American Lockheed® F-104 Starfighter® interceptor aircraft COBI 5907 Armed Forces 1:48

 

Did you know:

• The aircraft’s design involved the famous American engineer Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, who aimed to create the most advanced aircraft of his time. He personally visited Korean War veteran pilots and recorded their experiences. Based on the insights he gathered, he decided to build a jet with exceptional flight characteristics at the expense of armament and fuel capacity. 
• Few American-made aircraft have sparked sharper debates between supporters and critics than the F-104.
• The fighter first took off on March 4, 1954, under the designation XF-104 from Edwards Air Force Base in California.
• Flight tests didn’t go entirely as planned. The pilot of the second prototype lost control of the aircraft, and the fighter was destroyed in the resulting crash. On July 11, 1957, the first prototype lost its vertical stabilizer mid-flight.
• Lockheed addressed the identified issues. More precisely, it was believed that the manufacturer had resolved the design flaws — but as you’ll read shortly, that wasn’t entirely true. 
• The first units were inducted into USAF service on February 20, 1958.
• Thanks to its incredible acceleration and climb rate, the fighter quickly became a commercial success. Orders came from Italy, Turkey, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada. However, the high sales figures weren’t due to the F-104’s qualities, but rather a massive bribery scandal that triggered public outrage across Europe and Japan.
• The situation was worsened by a large number of accidents, with 115 pilots killed in Germany alone. 
• Lockheed faced lawsuits and was forced to compensate the victims’ families. Yes, even such events are part of aviation history. 
• Later versions of the Starfighter received a larger rudder, reinforced brakes, a de-icing system, and a drag chute — which actually made it a good aircraft.
• 25 aircraft were deployed during the Vietnam War against Soviet MiG-17s and MiG-21s until the arrival of the legendary Phantom II.
• A total of 2,578 units were produced across several variants.
• The United States Air Force retired all aircraft after a short service life in 1968.
• Italy operated the Starfighter the longest, until 2004, when it was replaced by the Eurofighter. 
  
  
  

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 70.3 kN thrust
• 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 rotary cannon (20 mm) + up to 1,800 kg of guided missiles, bombs, or fuel
• minimum runway length 2,000 m
• crew: 1

German pilot Frank Heinevetter on the F-104:

“We all knew flying the F-104 was dangerous, but I saw it as a challenge. We were well aware of what happened to Klaus (Klaus Lehnert). It’s incomprehensible that after losing contact, he flew over Germany, Denmark, and Norway only to crash into the sea.”