P2
Paragon Of Space Publication


Fastest Air Planes

Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter
https://www.bing.com/images/search?q=F%2fA-18E%2fF+Super+Hornet&FORM=HDRSC2#CA!ExpandSecondaryAction
The F-22 Raptor defines air dominance. The 5th Generation F-22’s unique combination of stealth, speed, agility, and situational awareness, combined with lethal long-range air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, makes it the best air dominance fighter in the world.
The Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which later became widely used as an attack aircraft. It was originally developed by Lockheed for the United States Air Force, but became widely used by US Allies around the world, and produced by several other NATO nations. One of the Century Series of fighter aircraft, it was operated by the air forces of more than a dozen nations from 1958 to 2004. Its design team was led by Kelly Johnson, who went on to lead or contribute to the development of the Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird and other Lockheed aircraft.

Maximum speed: 2,137 km/h (1,328 mph) Maiden flight: 04 Mar 1954 Length: 54.66 ft Wingspan: 20.87 ft Cruising speed: 925.37 km/h (575 mph) Designer: Clarence Johnson
Role: Interceptor aircraft, fighter-bomber
National origin: United States
Manufacturer: Lockheed
First flight: 17 February 1956 (YF-104A)
Introduction: 20 February 1958
Retired: 31 October 2004 (Italy)
Status: Retired, except for private operators
Primary users: United States Air Force
                        German Air Force
                        Japan Air Self-Defense Force
                        Turkish Air Force
Number built: 2,578
Unit cost: US$1.42 million (F-104G)
Developed from: Lockheed XF-104
Variants: Lockheed NF-104A Canadair CF-104 Aeritalia F-104S
Developed into: CL-1200 Lancer and X-27, Lockheed
The F-104 Starfighter traces its origins to the Korean War where US Air Force pilots were battling the MiG-15. Flying the North American F-86 Sabre, they stated that they desired a new aircraft with superior performance. Visiting American forces in December 1951, Lockheed's chief designer, Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, listened to these concerns and learned firsthand the pilots' needs. Returning to California, he quickly assembled design team to begin sketching out a new fighter.

Assessing several design options ranging from small light fighters to heavy interceptors they ultimately settled on the former.
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter - General Specifications

Length: 54 ft., 8 in.
Wingspan: 21 ft., 9 in.
Height: 13 ft., 6 in.
Wing Area: 196.1 sq. ft.
Empty Weight: 14,000 lbs.
Loaded Weight: 20,640 lbs.
Crew: 1
Lockheed F-104G Starfighter - Performnce Specifications

Power Plant: 1 × General Electric J79-GE-11A afterburning turbojet
Combat Radius: 420 miles
Max Speed: 1,328 mph
Ceiling: 50,000 ft.

Lockheed F-104G Starfighter - Armament Specifications

Guns: 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan cannon, 725 rounds
7 Hardpoints: 4 x AIM-9 Sidewinder, up to 4,000 lbs. bombs, rockets, drop tanks
Powered by Sispro1-S
Nigel G Wilcox
© Copyright Reserved - United Kingdom
Ideal Screen Composition 1024 x 768
Powered by Sispro1-S
Nigel G Wilcox
© Copyright Reserved - United Kingdom
Ideal Screen Composition 1024 x 768
SITEMAP
SCIENCE RESEARCH
ABOUT
Desk
MAIN INDEX
Design and Development
Building around the new General Electric J79 engine, Johnson's team created a supersonic air superiority fighter that utilized the lightest airframe possible. Emphasizing performance, the Lockheed design was presented to the USAF in November 1952. Intrigued by Johnson's work, it elected to issue a new proposal and began accepting competing designs. In this competition, Lockheed's design was joined by those from Republic, North American, and Northrop. Though the other aircraft possessed merits, Johnson's team won the competition and received a prototype contract in March 1953.

Work moved forward on the
prototype which was dubbed XF-104. As the new J79 engine was not ready for use, the prototype was powered by a Wright J65. Johnson's prototype called for a long, narrow fuselage that was mated with a radical new wing design.

Employing a short, trapezoidal shape, the XF-104's wings were extremely thin and required protection on the leading edge to avoid injury to ground crews. These were combined with a "t-tail" configuration aft. Due to the thinness of the wings, the XF-104's landing gear and fuel were contained within the fuselage.

Initially armed with a M61 Vulcan cannon, the XF-104 also possessed wingtip stations for AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles. Later variants of the aircraft would incorporate up to nine pylons and hardpoints for munitions. With construction of the prototype complete, the XF-104 first took to the sky on March 4, 1954 at Edwards Air Force Base. Though the aircraft had moved quickly from the drawing board to the sky, an additional four years were required to refine and improve the XF-104 before it became operational. Entering service on February 20, 1958, as the F-104 Starfighter, the type was the USAF's first Mach 2 fighter.

F-104 Performance
Possessing impressive speed and climb performance, the F-104 could be tricky aircraft during takeoff and landings. For the latter, it employed a boundary layer control system to reduce its landing speed. In the air, the F-104 proved very effective at high-speed attacks, but less so in dogfighting due to its wide turning radius. The type also offered exceptional performance at low altitudes making it useful as a strike fighter. During the course of its career, the F-104 became known for its high loss rate due to accidents. This was particularly true in Germany where the Luftwaffe grounded the F-104 in 1966.

Operational History
Entering service with 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron in 1958, the F-104A first became operational as part of the USAF Air Defense Command as an interceptor. In this role the type suffered teething problems as the squadron's aircraft were grounded after a few months due to engine issues. Based on these problems, the USAF reduced the size of its order from Lockheed. While issues persisted, the F-104 became a trailblazer as the Starfighter set a series of performance records including world air speed and altitude. Later that year, a fighter-bomber variant, the F-104C, joined the USAF Tactical Air Command.
Quickly falling out of favor with the USAF, many F-104s were transferred to the Air National Guard. With the beginning of the US involvement in the Vietnam War in 1965, some Starfighter squadrons began to see action in Southeast Asia.

In use over Vietnam until 1967, the F-104 failed to score any kills and suffered a loss of 14 aircraft to all causes. Lacking the range and payload of more modern aircraft, the F-104 was quickly phased out of service with the last aircraft leaving USAF inventory in 1969. The type was retained by NASA which used F-104 for testing purposes until 1994.

An Export Star
Though the F-104 proved unpopular with the USAF, it was exported extensively to NATO and other US-allied nations. Flying with the Republic of China Air Force and Pakistan Air Force, the Starfighter scored kills in the 1967 Taiwan Strait Conflict and India-Pakistan Wars respectively. Other large buyers included the Germany, Italy, and Spain who bought the definitive F-104G variant beginning in the early 1960s. Featuring a reinforced airframe, longer range, and improved avionics, the F-104G was built under license by several companies including FIAT, Messerschmitt, and SABCA.

In Germany, the F-104 got off to a bad start due to a large bribery scandal that was associated with its purchase. This reputation sank further when the aircraft began suffering from an unusually high accident rate. Though the Luftwaffe endeavored to correct problems with its F-104 fleet, over 100 pilots were lost in training accidents during the aircraft's use in Germany. As losses mounted, General Johannes Steinhoff grounded the F-104 in 1966 until solutions could be found. Despite these problems, export production of the F-104 continued until 1983. Utilizing various modernization programs, Italy continued to fly the Starfighter until finally retiring it in 2004.
Supersonic
Stealth
S'sonic
Stealth
Menu
Study
Menu
Space
Transport
Menu
Topic
Index