Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Interceptor Strike Reconnaissance Fighter (Profiles of Flight).pdf

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First published in Great Britain in 2011 by

PEN & SWORD AVIATION

An imprint of

Pen & Sword Books Ltd

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9781783461189

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Table of Contents

Title Page

LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER

PROFILES OF FLIGHT LOCKHEED F-104 STARFIGHTER - Interceptor/ Strike/ Reconnaissance

Fighter

L OCK H EED F-104 STA RFIGH TER

No other aircraft in the history of aviation has engendered more controversy or such notoriety and

suffered such a high a loss rate over a short period as the Starfighter. Known sometimes as the

‘Missile with the Man in It’ the F-104 had such stubby little wings that many inferred that it had ‘no

visible means of support’. Early on the Starfighter was beset with a number of operational problems

that resulted mainly from the troublesome General Electric J79-GE-7A engine. By the time the F-104

had logged its 100,000th flight hour, in April 1961, 49 out of 296 Starfighters operated by the USAF

had been lost and 18 pilots killed–none of them in combat. From 1958 to early 1963 there were forty

serious incidents, which resulted in the deaths of nine pilots and the loss of twenty-four aircraft, and

the USAF cut back its F-104 orders. Lockheed’s failure to produce F-104s in greater numbers and the

loss of so many aircraft looked potentially disastrous for the Burbank, California, company. Yet,

within a few years the Starfighter had won a worldwide market with licence production underway in

seven countries. Their governments rushed to buy F-104s in great numbers for their air arms, even

when they looked ill suited for the role they were chosen for and when other designs offered more

for the same money. But the publication in 1975 of a Lockheed company report revealed that $22

million in ‘sales commissions’ had been paid to foreign officials, including at least $1 million to

Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. The bribes scandal forced the chairman, vice-chairman and

president of the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation to resign. On 1 September 1977 the Lockheed

Aircraft Corporation became Lockheed Corporation. F-104 production continued unabated and two

years later worldwide Starfighter production ended at 2,577–1,241 of them having been built in

Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Interceptor Strike Reconnaissance Fighter (Profiles of Flight).pdf

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