The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was an American military supersonic fighter with a long fuselage and exceptionally small wings. Developed during the 1950s, it served in fighter and fighter-bomber roles and acquired an additional career as a NASA research and support aircraft.[1][2]
Development and equipment
Development began in 1952, and the XF-104 first flew in 1954. The production family demonstrated striking performance: an F-104A set a world speed record in 1958, while an F-104C established an altitude record in 1959. These achievements reflected its emphasis on high speed and rapid climb.[1]
The single-seat F-104C used a General Electric J79 afterburning turbojet. Its weapons included the six-barrel M61 cannon and Sidewinder missiles. The Air Force acquired approximately 300 Starfighters, while foreign production and operation gave the aircraft a much wider international presence.[1]
Military operations
The F-104C supported tactical operations rather than serving only as a record-setting interceptor. The aircraft preserved at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, serial 56-914, served in the United States, Europe, Taiwan, Vietnam and Thailand. Its movements illustrate the geographically dispersed deployments undertaken by American Starfighter units.[1]
NASA research
NASA and its predecessor research organisation began operating the Starfighter in 1956. The fleet at the California flight-research centre ultimately included eleven aircraft and accumulated more than 18,000 flights across thirty-eight years. Duties included research, chase support and simulation of X-15 approaches and landings.[2]
External fixtures allowed experiments to be exposed directly to the airflow, with instrumentation recording data and transmitting it to engineers on the ground. Starfighters also carried Space Shuttle thermal-protection tiles during precipitation tests. This research career used the aircraft's high-speed performance to investigate problems far removed from its original air-combat mission.[2]