F-104C ‘In Vietnam War’ Conversion Set

Description

The F-104 Starfighter was an American jet fighter, designed by the Lockheed Aircraft Company in early 1950s. Radical in concept, it was the first operational interceptor capable of sustained speeds above Mach 2. Its prototype flew in 1954 and the first series aircraft were delivered four years later.

The F-104 was a single-seat, all-metal mid-wing monoplane powered by a GE J79 turbojet. It had two fuselage-side air intakes, small thin wings with a pronounced anhedral and a T-tail. Its nose undercarriage retracted forward. It mounted one multi-barrel gun in the nose and fuel tanks or Sidewinder missiles at each wingtip. The F-104C was the second single-seat version and was configured for tactical strike missions. This model featured a more powerful engine, removable in-flight refuelling probe and could carry bomb and/or rocket pods on underwing and fuselage pylons. 77 aircraft were built and delivered in 1958-59.

The Starfighter had only a relatively short career with the USAF, but it became the backbone of a number of NATO and other Allied air forces, serving all over the world from the 1960s well into the early 2000s.