List Of Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Operators
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The List of Lockheed F-104 Starfighter operators lists the countries and their air force units that operated the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.


Military operators


Belgium

Belgium operated F-104G and TF-104Gs. They served with four squadrons: 23 and 31 (fighter-bombers), 349 and 350 (interceptors), and finally an OCU unit. In total 101 SABCA-built F-104Gs and 12 TF-104G built by Lockheed were purchased (one F-104G crashed before delivery). The Belgian Air Force operated the type from 14 February 1963 to 19 September 1983; some survivors were sent to Taiwan (23 aircraft) and Turkey (18 aircraft). Thirty-eight F-104G and three TF-104Gs were lost in accidents. ;
Belgian Air Force The Belgian Air and Space Component (, ) is the Air force, air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces, and until January 2002 it was officially known as the Belgian Air Force (; ). It was founded in 1909 and is one of the world's oldest air services. ...
* 1 Wing, BAF based at
Beauvechain Beauvechain (; ; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 6,529 inhabitants. The total area is 38.58 km2, giving a population density of 169 inhabitants per ...
** 349th Squadron (Interception) ** 350th Squadron (Interception) * 10 Wing, BAF based at Kleine Brogel ** 23rd Squadron (Fighter/Bomber) ** 31st Squadron (Fighter/Bomber)


Canada

The RCAF, and later the unified
Canadian Forces The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
, operated 200 Canadian-built CF-104s and 38 dual-control trainer CF-104Ds (built by Lockheed) between 1962 and 1986. CF-104s were equipped with additional electronic equipment, with a
Radar warning receiver Radar warning receiver (RWR) systems detect the radio emissions of radar systems. Their primary purpose is to issue a warning when a radar signal that might be a threat is detected, like a fighter aircraft's fire control radar. The warning can ...
function, in the tail and under the nose. Losses were high, with around 110 crashes in Europe. Its heavy usage, mainly at low-level for bombing and reconnaissance missions was a major factor, while bad weather conditions contributed to almost 50% of the accidental losses. The airframes had an average of 6,000 flying hours when phased-out; triple that of Germany's F-104s. Surplus CF-104s and CF-104Ds were later transferred to
Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...
,
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the archipelago of Svalbard also form part of the Kingdom of ...
, and
Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...
. ;
Royal Canadian Air Force The Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF; ) is the air and space force of Canada. Its role is to "provide the Canadian Forces with relevant, responsive and effective airpower". The RCAF is one of three environmental commands within the unified Can ...
* 1 Wing RCAF based at
Marville Marville may refer to: * ''Marville'' (comics), a Marvel Comics series from the early 2000s * Marville, Meuse Marville () is a commune in the Meuse department in Grand Est in north-eastern France. An airbase built by NATO hosted fighter sq ...
/ Lahr, W.Germany ** No. 439 (Sabre-Toothed Tiger) Squadron ** No. 441 (Silver Fox) Squadron * 2 Wing RCAF based at Grostenquin / Baden-Söllingen /
Lahr Lahr (officially Lahr/Schwarzwald since 30 September 1978) (); ) is a city in western Baden-Württemberg, Germany, approximately 50 km north of Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, 40 km southeast of Strasbourg, and 95 km southwest of Ka ...
** No. 421 (Red Indian) Squadron ** No. 430 (Silver Falcon) Squadron * 3 Wing RCAF based at Grostenquin / Baden-Söllingen /
Zweibrücken Zweibrücken (; ; , ; literally translated as "Two Bridges") is a town in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, on the Schwarzbach (Blies), Schwarzbach River. Name The name ''Zweibrücken'' means 'two bridges'; older forms of the name include Middl ...
** No. 427 (Lion) Squadron ** No. 434 (Bluenose) Squadron * 4 Wing RCAF based at Baden-Söllingen ** No. 422 (Tomahawk) Squadron ** No. 444 (Cobra) Squadron * Central Experimental and Proving Establishment/Aerospace Engineering and Test Establishment * 6 Strike-Recce OTU *
No. 417 Operational Training Squadron RCAF 417 Combat Support Squadron () is an Royal Canadian Air Force, Air Force unit with the Canadian Forces. Based at CFB Cold Lake it provides helicopter support to the base operations. Since 1994, it has also provided search and rescue. History 4 ...


Denmark

Denmark initially received 25 F-104G and four TF-104Gs under the
Mutual Defense Assistance Act The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on October 6, 1949. For U.S. foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to ...
during 1964–65. Surplus Canadian license-built aircraft were transferred between 1971–73 (15 CF-104 and 7 CF-104D). A total of 51 Starfighters were operated by Denmark before their retirement in 1986. Fifteen surplus F-104Gs and three TF-104Gs were transferred to Taiwan in 1987.Schrøder, Hans (1991). "Royal Danish Airforce". Ed. Kay S. Nielsen. Tøjhusmuseet, 1991, p. 1–64. . ;
Royal Danish Air Force The Royal Danish Air Force () (RDAF) is the aerial warfare force of the Kingdom of Denmark and one of the four branches of the Danish Armed Forces. Initially being components of the Army and the Navy, it was made a separate service in 1950. I ...
used the F-104s as interceptors. *''
Eskadrille 723 The Danish Navy Air Squadron (), was the aerial component of the Danish navy, from 1977 to December 31, 2010. Operationally it was directly under command of the Danish Naval Command, but maintenance of the eight Westland Lynx helicopters and tra ...
'' based at
Aalborg Air Base Aalborg Air Base () also Air Transport Wing Aalborg is a military air base for the Royal Danish Air Force . It is located at Vadum, near Aalborg, Denmark. Aalborg Air Base shares its runway system as well as some services, including air traffi ...
**Converted from
F-86D Sabre The North American F-86D/K/L Sabre (initially known as the YF-95 and widely known informally as the "Sabre Dog") is an American transonic jet interceptor. Developed for the United States Air Force in the late 1940s, it was an interceptor deriva ...
in 1965 and switched to
F-16A/B The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superio ...
in 1984. *'' Eskadrille 726'' based at Aalborg Air Base **Converted from F-86D Sabre in 1964 and switched to F-16A/B in 1986.


