The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a supersonic interceptor jet that flew in the U.S. Air Force beginning in the 1950s. The F-104 was designed to reach high speeds and climb to high altitudes to chase ...

Designed to break altitude and speed records, the F-104 pushed past Mach 2 but punished even the smallest pilot error. This part explores its unstable aerodynamics, fatal spin tendencies, and the ...

The F-104’s safety record was, frankly, atrocious. Lightweight. Simple. Fast. The F-104 Starfighter was designed, in a time of increasing aircraft complexity and size, to be a straightforward, ...

The final chapter in the operational career of the legendary F-104 unfolded at Grazzanise Air Base on Oct. 31, 2004. Of the 15 nations that operated one of the 2,580 Lockheed F-104 Starfighters ...

The F-104 Starfighter was not built for dogfights. In fact, Lockheed’s designers purposely sacrificed maneuverability for speed. Known as the “Widowmaker,” the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was first ...