Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-104>HA1058

General Background

The F-104 Starfighter was an military aircraft with revolutionary designs. It had short razor-sharp wings and was the first aircraft to be able to maintain Mach 2 not just in short bursts. This extremely high speed earned the plane the nickname "The Missile With A Man In It". Because of financial considerations 15 or more countries purchased the F-104. The Starfighter flew with the USAF in 1958 and the last airplane was decommissioned in Italy in 2004.

The Aircraft

In 1958 the USAF 83rd FIS temporarily deployed F-104As and Bs to Taiwan. The RoCAF showed interest in these aircraft so 22 F-104As and 5 F-104Bs were transferred to the 8th TFS of the 3rd TFW based at Ching Chuan Kang (CCK). The first two F-104s (F-104B - 4101 and 4102) arrived on May 17, 1960. The F-104A and B stayed with the RoCAF until 1966 when they were shipped back to the U.S. who transferred them to Jordan and Pakistan. The F-104As and Bs were replaced with F-104Gs.

Specifications :

F-104B Crew:	2 (pilot/Co-pilot)
F-104A Crew:	1 (pilot)
Dimensions:
Length:	54 ft 8 in
Height:	13 ft 5 in
Wingspan:	21 ft 9 in
Weight:
Empty:	13,384 lb
Gross:	17,988 lb
Maximum:	25,840 lb
Performance:
Engine:	1 X General Electric J79-GE-3B (thrust 9,600 )
Range:	730 miles
Cruise Speed:	519 mph
Climb Rate:	60,395 ft/min
Service Ceiling:	64,795 ft