West Germany

West Germany received 916 F-104s, comprising 749 F/RF-104Gs, 137 TF-104Gs and 30 F-104Fs, forming the major combat equipment of both the
German Air Force The German Air Force (, ) is the aerial warfare branch of the , the armed forces of Germany. The German Air Force (as part of the ) was founded in 1956 during the era of the Cold War as the aerial warfare branch of the armed forces of West Ger ...
and ''
Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...
''. At its peak in the mid-1970s, the ''Luftwaffe'' operated five F-104 -equipped fighter bomber wings, two interceptor wings and two tactical reconnaissance wings. The ''Marineflieger'' operated a further two wings of F-104s in the maritime strike and reconnaissance roles. The Starfighter entered service with the ''Luftwaffe'' in July 1960, with deliveries continuing until March 1973,Fricker and Jackson 1996. p. 72 remaining in operational service until 16 October 1987, and continuing in use for test purposes until 22 May 1991. The two squadrons operating the RF-104G were re-equipped with RF-4E Phantoms in the early 1970s. The ''Marineflieger'' initially used AS.30 command guidance missiles as anti-ship weapons, but these were replaced with the more sophisticated and longer-ranged radar-guided
AS.34 Kormoran The AS.34 Kormoran (cormorant) is a German-produced anti-ship missile. The Kormoran uses an inertial guidance system for the midcourse phase, switching to active radar homing during the terminal attack phase. It carries a 165 kg (363  ...
missile, allowing stand-off attacks to be carried out against enemy ships.Fricker and Jackson 1996. p. 56 West German Starfighters proved to have an alarming accident rate, 292 of 916 Starfighters crashed, claiming the lives of 115 pilots. ;''
Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
'' * Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" based at
Ingolstadt Ingolstadt (; Austro-Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian: ) is an Independent city#Germany, independent city on the Danube, in Upper Bavaria, with 142,308 inhabitants (as of 31 December 2023). Around half a million people live in the metropolitan ...
/
Manching Manching () is a municipality in the district of Pfaffenhofen, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated on the river Paar, 7 km southeast of Ingolstadt. In the late Iron Age, there was a Celtic settlement, the Oppidum of Manching, on the locati ...
and previously Bremgarten. (Reconnaissance) * Aufklärungsgeschwader 52 based at
Leck, Nordfriesland Leck (; ''Mooring'' North Frisian: ''Leek'') is a municipality in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 30 km north of Husum, and 30 km west of Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish lan ...
(Reconnaissance) * Jagdbombergeschwader 31 "Boelcke" based at
Nörvenich Nörvenich is a municipality in the district of Düren in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located about east of Düren Düren (; Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: Düre) is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, between ...
(Fighter/Bomber) *
Jagdbombergeschwader 32 ''Jagdbombergeschwader 32'' (Fighter-Bomber Wing 32; abbreviated as: ''JaBoG 32'') was a fighter-bomber wing of the German Air Force (''Luftwaffe''). The wing was based in the south of Germany at Lechfeld Airbase and flew Tornado IDS and Tornado ...
based at
Lechfeld The Battle of Lechfeld also known as the Second Battle of Lechfeld was a series of military engagements over the course of three days from 10–12 August 955 in which the Kingdom of Germany, led by King Otto I the Great, annihilated the Hungari ...
(Fighter/Bomber) *
Jagdbombergeschwader 33 ''Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33'' (Tactical Air Force Wing 33; abbreviated as: ''TaktLwG 33''), formerly known as ''Jagdbombergeschwader 33'' (Fighter-Bomber Wing 33; abbreviated as: ''JaBoG 33'') is a fighter-bomber wing of the German Air Fo ...
based at Büchel (Fighter/Bomber) *
Jagdbombergeschwader 34 ''Jagdbombergeschwader 34'' "Allgäu" (Fighter-Bomber Wing 34; abbreviated as ''JaboG 34'') was a fighter-bomber wing of the German Air Force (''Luftwaffe''). The wing was based at Memmingen Air Base until its deactivation in 2003. The wing las ...
based at
Memmingen Memmingen (; Swabian German, Swabian: ''Memmenge'') is a town in Swabia (Bavaria), Swabia, Bavaria, Germany. It is the economic, educational and administrative centre of the Danube-Iller region. To the west the town is flanked by the Iller, the ...
(Fighter/Bomber) * Jagdbombergeschwader 36 based at Rheine-Hopsten (Fighter/Bomber) * Jagdgeschwader 71 "Richthofen" based at Wittmundhafen (Interception) *
Jagdgeschwader 74 Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 74 (74th Tactical Air Force Wing), formerly known as Jagdgeschwader 74 (JG 74) (74th Fighter Wing), is an aviation unit of the German Air Force, based on Neuburg Air Base in Bavaria since 1961. On 1 October 2013, t ...
based at Neuburg (Interception) ;''
Marineflieger The ''Marinefliegerkommando'' (Naval Aviation Command) is the Naval aviation, naval air arm of the German Navy. It is aircraft flown by the Navy of Germany, and mostly consists of helicopters and fixed-wing maritime patrol aircraft, as well as ty ...
'' * Marinefliegergeschwader 1 based at Schleswig-Jagel (Anti-Shipping & Reconnaissance) * Marinefliegergeschwader 2 based at
Eggebek Eggebek () is a municipality in the district of Schleswig-Flensburg, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated approximately 17 km northwest of Schleswig, and 18 km south of Flensburg Flensburg (; Danish language, Danish and ; ...
(Anti-Shipping & Reconnaissance)


