The origin of the F-104 Starfighter is rooted in numerous, partly frustrating experiences of the US Air Force (USAF) during the Korean War. The pilots flying missions there had lacked a lightweight, high-performance fighter aircraft to achieve air superiority. At the time, Lockheed´s chief design engineer, Clarence L. “Kelly” started to design an appropriate aircraft in 1951 after discussing the problems with fighter pilots there, without actually having an official order commissioning him to develop a new plane. On 31 October 1952, he presented the design for the CL 246 or Model 83 to the company’s executive management and the new plane was presented at the Pentagon shortly afterwards. On 12 December 1952, the USAF issued a tender for a lightweight supersonic fighter aircraft. As expected, Lockheed was commissioned to develop the plane without coming up against any serious competition. The contract to build two prototypes with the designation XF-104 was granted on 12 March 1953. Although development work advanced quickly, the General Electric J79 engine designed to deliver a thrust of 65.8 kN was not yet ready. The two prototypes were therefore designed for the less powerful Wright J-65 B3 without afterburner, delivering a thrust of 45.4 kN. The first rolling tests were carried out in the strictest secrecy at Edwards Air Force Base in California, followed by the maiden flight on 4 March 1954. The aircraft subsequently achieved speeds up to Mach 1.6 mach. Consistent development work ultimately achieved some really spectacular flying performances. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to fly at Mach 2 with a conventional jet engine. It is also achieved some impressive world records for altitude and speed, earning the nickname of “missile with a man in it”. But despite the early enthusiasm, the F-104 quickly became a victim of its own specialized design, because the low range meant that the USAF had little requirement for the aircraft. The USAF only deployed the Starfighter on active service for a few years and only 296 of the 722 aircraft originally ordered were delivered.
Nevertheless, a number of West European NATO members had been looking for an advanced supersonic fighter aircraft since the mid-1950s, including the Federal Republic of Germany. The German Air Force was still being built up and they were therefore equipped with aging planes that had been acquired cheaply. At the same time, Germany wanted to establish a modern aviation industry. Both sides were interested in advanced successor models, given that large numbers had to be purchased. A development that was purely German was not feasible for a number of reasons and the only solution was a major programme to build a foreign aircraft under license. In 1957, a competitive tender was issued and Lockheed participated. Substantial amendments were made to the design of the Starfighter to meet the new requirements. The airframe and the tail unit were significantly strengthened, the interior volume of the tank was increased and the payload was substantially enhanced. An advanced multipurpose radar was installed to equip the F-104 for the required ground-attack missions. The day fighter had been transformed into the all-weather F-104 G fighter-bomber when the Federal Ministry of Defence announced the winner of the tender process on 24 October 1958. At the time, however, the new aircraft only existed on the drawing board and it was already causing substantial controversy in politics and the armed forces even before it had been introduced. On 18 March 1959, a consortium of German aviation companies initially agreed a license to manufacture 210 aircraft.
This was the foundation stone for a massive production programme under license, because Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and later Canada confirmed expectations by also opting to acquire the F-104 G. As far as the fledgling German aviation industry was concerned, perhaps the most important aspect of this procurement programme was the anticipated technology transfer, but the programme initially involved high investment costs. Messerschmitt AG started to equip the central final assembly facilities and a test and flight-testing facility for the German F-104 G in Manching. Five consortiums were established for production of the F-104 G. Some of these were international joint ventures based in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium and the USA. The entire aircraft was divided into segments, so that components and assemblies could be diverted from other consortia to meet any shortfalls if production stopped at one of the facilities. The dedicated NATO Starfighter Management Office (NAMSO) established specifically for the purpose coordinated this complex procedure. An important element in this process was the systematic approach developed in the USA and used for the first time in Europe. The different consortia, for example ARGE Süd made up of Dornier, Messerschmitt, Heinkel and SIAT-WMD, had manufactured a total of 1,536 F-104 G Starfighter aircraft in all its versions by 1972. 916 of these aircraft were for the German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr). At times, more than 100,000 people were working on the Starfighter programme and the programme enabled the German aviation industry to take its place among the world’s leading players. Challenges in the areas of system integration and quality management were mastered with spectacular success and created know-how across Europe that is benefiting programmes like Eurofighter to this day.
The German Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) introduced the aircraft in 1962 and they were by far the biggest users of the F-104 G. 749 Starfighter aircraft were deployed as the fighter-bomber and interceptor F-104 G and as the reconnaissance aircraft RF-104 G, and 137 aircraft saw service as the TF-104 G two-seater trainer. 30 two-seater F 104 F aircraft were additionally used at certain times for training purposes. The introduction of such complex weapon systems naturally caused problems within the armed forces. These were mainly manifested as what appeared to be a disproportionately high accident rate. This made the aircraft a focus of controversial debate involving politicians, the armed forces and media within Germany for many years. Although one total loss was recorded for every 6,630 flying hours, this statistic was in the same order as most other military jet aircraft. Until the Starfighter was phased out of service, more than 2,000 pilots in the German Air Force (Bundesluftwaffe) and the German Navy (Bundesmarine) were trained to fly the Starfighter. The last aircraft were taken out of service in 1991.
