F-104 STARFIGHTER.pdf

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ILLUSTRATED
F 104
STARFIGHTER
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Lockheed’s
manned missile
Icons No 20
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L
LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER
ockheed’s legendary F-104 Starfighter
enjoys a slightly dubious place in the
annals of aviation history. Famous as
one of the “Century Series” fighters, it
was perhaps the least successful aircraft in this
family, designed for a role that had changed
quite drastically by the time that the F-104
emerged. Designer Kelly Johnson produced
what was in effect a replacement for the F-86
Sabre, but with the Korean War at an end and
the Cold War growing still colder, the USAF
needed sophisticated all-weather fighters that
could take-on Soviet bombers, not day fighters
designed to take-on the MiG-15. This fact,
compounded by early technical problems, soon
encouraged the USAF to abandon its interest in
the F-104 although Tactical Air Command’s
need for a nuclear strike aircraft gave the
Starfighter a new lease of life – even if only for a
few years. But it was overseas where the
Starfighter eventually reigned supreme as a
multi-role role warplane, becoming one of the
most common and numerous types in Nato’s
inventory. Sadly, this popularity came at a price
and the sheer numbers of aircraft in service,
combined with the demanding environment in
which the aircraft would operate, bestowed a
grim accident record on the Starfighter which
was almost impossible to shake off. In reality the
F-104 was no more dangerous or unreliable
than any of its contemporaries, but statistics can
mislead and the Starfighter became famous as a
demanding, potentially lethal machine. It was a
lamentable outcome for an aeroplane that
proved to be an outstanding design, capable of
breathtaking speeds and altitudes, and more
than capable of handling a wide variety of roles.
Despite its unenviable (and undeserved)
reputation, Lockheed’s Starfighter was a hugely
successful multi-role warplane that played a
very significant part in the post-war era. Pretty
impressive for an aeroplane that started-out as
a simple lightweight MiG killer.
Tim McLelland
Series Editor
tim.mclelland@keypublishing.com
Chapter One
SABRE SUCCESSOR
The USAF enters the jet age and
Lockheed embarks on a secret plan
to build a new fighter
CONTENTS
Chapter Three
44 HIGHER AND FURTHER
Tactical Air Command takes the
Starfighter to Vietnam and
Lockheed secures the European
Sale of the Century
Chapter Four
64 THE F 104 STARFIGHTER
IN DETAIL
Chapter Five
82 TWINS AND TEUTONICISM
Lockheed develops a Starfighter
trainer and the F-104G
Joins the ranks of the Luftwaffe
Chapter Six
98 STARFIGHTERS WORLDWIDE
The F-104 boasted a remarkable
international sales record, with
aircraft exported to nations
around the globe
Chapter Two
22 INTO SERVICE
The F-104A is introduced into USAF
service and Lockheed’s first export
customers receive the Starfighter.
For more than a century of aviation history and for further titles in this series, visit
Photo: Tim McLelland
Cover Photo: USAF
Aeroplane Icons: F-104 STARFIGHTER
Editor
Tim McLelland.
Design and Layout
Paul Silk.
Publisher and Managing Director
Adrian Cox.
Executive Chairman
Richard Cox.
Commercial Director
Ann Saundry.
Distribution
Seymour Distribution Ltd +44 (0)20 7429 4000.
Printing
Warners (Midlands) PLC, The Maltings, Manor Lane, Bourne, Lincs PE10 9PH.
ISBN 978-1-910415-20-7
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Tel: +44 (0) 1780 755131. Fax: +44 (0) 1780 757261. Website:
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F-104 STARFIGHTER
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3
SABRE SUCCESSOR
The USAF enters the jet age and
Lockheed embarks on a secret plan
to build a new fighter
4
F-104 StarFighter
he Lockheed Starfighter was a direct
result of America’s combat
experiences in Korea, where USAF
fighter pilots found themselves pitted against
the formidable MiG-15, a deceptively simple
machine that possessed capabilities far
beyond its relatively unsophisticated
diminutive appearance. Despite the arrival of
the legendary F-86 Sabre, the USAF never
quite managed to fight on equal terms with
the Soviet-built MiG-15 throughout the
Korean conflict, and despite the
unquestionable success of the F-86, the USAF
inevitably began to look beyond the Sabre to
the possibility of something better, long
before the Korean War ended. The Lockheed
Aircraft Company was at the forefront of this
process. With its headquarters at Burbank
near Los Angeles, Lockheed was already well
established as one of America’s leading
aircraft design and manufacturing
companies, with considerable expertise in
the design of jet aircraft, thanks to the
creation of the Lockheed Model 80 which
had become the USAF’s first jet fighter as the
P-80 Shooting Star. Developed under the
T
leadership of Clarence L. “Kelly” Johnson (a
talented engineer already credited with
much of the P-38 Lightning’s design during
World War Two), the P-80 was an unqualified
success not only in terms of performance but
also as an engineering project. It progressed
from initial design to first flight in just 100
days, this breathtaking speed being not only
testament to Lockheed’s abilities, but also to
the generosity of British manufacturer de
Havilland who supplied a functional jet
engine. Lockheed’s experience with the
Shooting Star led directly to the
development of the Model L.153 (the XP-90)
in response to a USAF requirement (issued in
1947) for a long-range penetration fighter
and bomber escort. Two prototypes of the
twin-engine XP-90 were constructed but the
project was eventually abandoned when the
USAF opted to pursue McDonnell’s
competing XF-88 Voodoo design, chiefly
because Lockheed’s XP-90 was seriously
underpowered. Losing to McDonnell was a
great disappointment to Lockheed’s
Advanced Development Projects
department, but the XP-90 had undoubtedly
provided a great deal of technical experience
and it generated a wealth of useful
knowledge that could be applied to new
projects. When the USAF issued a new
requirement for a new all-weather fighter
interceptor during 1950, Lockheed
immediately drew-up a design with which to
meet the USAF’s specifications, designated as
Company Model L-205. Powered by two jet
engines and armed with missiles and rockets,
the project showed great promise but the
USAF slowly began to lose interest in it, when
the aircraft’s projected weight inevitably
began to increase and the aircraft’s likely
capabilities slowly began to look rather less
exciting. Within a year the project had been
cancelled, but early in 1952 another fighter
development contract was offered to
Lockheed, but this time the USAF
demonstrated an astonishing lack of
commercial wisdom, stipulating that the
aircraft’s design features must be patented by
the USAF and that the aircraft would (if
necessary) be manufactured by other
companies. It was hardly surprising that
Lockheed politely declined to pursue the
Lockheed’s Burbank facility pictured during 1956, with various Neptunes and Constellations visible around the site. today the airport still survives although most of the surrounding
area has been developed quite significantly. it was at this site that Lockheed’s design engineers first created what eventually became the F-104 Starfighter.
(Photo: Lockheed)
F-104 StarFighter
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