Greece

Greece received 45 new-built F-104G and six TF-104s under the Military Assistance Program. These were supplemented by second-hand Starfighters passed on from other NATO air forces, including 79 from Germany, seven from the Netherlands and nine from Spain. The Starfighter entered Greek service in April 1964, equipping two wings, leaving service in March 1993.Fricker and Jackson 1996, p. 93 ;
Greek Air Force The Hellenic Air Force (HAF; , sometimes abbreviated as ΠΑ) is the air force of Greece (''Hellenic'' being the endonym for ''Greek'' in the Greek language). It is considered to be one of the largest air forces in NATO, and is globally placed 1 ...
* 335 Moira "Tigris" based at
Tanagra Tanagra () is a town and a municipality north of Athens in Boeotia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Schimatari. It is not far from Thebes, and it was noted in antiquity for the figurines named after it. The Tanagra figurines we ...
/
Araxos Araxos (, ) is a village and community in the municipal unit of Larissos, within the municipality of West Achaea, in the northwestern part of Achaea, Greece. It is located about 29 km southwest of Patras. The community consists of the villages ...
* 336 Moira "Olympos" based at
Tanagra Tanagra () is a town and a municipality north of Athens in Boeotia, Greece. The seat of the municipality is the town Schimatari. It is not far from Thebes, and it was noted in antiquity for the figurines named after it. The Tanagra figurines we ...
/
Araxos Araxos (, ) is a village and community in the municipal unit of Larissos, within the municipality of West Achaea, in the northwestern part of Achaea, Greece. It is located about 29 km southwest of Patras. The community consists of the villages ...


Italy

In the Italian Air Force, the F-104 was a mainstay from the early 1960s until the end of the 20th century. The first flight for an Italian F-104G was a Lockheed-built aircraft, ''MM6501'', on 9 June 1962; however, the first Fiat/Aeritalia-built example flew two years later on 5 October 1962. Italy initially received a total of 105 F-104G, 24 TF-104G and 20 RF-104Gs, becoming operational in March 1963. This fleet was later increased by the addition of 205 built under license by Aeritalia F-104S aircraft and six ex-Luftwaffe TF-104Gs bringing the total number of aircraft operated to 360. In 1986 the AMI was the largest operator with eleven units flying the Starfighter operationally. Up to 1997, Italy lost 137 (38%) of its F-104s in 928,000 flying hours (14.7 aircraft every 100,000 hrs). The F-104 was officially retired from AMI service during a large ceremony at Pratica di Mare in 2004. ;''
Aeronautica Militare Italiana The Italian Air Force (; AM, ) is the air force of the Italian Republic. The Italian Air Force was founded as an independent service arm on 28 March 1923 by King Victor Emmanuel III as the ("Royal Air Force"). After World War II, when Italy be ...
'' *
3° Stormo threedegrees or 3° (frequently referred to as Three Degrees) was a communication and Peer-to-peer, P2P application produced by Microsoft. It allowed the user to sign in using a Windows Live ID, .NET Passport and integrated into MSN Messenger. ...
based at Villafranca ** 28° Gruppo (Reconnaissance) ** 132° Gruppo (Reconnaissance) *
4° Stormo 4° may refer to: *4°, or Quarto a book or pamphlet produced from full 'blanksheets', each of which is printed with eight pages of text, four to a side *4°, a reference to a 4-degrees Celsius increase in the global average temperature due to clim ...
based at
Grosseto Grosseto () is a city and a ''comune'' in the central Italian region of Tuscany, the capital of the province of Grosseto and the main city of the Maremma region. The city lies from the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the centre of an alluvial plain on the ...
**
9° Gruppo 9 North, or Nine North, is a region of hydrothermal vents on the East Pacific Rise in the Pacific Ocean, 900 kilometers off the coast of Acapulco, Mexico; it has been so named by scientists because its latitude is 9°50' N. It was first s ...
(Interception) **
20° Gruppo The degree symbol or degree sign, , is a glyph or symbol that is used, among other things, to represent Degree (angle), degrees of arc (e.g. in geographic coordinate systems), hours (in the medical field), degree (temperature), degrees of temper ...
(Operational Conversion) * 5° Stormo based at
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
**
23° Gruppo threedegrees or 3° (frequently referred to as Three Degrees) was a communication and P2P application produced by Microsoft. It allowed the user to sign in using a .NET Passport and integrated into MSN Messenger. It sorted buddies into groups ...
(Interception) **
102° Gruppo 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
(Fighter/Bomber) *
6° Stormo ''Six Degrees'' (or ''6˚'', stylized as ') is an American drama television series about six residents of New York City and their respective relationships and connections with one another, based on the idea of six degrees of separation. It pre ...
based at
Ghedi Ghedi (Brescian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy, Italy. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree on November 24, 2001. Ghedi is known for a base of the Italian Air Force, Ghedi Air Base ...
** 154° Gruppo (Fighter/Bomber) ** 155° Gruppo (Fighter/Bomber) * 9° Stormo based at
Grazzanise Grazzanise is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Caserta in the Italian region Campania, located about northwest of Naples and about west of Caserta. History In ancient Roman times, it was an area covered by marshes caused by the nea ...
** 10° Gruppo (Interception) * 36° Stormo based at
Gioia del Colle Gioia del Colle (; Bari dialect, Barese: ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Bari, Apulia, southern Italy. The town is located on the Altopiano delle Murge, Murge plateau at above sea level, between the Adriatic and Ionian Sea, ...
**
12° Gruppo 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...
(Interception) ** 156° Gruppo (Fighter/Bomber) * 37° Stormo based at
Trapani Trapani ( ; ; ) is a city and municipality (''comune'') with 54,887 inhabitants, on the west coast of Sicily, in Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Trapani. Founded by Elymians, the city is still an important fishing port and the mai ...
** 18° Gruppo (Interception & Fighter/Bomber) * 51° Stormo based at
Treviso Treviso ( ; ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the Veneto region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 87.322 inhabitants (as of December 2024). Some 3,000 live within the Venetian wall ...
/
Istrana Istrana is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italy, Italian region Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about west of Treviso. As of 31 December 2022, it had a population of 9,141 and an area of .All demograph ...
**
22° Gruppo The degree symbol or degree sign, , is a glyph or symbol that is used, among other things, to represent degrees of arc (e.g. in geographic coordinate systems), hours (in the medical field), degrees of temperature or alcohol proof. The symbol c ...
(Interception) * 53° Stormo based at
Cameri Cameri is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Novara. Cameri borders the following municipalities: Bellinzago Novarese, Caltignaga ...
/
Novara Novara (; Novarese Lombard, Novarese: ) is the capital city of the province of Novara in the Piedmont (Italy), Piedmont region in northwest Italy, to the west of Milan. With 101,916 inhabitants (on 1 January 2021), it is the second most populous ...
**
21° Gruppo ''Spinning Top'' is the ninth extended play by the South Korean boy band Got7. It was released by JYP Entertainment and Dreamus on May 20, 2019,. It peaked at No. 1 on the Gaon Album chart, and No. 5 on the US World Albums chart. It sold 314,948 ...
(Interception)


