worth his weight would have passed up at the time. Where the system seemed to fail, it inevitably excelled in others. Performance was never an issue thanks to keen design philosophies from one of the best minds in aviation engineering and a powerplant that was seemingly born for the role. Despite its many misgivings, the "Widowmaker" was undoubtedly a special kind of aircraft with the last operational unit being displaced as recently as 2004 - encompassing some 50-plus years since its design was first being throttled about in the heads of Lockheed engineers.
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