F- Starfighter
| Lockheed F-104G Starfighter | ||
|---|---|---|
 | ||
| Description | ||
| Role | Fighter-bomber | |
| Crew | ||
| Powerplant | ||
| 1x General Electric J79-GE-11A turbojet | ||
| Thrust | 48 kN (10,000 lb) dry, 69.37 kN (15,600 lb) in afterburner | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 16.66 m | 54 ft 8 in |
| Wingspan | 6.36 m | 21 ft 9 in |
| Height | 4.09 m | 13 ft 6 in |
| Wing area | 18.22 m² | 196.1 ft² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 6,350 kg | 14,000 lb |
| Loaded | 9,365 kg | 20,640 lb |
| Maximum take-off | 13,170 kg | 29,027 lb |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 2,125 km/h | 1,328 mph |
| Combat radius | 672 km | 420 mi |
| Ferry range | 2,600 km | 1,630 mi |
| Service ceiling | 15,240 m | 50,000 ft |
| Rate of climb | 14,630 m/min | 48,000 ft/min |
| Wing loading | 514 kg/m² | 105.3 lb/ft² |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 0.76:1 | |
| Armament | ||
| Cannons | 1x 20mm M61 Vulcan with 725 rounds | |
| Missiles | 2x AIM-9 Sidewinder | |
| Bombs | 1814 kg (4,000 lb) of bombs, rockets, or other stores on seven hardpoints | |
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the last of the day fighters, a high-performance supersonic interceptor aircraft capable of high speeds and climb rates. In this role the Starfighter served for only a short time, and was generally disliked by the Air Force who were looking for ever larger and more all-round designs. The Starfighter gained a second lease on life in the 1960s when it was selected as the basis for a high-speed fighter bomber by a European commission. Many served in this role into the 1980s.
| Contents |
History
In 1951 "Kelly" Johnson, chief engineer at Lockheed's Skunk Works, visited Korea in December 1951 and talked to fighter pilots about what sort of plane they wanted. At the time the US pilots were meeting the MiG-15 in their F-86's, and many of the American pilots felt that the MiGs were superior to the much larger and more complex American design. The pilots requested a small and simple aircraft with excellent performance.
On his return to the US, Johnson immediately started the design of just such an aircraft. In March his team was assembled and they studied a number of aircraft designs ranging from tiny designs at 8,000 lb (3.6 t), to fairly large ones at 50,000 lb (23 t). In November 1952 a follow-on study started, the lessons learned from the earlier designs being used to eventually result in the Lockheed L-246, of about 12,000 lb (5.4 t). The 246 remained essentially identical to the Starfighter as eventually delivered.
The design was presented to the Air Force in November 1952, and they were interested enough to create a new proposal and send it out to several companies to participate. Three additional designs were received, the Republic AP-55, an improved version of its prototype XF-91 Thunderceptor, the North American NA-212 which would eventually evolve into the F-107, and the Northrop N-102 Fang, a new General Electric J79-powered design. Although all were interesting, Lockheed had an insurmountable lead, and was granted a development contract in March 1953.
Work progressed quickly, with a mock-up ready for inspection at the end of April, and work starting on two prototypes late in May. At the time the J79 engine was not ready, so both prototypes were designed to use the Wright J65 engine instead, a licensed version of the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire. The first prototype was completed by early 1954, and started flying in March. The total time from design to flying was about two years, unheard of even then, let alone today when ten to fifteen years is more typical.
Design
In order to achieve the desired performance, Lockheed chose a minimalist approach: a design that would achieve high performance by wrapping the lightest, most aerodynamically efficient airframe possible around a single powerful engine. The emphasis was on minimizing drag and mass.