Japan

The JASDF operated 210 F-104J air-superiority fighters and 20 dual-control trainer F-104DJs. Called ''Eiko'' ("Glory"), they served from October 1962 to 1986, losing only 3 airplanes in this time including a mid-air collision accident. Seven air-superiority squadrons used them: 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, 206, 207. Japanese F-104s faced intrusive Soviet airplanes during this long service. Twenty twoF-104
Retrieved 30 September 2017
of the Japanese F-104s were eventually converted to drones for aerial target practice. 31 F-104J and five F-104DJ aircraft were sold to Taiwan. ;
Japan Air Self-Defense Force The , , also referred to as the Japanese Air Force, is the Aerial warfare, air and space warfare, space branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, responsible for the defense of Japanese airspace, other air and space operations, cyberwarfare and ...
* 2nd Kokudan based at
Chitose Air Base , is a Japan Air Self-Defense Force base located in Chitose, Hokkaidō, adjacent to New Chitose Airport. It is the JASDF's primary base in northern Japan and tasked with monitoring Japan's maritime borders with Russia. It was also Hokkaidō's ...
(201st) and
Komatsu Air Base is an international airport located west southwest of Komatsu Station in the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa, Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest airport in the Hokuriku region and serves the southern portion of Ishikawa Prefectur ...
(203rd) ** 201st Tactical Fighter Squadron ** 203rd Tactical Fighter Squadron * 5th Kokudan based at
Nyutabaru Air Base 270px, Nyutabaru Air Base is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF). It is located in the town of Shintomi, approximately north of the city Miyazaki in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan, on the eastern coast of Kyushu. It i ...
(202nd) and
Tsuiki Air Base file:JASDF 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron 60th Anniversary "Elephant Walk".jpg, 260px, JASDF 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron Mitsubishi F-2 at Tsuiki is a military aerodrome of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force . It is located in on the northeast coa ...
(204th) ** 202nd Tactical Fighter Squadron **
204th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 204th Tactical Fighter Squadron () is a squadron of the 9th Air Wing of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force. It is based at Naha Air Base, in Okinawa Prefecture, Japan. It is equipped with Mitsubishi F-15J/DJ and Kawasaki T-4 aircraft.Thompson, ...
*
6th Kokudan Sixth is the ordinal form of the number six. * The Sixth Amendment, to the U.S. Constitution * A keg of beer, equal to 5 U.S. gallons or barrel * The fraction Music * Sixth interval (music)s: ** major sixth, a musical interval ** minor sixth ...
based at
Komatsu Air Base is an international airport located west southwest of Komatsu Station in the city of Komatsu, Ishikawa, Komatsu, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. It is the largest airport in the Hokuriku region and serves the southern portion of Ishikawa Prefectur ...
** 205th Tactical Fighter Squadron * 7th Air Wing based at
Hyakuri Air Base is an airport in the city of Omitama, Ibaraki, Omitama, Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. It also serves as an air base for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) under the name Hyakuri Air Base, and is the closest fighter base to Tokyo. The airpo ...
, part at
Naha Air Base , formally known as the , is an air base of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force formerly under control of the United States Air Force. It is located at Naha Airport on the Oroku Peninsula in Naha, Okinawa, Japan. History Imperial Period Naha Air ...
** 206th Tactical Fighter Squadron ** 207th Tactical Fighter Squadron


