F-104 (Family)
Description
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engined, supersonic interceptor aircraft which became widely used as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. It was originally developed by Lockheed for the United States Air Force (USAF), but was later sold to and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States.
Nicknames
| F-104 Nicknames | |
|---|---|
| ▃ Lockheed | missile with a man in it |
| ▃ Official | Starfighter |
| ▅ Official | Eiko (栄光, Glory) |
| ▃ Pilots | Oh-Four · Zip-Four · Zipper / Zip |
| ▀ Pilots | Zipper · Gustav (◄F-104G) |
| ▅ Pilots | Mitubishi Pencil |
| ▄ Pilots | Spillone (Hatpin) |
| ▃ Public | Widowmaker |
| ▀ Public | Witwenmacher (Widowmaker) · Fliegender Sarg (Flying coffin) · Erdnagel (Ground nail) |
| ␗ Public | 寡婦製造者 (Widowmaker) · 飛行棺材 (Flying coffin) · 人間飛彈 (Manned missile) |
Vehicles
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VI Rank
|
 F-104A  F-104C  |
F-104J  |
␗F-104A  |
▄F-104G  | |
VII Rank
|
◄F-104G  |
␗F-104G  |
F-104S   ▄F-104S TAF  F-104S.ASA  |
Rank VI
- ▃F-104A - Initial US variant solely for intercept missions
- ␗F-104A - Identical to US F-104A; surplus jets supplied to ROCAF through MAP program under the name Project Alishan (阿里山計劃)
- ▃F-104C - Improved US variant with improved engine, RWR, and ground attack ordnance compared to the F-104A
- ▅F-104J - Exported F-104G to Japan minus ground-attacking capabilities, comes with 4 x AIM-9P Sidewinders
- ▄F-104G - Exported F-104G to Italy, comes with 60 countermeasures and 2 x AIM-9J Sidewinders
- ▄F-104S - Italian-built (by FIAT) variant, improved F-104G with a stronger engine, improved ground attack ordnance, 6 x AIM-9J Sidewinders or 2 x AIM-7E Sparrow SARH missiles
Rank VII
- ◄F-104G - Export F-104G to Germany, comes with 60 countermeasures, a large array of ground attack ordnance, and 4 x AIM-9J Sidewinders
- ␗F-104G - Very similar to German F-104G without AGM; newly-built airframes acquired through MAP program or used F-104G from NATO countries under the name Project Alishan (阿里山計劃)
- ▄F-104S TAF - Turkish F-104S imported from Italy as the supplements to their own F-104G and F-4E fleet
- ▄F-104S.ASA - Italian F-104S upgrade; ASA stands for Aggiornamento Sistemi d'Arma ("Weapon Systems Update"). Equipped with a stronger engine, 60 countermeasures, AIM-9L Sidewinders, a look-down/shoot-down radar, and Aspide-1A SARH missiles.
Media
- Videos
The Shooting Range #211 - Pages of History section at 04:15 discusses the Starfighter.