The wing design was radical. Most jet fighters of the period (and to this day) used a swept wing or delta wing planform. This allowed a reasonable balance between aerodynamic performance, lift, and internal space for fuel and equipment. Lockheed's tests, however, determined that the most efficient shape for high-speed supersonic flight was a very small, straight, mid-mounted, trapezoidal wing. The wing was extremely thin, with a thickness to chord ratio of only 3.36%. Its aspect ratio was 2.45. The wing leading edges were so thin (0.016 in / 0.41 mm) and sharp that they presented a hazard to ground crews. The wings contained no fuel, requiring the tanks and landing gear to be contained in the fuselage.
The stabillator (horizontal tail surface) was mounted atop the fin to reduce inertia coupling. Because the vertical tailfin was only slightly shorter than the length of each wing and nearly as aerodynamically effective, it could act as a wing on rudder application. To offset this effect the wings were canted downward, given 10° anhedral.
The combination provided extremely low drag except at high angle of attack (alpha), at which point induced drag became very high. As a result the Starfighter had superb acceleration, rate of climb, and potential top speed, but its sustained turn performance was very poor, described by some as more like a milk truck than a fighter. It was sensitive to control input, but extremely unforgiving of pilot error.
The small, highly loaded wing resulted in an unacceptably high take-off and landing speed, so a boundary layer control system (BLCS) of blown flaps was incorporated, bleeding engine air over the trailing edge flaps to improve their lift. The system was a boon to safe landings, although it proved to be a maintenance problem in service, and landing without the BLCS could be harrowing.
The Starfighter's fuselage had a high fineness ratio (i.e., tapering sharply towards the nose) and small frontal area. The fuselage was tightly packed, containing the radar, cockpit, cannon, all fuel, landing gear, and engine.
The F-104 was built around the General Electric J79 turbojet engine, fed by side-mounted intakes with fixed inlet scoops and a conical ramp optimized for supersonic speeds. (Unlike some supersonic aircraft, the F-104 does not have variable-geometry inlets.) Its thrust-to-drag ratio was superb, allowing a maximum speed well in excess of Mach 2: the top speed of the Starfighter is limited more by the aluminum structure and the temperature limits of the engine than by thrust or drag (which gives an aerodynamic maximum speed of Mach 2.2).
As with other T-tail designs, early models used a downward-firing ejection seat out of concern over the ability of an upward-firing seat to clear the tailplane. This presented obvious problems in low-altitude escapes. The downward-firing seat was eventually replaced by a more conventional seat capable of clearing the tail, although most still had a minimum speed limitation of 90 knots. Later Starfighters were usually retrofitted with zero/zero ejection seats, which no doubt was comforting to pilots.
The initial USAF Starfighters had basic AN/ASG-14T ranging radar, TACAN, and radio. The later international fighter-bomber aircraft had much more advanced NASARR radar, inertial navigation, and air data computer.
Armament of the F-104 was the M61 Vulcan 20mm Gatling gun. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to carry the new weapon, which had a phenomenal rate of fire of 6,000 rounds per minute. The cannon, mounted in the lower part of the port fuselage, is fed by a 725-round drum behind the pilot's seat. The Vulcan is backed by two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, normally carried on the wingtips (a dual-rail launcher for two more can be carried on the centerline pylon, although that position makes the seeker heads of the missiles vulnerable to ground debris). A centerline pylon and two underwing pylons under each wing can carry bombs, nuclear weapons, rocket pods, or tanks (as can the wingtip attachment points). Early Starfighters had five pylons, F-104C and F-104G models seven; Italian F-104S aircraft had two additional wing pylons and two pylons on the fuselage sides, for a maximum of nine.
In the late 1960s the Italian Air Force developed a more advanced version of the Starfighter, the F-104S, for use as an all-weather interceptor. The F-104S received a NASAAR R21-G with moving-target indicator (for some ability against low-level targets) and a continuous-wave illuminator for semi-active radar homing missiles, including AIM-7 Sparrow and Selenia Aspide. With a total of nine pylons it could carry 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) of stores. The improved avionics forced the deletion of the cannon. In the mid-1980s surviving F-104S aircraft were updated to ASA (Aggiornamento Sistema d'Arm, or Updated Weapons System) standard, with a much improved, more compact Fiat R21G/M1 radar that also provided enough space to restore the cannon.