Jordan

Jordan received 29 F-104A and four F-104B aircraft delivered under the Military Assistance Program in 1967. Controlled by the United States these aircraft were moved temporarily to Turkey during the Arab–Israeli
Six-Day War The Six-Day War, also known as the June War, 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states, primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan from 5 to 10June ...
. Replaced by the
Northrop F-5 The Northrop F-5 is a family of supersonic light fighter aircraft initially designed as a privately funded project in the late 1950s by Northrop Corporation. There are two main models: the original F-5A and F-5B Freedom Fighter variants, and th ...
and
Dassault Mirage F1 The Dassault Mirage F1 is a French fighter and attack aircraft designed and manufactured by Dassault Aviation. It was developed as a successor to the Mirage III family. During the 1960s, Dassault commenced development of what would become t ...
by 1983, the survivors serve as airfield decoys. ;
Royal Jordanian Air Force The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF; Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, ''Silāḥ al-Jaww al-Malakī al-ʾUrdunī'') is the aerial warfare branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. Founded in 1955, the RJAF serves as the primary ...
*
No. 9 Squadron RJAF The Royal Jordanian Air Force (RJAF; Arabic: سلاح الجو الملكي الأردني, ''Silāḥ al-Jaww al-Malakī al-ʾUrdunī'') is the aerial warfare branch of the Jordanian Armed Forces. Founded in 1955, the RJAF serves as the primary ...
based at
Prince Hassan Air Base Prince Hassan Air Base (; ; formerly H-5) is a Royal Jordanian Air Force base, located near the town of Safawi, Mafraq Governorate, Jordan, east-northeast of the country's capital Amman. History The airfield was established as a landing st ...
, ceased flying F-104 in 1977. *
No. 25 Squadron RJAF The numero sign or numero symbol, (also represented as Nº, No̱, No., or no.), is a typographic abbreviation of the word ''number''(''s'') indicating ordinal numeration, especially in names and titles. For example, using the numero sign, the ...
based at Mwaffaq Salti


Netherlands

The Netherlands operated European-built F-104s with the exception of the TF-104G. These were delivered directly from Palmdale to the KLu. A total of 138 Starfighters were delivered to the Koninklijke Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force, or KLu). Many Dutch aircraft were transferred to Turkey. ;
Royal Netherlands Air Force The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF; , "Royal Air Force") is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the ''Luchtvaartafdeling'' () of the Dutch Army, which was founded ...
*
Volkel air base Volkel Air Base () is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) - Dutch: ''Koninklijke Luchtmacht (KLu)'', located near the village of Volkel, Netherlands. Located in the north-east corner of the province of North Braban ...
**
306 Squadron RNLAF 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
(Reconnaissance) **
311 Squadron RNLAF 311 may refer to: * 311 (number), a natural number * AD 311, a year of the Julian calendar, in the fourth century AD * 311 BC, a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar * 311 (band), an American band ** ''311'' (album), band 311's self-titled album ...
(Fighter/Bomber) **
312 Squadron RNLAF 31 may refer to: * 31 (number) Years * 31 BC * AD 31 * 1931 * 2031 Music * ''Thirty One'' (Jana Kramer album), 2015 * ''Thirty One'' (Jarryd James album), 2015 * "Thirty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Wild, Wonderful Purgatory ...
(Fighter/Bomber) *
Leeuwarden air base Leeuwarden Air Base () is a military airbase used by the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) - (''KLu''), . The airbase was formerly one of the two F-16 Fighting Falcon bases of the RNLAF. The airbase lies northwest of the capital of Friesla ...
** 322 Squadron RNLAF (Interception) **
323 Squadron RNLAF 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious and cultural significance in many societies ...
(Interception) *
Training and Conversion Unit A, RNLAF Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. It ...
* Conversie Afdeling Volkel


Norway

Norway received 18 surplus CF-104s and four CF-104Ds from
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
in 1974, the country had initially received 19 Canadair built F-104Gs and four TF-104Gs in 1963 under the Military Assistance Program. The F-104 was phased out of Norwegian service in winter 1982. ;
Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...
* 331 Squadron based at Bodø * 334 Squadron based at Bodø


Pakistan

Pakistan was the first
Major non-NATO Ally A major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the Federal government of the United States, United States government to countries that have strategic working relationships with the United States Armed Forces while not being members of t ...
to be equipped with the F-104, a total of 12 F-104A and 2 F-104B were delivered; nine F-104A (tail numbers 56-803, 56-804, 56-805, 56-807, 56-868, 56-874, 56-875, 56-877, 56-879) and two F-104B (tail numbers 57-1309, 57-1312) on 5 August 1961, although some sources say the first two were landed at Sargodha Airbase (now
Mushaf Airbase Pakistan Air Force Base Mushaf or more simply PAF Base Mushaf (formerly PAF Station Sargodha and PAF Base Sargodha), ) is a Pakistan Air Force airbase situated at Sargodha in Punjab, Pakistan. It is designated as a "Major Operational Base" (MOB ...
) by Sqn Ldr Sadruddin and Flt Lt Middlecoat in 1962. One more F-104A was delivered on 8 June 1964 (tail number 56-773) and another on 1 March 1965 (tail number 56-798) as replacements for the lost starfighters in accidents. Pakistani starfighters were ex-USAF
Air Defence Command Air Defence Command was a command of the Royal Canadian Air Force and later the Canadian Armed Forces, active from 1951 to 1975. Originally, post-war plans called for air defence to be the responsibility of reserve, auxiliary squadrons only. Vamp ...
aircraft retro-fitted with the more powerful General Electric J-79-11A engines and, at the PAF's request, the 20 mm Vulcan gatling gun was re-installed after removal by the USAF. These F-104s had unusually high thrust to weight ratios due to the older but lighter airframe and more modern engines. The F-104 was in service for 12 years with 11,690 flight hours, 246 hours 45 minutes of these in the 1965 Indo-Pakistan War and 103 hours 45 minutes in the 1971 Indo-Pakistan War, after which five F-104 remained and were grounded by lack of spares due to post war U.S. sanctions. The type was phased out in late 1972. ;
Pakistan Air Force The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
*
Central Air Command Central Air Command may refer to: * Central Air Command (India), one of five operational commands of the Indian Air Force * Central Air Command (Pakistan), one of five operational commands of the Pakistan Air Force *Central Air Command (Sweden), on ...
**No. 38 Multi-Role Wing based at Sargodha AFB *** No. 9 Squadron "Griffins"


