Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Supersonic Fighter Family
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a slender, single-engine supersonic fighter family designed for high-speed interception and later adapted for tactical strike, reconnaissance, and advanced training. It became the first operational Mach 2 fighter and a defining NATO aircraft, serving in the United States and more than a dozen allied air forces through American, licensed, and locally assembled variants.
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Identity
- Aliases
- Lockheed F-104 StarfighterF-104 StarfighterStarfighterXF-104YF-104AF-104AF-104CF-104GCF-104RF-104GTF-104G
- Family Name
- Lockheed F-104 Starfighter
- Full Name
- Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Supersonic Fighter Family
- Roles
- military
- Status
- retired
- Type
- aircraft
Details
- Aircraft Specs
- Configuration
- fixed_wing
- Operating Modes
- land
- Takeoff Landing Capabilities
- conventional
- Description
- The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a slender, single-engine supersonic fighter family designed for high-speed interception and later adapted for tactical strike, reconnaissance, and advanced training. It became the first operational Mach 2 fighter and a defining NATO aircraft, serving in the United States and more than a dozen allied air forces through American, licensed, and locally assembled variants.
- First Flight Year
- 1,954
- Manufacturer
- Propulsion Configurations
- Entries
- Count
- 1
- Propulsion System
- Role
- main
- Variant Notes
- Tactical Air Command documents a modified J79-7A engine installed in an F-104C for a functional check flight; the USAF Museum identifies the F-104C General Electric J79 thrust class. Placement and stage are left unspecified because the cited records do not state them.
- Name
- F-104C Starfighter J79-GE-7A documented installation
- Notes
- The USAF Museum identifies the F-104C with a General Electric J79 engine at 15,800 lb afterburning thrust, while Tactical Air Command documents a modified J79-7A installed in an F-104C for a functional check flight. This exact fit is scoped to that F-104C boundary and is not generalized to other Starfighter variants.
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- Creation Time
- August 1, 2026 at 09:13:42 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 25, 2026 at 04:32:36 UTC
- Image
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