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Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Multi-Role Fighter |
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DESCRIPTION:
Experience in the Korean War showed that the US Air Force was in need of a new interceptor capable of high speeds and climb rates to engage Russian MiG-15s and bombers. The solution adopted by Lockheed was a small, lightweight design with a powerful engine called the F-104 Starfighter. Though capable of speeds exceeding Mach 2 and of reaching altitudes exceeding 90,000 ft, the Starfighter suffered from limited range, poor turn radius, limited payload capacity, and unforgiving flight characteristics. The F-104 was used for a time by both the Strategic Air Command as an interceptor and the Tactical Air Command as a fighter bomber. Due to its limitations, however, production was stopped in 1959 and the aircraft withdrawn from front-line service in 1960. Nevertheless, the Starfighter was given a new lease on life when West Germany accepted the updated F-104G as its primary fighter. Compared with the earlier USAF models, the F-104G featured much improved avionics and better low-level strike capabilities. The significantly more capable F-104G model soon attracted customers throughout Europe and Asia as well as Canada. Though only 296 examples had been built for the USAF, an additional 2,282 F-104 fighters were built for US allies. These exceptional aircraft served for many years but were finally withdrawn from service by the mid-1990s. The final variant to see service was the F-104S built under license by Alenia in Italy. Sold to both the Italian and Turkish air forces, the F-104S proved to be cost-effective, reliable, and popular among pilots. These aircraft were continually updated through the 1980s and 1990s under the ASA program, but Italy's F-104 fleet was finally retired and replaced by the F-16 in October 2004.
Data below for F-104G |
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| HISTORY: | |
| First Flight | (XF-104) 7 February 1954 |
| Service Entry | January 1958 |
| Retirement |
(F-104S) 27 October 2004
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| CREW: |
1 pilot
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| ESTIMATED COST: |
unknown
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| AIRFOIL SECTIONS: | |
| Wing Root | Biconvex 3.36% |
|
Wing Tip
|
Biconvex 3.36%
|
| DIMENSIONS: | |
| Length | 54.75 ft (16.69 m) |
| Wingspan | 21.92 ft (6.68 m) |
| Height | 13.50 ft (4.11 m) |
| Wing Area | 196.1 ft2 (18.22 m2) |
|
Canard Area
|
not applicable
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| WEIGHTS: | |
| Empty | 14,082 lb (6,387 kg) |
| Typical Load | unknown |
| Max Takeoff | 28,779 lb (13,054 kg) |
| Fuel Capacity |
internal: 5,822 lb (2,641 kg) external: 5,538 lb (2,512 kg) |
|
Max Payload
|
4,310 lb (1,995 kg)
|
| PROPULSION: | |
| Powerplant | one General Electric J79-19 turbojet |
|
Thrust
|
10,000 lb (44.5 kN) 15,800 lb (70.28 kN) with afterburner |
| PERFORMANCE: | |
| Max Level Speed |
at altitude: 1,450 mph (2,335 km/h) at 36,000 ft (10,975 m), Mach 2.2 at sea level: Mach 1.2 |
| Initial Climb Rate | 50,000 ft (15,239 m) / min |
| Service Ceiling |
58,000 ft (17,680 m) 90,000 ft (27,430 m) zoom ceiling |
| Range |
typical: 260 nm (480 km) with max payload ferry: 1,576 nm (2,920 km) |
|
g-Limits
|
unknown
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| ARMAMENT: | |
| Gun | one 20-mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon (750 rds) |
| Stations | 7 external hardpoints and 2 wingtip rails |
| Air-to-Air Missile | AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-7 Sparrow, Apside |
| Air-to-Surface Missile | AGM-65 Maverick, Kormoran, Penguin |
| Bomb | nuclear bombs, Mk 82/83 GP, cluster bombs |
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Other
|
rocket pods, ECM pods
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| KNOWN VARIANTS: | |
| XF-104 | Prototype |
| YF-104 | Pre-production aircraft used to test different engines; 17 built |
| F-104A | Production model for the USAF with blown flaps to reduce landing speeds; 153 built |
| NF-104A | F-104A airframes used for astronaut training; 3 converted |
| QF-104A | YF-104 and F-104A aircraft used as radio-controlled target drones |
| F-104B | Two-seat trainer based on the F-104A but with new fuel system and armament layout; 26 built |
| F-104C | Upgraded one-seat tactical fighter bomber used by the USAF with a new engine and armed with Sidewinder missiles, bombs, or rocket pods; 77 built |
| F-104D | Two-seat trainer based on the F-104C model; 21 built |
| CF-104D | Canadian two-seat trainer built under license; 38 built |
| F-104DJ | Two-seat trainer for Japan; 20 built |
| F-104F | Improved attack fighter based on the F-104D model and sold to Germany; 30 built |
| F-104G | German multi-role fighter with ground attack capability, aerodynamic refinements, stronger airframe, more advanced avionics, and a new engine; 1,127 built for European countries |
| TF-104G | German two-seat trainer; 220 built |
| RF-104G | German reconnaissance model with a camera pod in place of the Vulcan cannon; 189 built |
| RTF-104G | Two-seat trainer that can be equipped for reconnaissance duties |
| CF-104 | Canadian multi-role fighter based on the F-104G and built under license; 200 built |
| F-104J | Japanese multi-role fighter based on the F-104G and built under license; 210 built |
| F-104N | F-104G aircraft built for NASA as supersonic chase planes |
| F-104S | Multi-role fighter based on the F-104G and built by Aeritalia for Italy and Turkey, last operational version; 245 built |
| F-104S ASA | Italian F-104S models upgraded by Aeritalia/Alenia under the Aggiornamento Sistemi d'Arma program with new radar, avionics, and weapon systems; 150 converted |
| F-104S ASA M |
Final modernization program to keep the Italian F-104S ASA fleet in service into the 21st century by
replacing outdated power systems and navigation avionics to improve maintainability; approximately 100
converted
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| KNOWN COMBAT RECORD: |
Vietnam War (USAF, 1965-1968) Bangladesh War (Pakistan, 1971) |
| KNOWN OPERATORS: |
US Air Force Belgium Canada Denmark German Air Force German Navy Greece Italy Japan Netherlands Norway Pakistan Spain Taiwan Turkey |
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