Spain

The Spanish Air Force received their F-104s under the Military Assistance Program: 18 Canadair-built F-104Gs and three Lockheed-built TF-104Gs were delivered under MAP to Spain's Ejército del Aire in 1965. These aircraft were transferred to Greece and Turkey when they were replaced by
F-4 Phantom The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowers ...
s in 1972. It is notable that no aircraft were lost through accidents during 17,000 hours of operational use in Spain although the aircraft was used only in its intended role of an interceptor and mainly in very good flying weather. ;''
Ejército del Aire The Spanish Air and Space Force () is the Aerial warfare, aerial and space warfare branch of the Spanish Armed Forces. History Early stages Hot air balloons have been used with military purposes in Spain as far back as 1896. In 1905, with th ...
'' * Ala 6 based at Torrejon (later redesignated
Ala 16 Ala, ALA, Alaa, or Alae may refer to: Codes * Åland Islands, ISO 3166-1 alpha-3 code * Åland, ISO 3166-1 country code * Former NYSE stock symbol of Alcatel; see Alcatel-Lucent * Almaty International Airport, IATA code Military * , a US Navy ...
) **
61 Escuadron 61 may refer to: * 61 (number) * one of the years 61 BC, AD 61, 1961, 2061 * In some countries, a slang name for the Cyrillic letter Ы * '' 61*'', a 2001 American sports drama film * "Sixty One", a song by Karma to Burn from the album ''Mountain ...
(later redesignated 161 Escuadron and 104 Escuadron)


Taiwan (Republic of China)

ROC operated a total of 282 aircraft funded by the
Military Assistance Program The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on October 6, 1949. For U.S. foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to ...
(MAP); a mixture of new-build and surplus F-104A, -B, -D, -G, -J, -DJ, RF-104G, and TF-104G were used. The Starfighter was phased out of Taiwanese service by 1997. ;
Republic of China Air Force The Republic of China Air Force ( Chinese, 中華民國空軍), or the ROCAF; known colloquially as the Taiwanese Air Force ( Chinese, 臺灣空軍) by Western or mainland Chinese media, or commonly referred as the National Military Air Force ...
*
427th Tactical Fighter Wing, ROCAF 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
based Ching Chuang Kang AB ** 7th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF **
8th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...
**
28th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF Eighth is ordinal form of the number eight. Eighth may refer to: * One eighth, , a fraction, one of eight equal parts of a whole * Eighth note (quaver), a musical note played for half the value of a quarter note (crotchet) * Octave, an interval b ...
**
35th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF Military units *35th Fighter Wing, an air combat unit of the United States Air Force *35th Infantry Division (United States), a formation of the National Guard since World War I *35th Infantry Regiment (United States), a regiment created on 1 July 1 ...
* based at Hsinchu AB ** 41st Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF **
42nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
** 48th Tactical Fighter Squadron, ROCAF *
401st Tactical Combined Wing, ROCAF 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
based at Taoyuan AB **
12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and glyph. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses in other fields, ranging from science to sp ...


Turkey

Turkey received 48 new-build F-104Gs and six TF-104Gs from Lockheed and Canadair production, funded under the Military Assistance Program, which were delivered from 1963, and directly purchased 40 new F-104S interceptors from Fiat in 1974–75.Fricker and Jackson 1996, p.98 In addition, like Greece, Turkey received large numbers of surplus Starfighters from several NATO nations in the 1970s and 1980s, including 170 ex-German aircraft, 53 aircraft from the Netherlands and 52 from Canada. In total, Turkey received over 400 Starfighters from various sources, although many of these aircraft were broken up for spares without having been flown. The F-104 was finally retired from Turkish service in 1995.Fricker and Jackson 1996, p.99 ;
Turkish Air Force The Turkish Air Force () is the Air force, air and space force of the Turkish Armed Forces. It traces its origins to 1 June 1911 when it was founded as the Ottoman Aviation Squadrons, Aviation Squadrons by the Ottoman Empire. It was composed ...
*
4 Ana Jet Us 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the Hi ...
based at
Akıncı Air Base Akinci or Akıncı may refer to: People * Bülent Akinci, Turkish-German director and script writer * Halil Akıncı, Turkish diplomat * Mustafa Akıncı, Northern Cyprus president Other uses * Akinji, irregular light cavalry of the Ottoman Empi ...
** 141 Filo ** 142 Filo **
Öncel Filo Öncel is a Turkish given name and surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Fuat Necati Öncel (born 1940), Turkish lawyer and politician * Nazan Öncel (born 1956), Turkish singer-songwriter * Rıdvan Öncel Rıdvan Öncel (born Feb ...
* 6 Ana Jet Us based at Bandirma **
161 Filo Year 161 ( CLXI) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Caesar and Aurelius (or, less frequently, year 914 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 161 for this ye ...
**
162 Filo Sixteen or 16 may refer to: *16 (number) *one of the years 16 BC, AD 16, 1916, 2016 Films * ''Pathinaaru'' or ''Sixteen'', a 2010 Tamil film * ''Sixteen'' (1943 film), a 1943 Argentine film directed by Carlos Hugo Christensen * ''Sixteen'' (20 ...
* 8 Ana Jet Us based at Diyarbakir **
181 Filo Year 181 ( CLXXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Aurelius and Burrus (or, less frequently, year 934 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 181 for this ye ...
**
182 Filo Eighteen or 18 may refer to: * 18 (number) * One of the years 18 BC, AD 18, 1918, 2018 Film, television and entertainment * ''18'' (film), a 1993 Taiwanese experimental film based on the short story ''God's Dice'' * ''Eighteen'' (film), a 20 ...
*
9 Ana Jet Us 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Hindu–Arabic digit Circa 300 BC, as part of the Brahmi numerals, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bot ...
based at Balikesir ** 191 Filo ** 192 Filo **
193 Filo Year 193 (Roman numerals, CXCIII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sosius and Ericius (or, less frequently, year 946 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination ...