Several two-seat training version of the Starfighter were produced. They were generally similar to the comparable single-seater, but the additional cockpit required the deletion of the cannon and some internal fuel. Two-seaters are combat capable, and despite a slightly larger vertical fin and increased weight, have similar performance to the single-seater.
The Starfighter is generally considered a rewarding, if very demanding, "sports car" of a fighter. It has a well-deserved reputation for unforgiving behavior, with some users losing nearly half their aircraft through accidents, although the accident rate varied widely depending on the user and operating conditions. The Starfighter has been a favorite of the Italian Air Force.
Production
It was produced in two major versions. Armed with a six-barrel 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon it served as a tactical fighter and, with additional heat-seeking AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, as a day-night interceptor. On May 18, 1958, an F-104A set a world speed record of 1,404.19 mph (2,260 km/h), and on December 14, 1959, an F-104C set a world altitude record of 103,395 ft (31.5 km). The Starfighter was the first aircraft to hold simultaneous official world records for speed, altitude, and time-to-climb.
The USAF procured only 296 Starfighters in one- and two-seat versions. The USAF was less than satisfied with the Starfighter, which was not felt to be adequate to either the interceptor or tactical fighter-bomber role, lacking both payload and endurance compared to other USAF aircraft. Its U.S. service quickly wound down after 1965. The plane appeared more useful to NATO countries, and 2,578 F-104s were built in the U.S. and abroad under the military aid program for various nations, including Canada, West Germany, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Greece, Turkey, Spain, Pakistan, the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Japan.
The so-called "Deal of the Century" produced considerable income for Lockheed, but in the 1970s it was revealed that an extensive campaign of bribery of foreign officials was involved in the sale. In Germany, minister of defence Franz Josef Strauss almost had to resign following bribery allegations in the massive procurement of Starfighters. The controversy was exacerbated by the F-104's alarming accident rate, which led to many crashes and the deaths of more than 115 pilots. This episode also inspired a rock concept album by Robert Calvert of Hawkwind, called "Captain Lockheed and the Starfighters." After Kai-Uwe von Hassel succeeded Strauss as minister of defence, his son Oberleutnant Joachim von Hassel died in a crash with a Starfighter. This event was the topic of the Welle:Erdball song "Starfighter F-104G."
Nicknames
"Zipper", "Missile With A Man In It", "Widowmaker" (German: "Witwenmacher"), "Flying Coffin".
Versions
- XF-104 - Two prototype aircraft equipped with Wright J65 engines (J79 not yet ready), no operational equipment.
- YF-104A - 17 pre-production aircraft used for engine, equipment, and flight testing.
- F-104A - 153 initial production versions. In USAF service from 1958 through 1960, then transferred to ANG till 1969. Some released for export to Jordan, Pakistan, and Taiwan.
- NF-104A - Three demilitarized versions with 6,000 lb (26.7 kN) Rocketdyne LR121/AR-2-NA-1 rocket engines, used for astronaut training at altitudes up to 120,800 ft (36,830 m). (A December 10, 1963 accident involving Chuck Yeager was depicted in the movie The Right Stuff, although the aircraft in the film was not an actual NF-104A.)
- QF-104A - 22 F-104As converted as radio-controlled drones and test aircraft.
- F-104B - 26 dual-control trainer versions of F-104A. No cannon and reduced internal fuel, but otherwise combat-capable. A few were supplied to Pakistan and Taiwan.
