American Lockheed® F-104 Starfighter® interceptor aircraft COBI 2426 Vietnam War 1:48

 

Did you know:

• The aircraft was co-designed by the famous American engineer Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, who wanted to create the most advanced aircraft of his time. He personally visited Korean War veteran pilots and recorded their experiences. Based on the information he gathered, he decided to build an aircraft with above-average flight performance at the expense of armament and fuel supply. 
• Hardly any other American-made aircraft sparks sharper disputes between supporters and opponents than the F-104.
• The fighter first took off on March 4, 1954, designated XF-104, from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
• Flight tests did not go entirely as planned. The pilot of the second prototype lost control of the aircraft and the fighter was destroyed in the subsequent crash. The first prototype lost its vertical stabilizer during flight on July 11, 1957.
• Lockheed repaired the discovered defects. More precisely, it was believed that the manufacturer managed to eliminate the design shortcomings, but as you will read shortly, that was not entirely true. 
• The first units were introduced into USAF service on February 20, 1958.
• With incredible acceleration and climb rate, the fighter soon achieved sales success. Orders came from Italy, Turkey, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada. However, the high sales figures were not due to the qualities of the F-104, but to a huge bribery scandal that caused great public outrage in Europe and Japan.
• The problems were compounded by the large number of accidents, in which 115 pilots died in Germany alone. 
• Lockheed faced lawsuits and was forced to compensate the bereaved. Yes, such events are also part of aviation history. 
• Later versions of the Starfighter received a larger vertical stabilizer, reinforced brakes, a de-icing system, and a drag parachute, which essentially made the fighter a good aircraft.
• 25 aircraft were deployed during the Vietnam War against Soviet MiG-17s and MiG-21s until the arrival of the legendary Phantoms II.
• A total of 2,578 units were produced in several versions.
• The United States Air Force retired all aircraft after a short service period in 1968.
• Italy operated Starfighters the longest, until 2004, when they were replaced by Eurofighters. 
  
  
  

Technical specifications: 

• dimensions: wingspan 6.36 m, length 16.66 m, height 4.11 m
• empty weight 6,350 kg
• powerplant: GE J79-GE-11A turbojet engine with thrust of 70.3 kN
• maximum speed 2,237 km/h
• climb rate 250 m/s
• maximum service ceiling 15,240 m
• fuel tank capacity 3,440 l + 1,290 l in external tanks
• armament: 1x Vulcan M61A1 20 mm rotary cannon + up to 1,800 kg of guided missiles, bombs, or fuel.
• minimum runway length 2,000 m
• crew 1

American pilot Chuck Yeager on the F-104:

"I know that in Europe they called it the flying coffin. It wasn’t entirely deserved, but I must also say it wasn’t any miracle of aviation either. It’s the fastest fighter I ever flew, just too one-sided. Speed yes, climb yes, but agility and flexibility minimal. I know you want to ask me about the famous vertical climb. It was true. Climbing at an angle of up to 70° was the safest maneuver on the Starfighter, but very few managed to pull out on the way down."