United States

;
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
;
Air Force Systems Command The Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) is an inactive United States Air Force Major Command. It was established in April 1951, being split off from Air Materiel Command. The mission of AFSC was Research and Development for new weapons systems. AFS ...
* U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) based at
Edwards AFB Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) is a United States Air Force installation in California. Most of the base sits in Kern County, but its eastern end is in San Bernardino County and a southern arm is in Los Angeles County. The hub of the base is Edwa ...
, California ;
Tactical Air Command Tactical Air Command (TAC) is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a List of Major Commands of the United States Air Force, Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 and headquartered at Lang ...
*
479th Tactical Fighter Wing 479th may refer to: *479th Antisubmarine Group, inactive United States Air Force unit * 479th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit * 479th Field Artillery Brigade (United States), field artillery brigade of the United States ...
based at
George AFB George Air Force Base was a United States Air Force base located within the city limits, 8 miles northwest, of central Victorville, California, about 75 miles northeast of Los Angeles, California. Established by the United States Army Air Co ...
, California **
434th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 434th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 47th Flying Training Wing based at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas. It operates Beechcraft T-6 Texan II aircraft conducting flight training. History World War II The squadron was activated ...
** 435th Tactical Fighter Squadron **
436th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 436th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last was assigned to the 479th Fighter Group, stationed at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. It was inactivated on 2 August 1991. History World War II Act ...
** 476th Tactical Fighter Squadron ;
Air Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command (military formation), command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air De ...
/
Aerospace Defense Command Aerospace Defense Command was a major command of the United States Air Force, responsible for air defense of the continental United States. It was activated in 1968 and disbanded in 1980. Its predecessor, Air Defense Command, was establishe ...
* 56th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at
Wright-Patterson AFB Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
, Ohio * 83d Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at
Hamilton AFB Hamilton Field (Hamilton AFB) was a United States Air Force base, which was inactivated in 1973, decommissioned in 1974, and put into a caretaker status with the Air Force Reserve Command, Air Force Reserve until 1976. It was transferred to the ...
, California * 337th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at
Westover AFB Westover Air Reserve Base is an Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) installation located in the Massachusetts communities of Chicopee and Ludlow, near the city of Springfield, Massachusetts. Established at the outset of World War II, today Westo ...
, Massachusetts *
538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 538th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is a discontinued unit of the United States Air Force. It was last assigned to the Spokane Air Defense Sector at Larson Air Force Base, Washington, in mid-1960. The squadron (aviation), squadron was first a ...
based at
Larson AFB Larson Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located five miles (8 km) northwest of the central business district (CBD) of Moses Lake, in Grant County, Washington. After its closure in 1966, the airport facility became ...
, Washington * 319th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron based at
Homestead AFB Homestead Air Reserve Base (Homestead ARB), previously known as Homestead Air Force Base (Homestead AFB) is located in Miami–Dade County, Florida, to the northeast of the city of Homestead. It is home to the 482nd Fighter Wing (482 FW) o ...
, Florida *
331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron The 331st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with Air Defense Command at Webb Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 1 March 1967. During World War II the squadron (avia ...
based at
Webb AFB Webb Air Force Base , previously named Big Spring Air Force Base, was a United States Air Force facility of the Air Training Command that operated from 1951 to 1977 in West Texas within the current city limits of Big Spring. Webb AFB was a maj ...
, Texas ;
Air National Guard The Air National Guard (ANG), also known as the Air Guard, is a Reserve components of the United States Armed Forces, federal military reserve force of the United States Air Force, as well as the air militia (United States), militia of each U.S. ...
* 161st Fighter Interceptor Group,
Arizona Air National Guard The Arizona Air National Guard (AZ ANG) is the aerial militia of the Arizona, state of Arizona, United States, United States of America. It is, along with the Arizona Army National Guard, an element of the Arizona National Guard. As state militia ...
based at Goldwater ANGB/
Sky Harbor International Airport Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is a civil-military public international airport east of downtown Phoenix, in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. It is Arizona's largest and busiest airport; among the largest commercial airports ...
, Arizona ** 197th Fighter Interceptor Squadron * 156th Fighter Group,
Puerto Rico Air National Guard The Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PR ANG) —— is the aerial militia of the Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an Territories of the United States#Unincorporated organized territories, unincorporated territory of the United States of ...
based at
Muñiz Air National Guard Base Muñiz Air National Guard Base is the home base for the Puerto Rico Air National Guard. This installation is located within the grounds of Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in Carolina, Puerto Rico 14 km (9 miles) east of San Juan, Pue ...
, Puerto Rico **
198th Tactical Fighter Squadron The 198th Airlift Squadron (198 AS) was the last flying squadron of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard (PRANG) 156th Airlift Wing located at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, in Carolina, Puerto Rico. The 198th last assigned aircraft was the WC-1 ...
* 169th Fighter Interceptor Group,
South Carolina Air National Guard The South Carolina Air National Guard (SC ANG) is the aerial militia of the State of South Carolina, United States of America. It is a reserve of the United States Air Force and along with the South Carolina Army National Guard an element of t ...
based at McEntire ANGS, South Carolina ** 157th Fighter Interceptor Squadron * 134th Fighter Interceptor Group,
Tennessee Air National Guard The Tennessee Air National Guard (TN ANG) is the aerial militia of the Tennessee, State of Tennessee, United States, United States of America. It is, along with the Tennessee Army National Guard an element of the Tennessee National Guard of the la ...
based at
McGhee Tyson ANGB McGhee Tyson Air National Guard Base is a joint military facility located at McGhee Tyson Airport. It is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of the central business district of Knoxville, near Alcoa, Tennessee. It was the site o ...
, Tennessee ** 151st Fighter Interceptor Squadron