- F-104C - 71 Fighter bomber versions for USAF Tactical Air Command, with improved fire-control radar (AN/ASG-14T-2), two extra wing pylons (for a total of seven), and ability to carry one Mk 28 or Mk 43 nuclear weapon on centerline pylon. One squadron (476th Tactical Fighter Squadron) served briefly in Vietnam from 1965 to 1967, escorting F-105 Thunderchief missions. No kills were scored, although the Starfighters were upgraded in service with APR-25/26 radar warning receiver equipment. Nine were lost in combat.
- F-104D - 21 dual-control trainer versions of F-104C.
- F-104DJ - 20 dual-control trainer version of F-104J for Japanese Self-Defense Air Force, built by Lockheed rather than Mitsubishi.
- F-104F - 30 dual-control trainer based on F-104D, but using the upgraded engine of the F-104G. No radar, not combat-capable. 30 produced as interim trainers for the Luftwaffe.
- F-104G 1,122 aircraft in major production version for export as multi-role fighter bomber aircraft. Strengthened fuselage and wings, increased internal fuel capacity, enlarged vertical fin, heavier landing gear, revised flaps for improved combat maneuvering. New Autonetics NASARR F15A-41B radar with air-to-air and air-to-ground modes, Litton LN-3 inertial navigation (the first on a production fighter), infrared sight. Seven pylons for weapons.
- RF-104G 189 tactical reconnaissance models based on F-104G, usually with three KS-67A cameras mounted in the forward fuselage in place of cannon.
- TF-104G 220 combat-capable trainer version of F-104G; no cannon or centerline pylon, reduced internal fuel. One civil version, civil registration number L104L, was used by Jacqueline Cochran to set three womens world speed records in 1964.
- F-104J 178 Japanese version, built under license by Mitsubishi for the air-superiority fighter role, armed with cannon and four Sidewinders; no strike capability.
- F-104N Three F-104Gs delivered to NASA in 1963 for use as high-speed chase aircraft.
- F-104S 246 Italian versions produced mainly by FIAT, upgraded for interception role with NASARR R-21G/H radar with moving-target indicator and continuous-wave illuminator for SARH missiles (AIM-7 Sparrow), two additional fuselage hardpoints, more powerful J79-GE-19 engine, larger vertical fin.
- F-104S-ASA 147 upgraded Italian version with Fiat R21G/M1 radar with frequency hopping, look-down/shoot-down capability, new IFF and weapons delivery computer, provision for AIM-9L all-aspect Sidewinder, Selenia Aspide missiles; miniaturized electronics allowed restoration of gun
- F-104S-ASA/M 49 single seat and 15 two-seat (former TF-104G) upgraded from 1998 to ASA/M (Modificato) standard with GPS , new TACAN and Litton LN-30A2 INS, refurbished airframe, improved cockpit displays; cannon and all strike-related equipment removed. The last Starfighters in combat service, they are slated for retirement in December 2004 to be replaced by Eurofighter Typhoon.
- CF-104 200 Canadian-built versions, built under license by Canadair and optimized for nuclear strike, with NASARR R-24A radar with air-to-air modes and cannon deleted (the cannon was restored after 1972, additional internal fuel cell, and Canadian J79-OEL-7 engines with 10,000 lb /15,800 lb thrust. Some later transferred to Denmark, Norway, and Turkey.
- CF-104D 38 dual-control trainer versions of CF-104D, built by Lockheed, but with Canadian J79-OEL-7 engines. Some later transferred to Denmark, Norway, and Turkey.
External link
- Starfighter details and assessment, by Rodford Edmiston Smith (http://www.dcr.net/~stickmak/JOHT/joht12f-104.htm)
| Related content | |
|---|---|
| Related Development | |
| Similar Aircraft | MiG-21 - Sukhoi Su-15 |
| Designation Series | |
| Related Lists | List of military aircraft of the United States - List of fighter aircraft |
| List of Aircraft | Aircraft Manufacturers | Aircraft Engines | Aircraft Engine Manufacturers Airlines | Air Forces | Aircraft Weapons | Missiles | Timeline of aviation |
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Categories: US fighter aircraft 1950-1959