Civil operators


United States

;
NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...
Eleven F-104s (different versions) were operated by NASA between 1956 and 1994. Aircraft were used in support of the
X-15 The North American X-15 is a Hypersonic speed, hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft which was operated by the United States Air Force and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the List of X-planes, X-plane series of ...
and
XB-70 The North American Aviation XB-70 Valkyrie is a retired prototype version of the planned nuclear-armed, deep-penetration supersonic strategic bomber for the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command. Designed in the late 1950s by North A ...
flight testing and were also used for
astronaut An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a List of human spaceflight programs, human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member of a spa ...
training during various spaceflight programs. NASA F-104 aircraft were used to gather flight research data including aircraft handling characteristics, such as
roll inertia coupling In aeronautics, inertia coupling, also referred to as inertial coupling and inertial roll coupling, is a potentially catastrophic phenomenon of high-speed flight in a long, thin aircraft, in which an intentional rotation of the aircraft about one ...
, and reaction control systems as used in the NF-104A and X-15.
Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...
thermal protection tiles were tested in flights aboard a Starfighter on a rig which simulated flight through rain. NASA's Starfighters flew many safety chase sorties in support of advanced research aircraft over the years, including the wingless
lifting body A lifting body is a fixed-wing aircraft or spacecraft configuration in which the body itself produces lift (force), lift. In contrast to a flying wing, which is a wing with minimal or no conventional fuselage, a lifting body can be thought of as ...
aircraft.
Neil Armstrong Neil Alden Armstrong (August 5, 1930 – August 25, 2012) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineering, aeronautical engineer who, in 1969, became the Apollo 11#Lunar surface operations, first person to walk on the Moon. He was al ...
was one notable pilot who flew a NASA F-104. ; The Starfighters F-104 Demo Team The team based in
Clearwater, Florida Clearwater is a city and the county seat of Pinellas County, Florida, United States, west of Tampa, Florida, Tampa and north of St. Petersburg, Florida, St. Petersburg. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the southeast lies T ...
currently operate three Canadair CF-104 Starfighters, performing at air shows across the United States and Canada. Their CF-104s consist of a two-seat CF-104D Serial#:104632 (registered as ''N104RB''), and two single-seat CF-104s Serial#s: 104850 (registered as ''N104RD'') and 104759 (registered as ''N104RN''). The aircraft were originally operated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and all later served with the Royal Norwegian Air Force before being imported into the U.S. in the early 1990s. ;F-104RB "Red Baron" Another civilian Starfighter, called the F-104RB (for
Manfred von Richthofen Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of th ...
, the "Red Baron"), was used to set the low-level speed record in October 1977 by world-famous air racer
Darryl Greenamyer Darryl George Greenamyer (August 13, 1936 – October 1, 2018) was an American aviator. He started his flying career in the US Air Force Reserve. After leaving the Air Force, he then began to work at Lockheed where he eventually became an SR-71 ...
. Greenamyer built his F-104 over a period of 12 years from parts scrounged from various places, including a "borrowed" J79-17/1 turbojet from a McDonnell Douglas
F-4 Phantom The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is an American tandem two-seat, twin-engine, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor and fighter-bomber that was developed by McDonnell Aircraft for the United States Navy.Swanborough and Bowers ...
, which developed over 2,000 pounds more thrust than the standard J79-19 engine. Greenamyer attacked the record at Mud Lake, near Tonapah, Nevada, and beat the previous low-level speed record by recording a top speed of 988.26 mph (1,590.41 km/h) after five passes over the dry lake. He remained supersonic for most of the 20-minute flight, and rarely rose much higher than 100 feet above the lake bed. Several months later, while practicing for an attempt on the world absolute altitude record, he was forced to eject when his landing gear failed to extend; a
belly landing A belly landing or gear-up landing occurs when an aircraft lands without its landing gear fully extended and uses its underside, or belly, as its primary landing device. Normally the term ''gear-up landing'' refers to incidents in which the pilo ...
in the F-104 was considered too dangerous to attempt.


Summary of production by country

: ''Source: F-104 Starfighter in action''Drendel 1976, p.5.


See also

*
Canadair CF-104 The Canadair CF-104 Starfighter (CF-111, CL-90) is a modified version of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter supersonic fighter aircraft built in Canada by Canadair under licence. It was primarily used as a ground attack aircraft, despite being des ...
* CL-1200 Lancer and X-27 *
Lockheed NF-104A The Lockheed NF-104A is an American mixed-power, high-performance, supersonic aerospace trainer that served as a low-cost astronaut training vehicle for the North American X-15 and projected Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar programs. Three aircraft were m ...
*
Mutual Defense Assistance Act The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on October 6, 1949. For U.S. foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to ...
(Military Assistance Program)


References


Notes


Bibliography

* Bowman, Martin W. ''Lockheed F-104 Starfighter''. Ramsbury, Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press Ltd., 2000. . * Drendel, Lou. ''F-104 Starfighter in action'', Aircraft No. 27. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1976. . * Fricker, John and Paul Jackson. "Lockheed F-104 Starfighter". ''Wings of Fame''. Volume 2, 1996, pp. 38–99. Aerospace Publishing. London. . * Jackson, Paul A. ''German Military Aviation 1956-1976''. Hinckley, Leicestershire, UK: Midland Counties Publications, 1976. . * Stachiw, Anthony L. and Andrew Tattersall. ''CF-104 Starfighter (Aircraft in Canadian Service)''. St. Catharine's, Ontario: Vanwell Publishing Limited, 2007. .


External links


A History of military equipment of Modern Greece (1821-today): Greek F-104s


{{DEFAULTSORT:Lockheed F-104 Starfighter operators Lists of military units and formations by aircraft
F-104 Starfighter The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the " Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all ...
Operators Operator may refer to: Mathematics * A symbol indicating a mathematical operation * Logical operator or logical connective in mathematical logic * Operator (mathematics), mapping that acts on elements of a space to produce elements of another ...