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| Lockheed
F-104 Starfighter model airplane |
| Sometimes
referred to as a jet-propelled dart with tiny wings, the first of two prototypes
of this striking-looking aircraft was first flown on March 4, 1954, but
almost four years of development followed before the USAF gave clearance
for squadron use of the F-104 Starfighter in January 1958. By then the
USAF had lost interest in this class of fighter and accepted only 296 for
its own use. However, a group of NATO countries, under the leadership of
West Germany, decided to manufacture an improved version of the airplane
to equip their air forces, leading to a major international production
program in which the Starfighter was built in several countries. As a result,
when production ended, an additional 2,282 F-104s had been built, and a
large number of these airplanes remain in service. Interestingly, for a
plane that the US Air Force didn't want, the F-104 holds the record for
the longest production run of any fighter plane ever built. It also holds
the distinction of being the only aircraft (that we could find out about)
to ever be shot down by its own FORWARD-facing gun. The problem stems from
the fact that no one calculated the speed of the projectiles firing from
the original prototype plane and gun. If they had done so, it would have
been realized that the projectile, within a short distance, was traveling
slower than the plane itself at maximum speed. The F-104G, a major production
version (1,127 built) used one General Electric J79-GE-11A turbojet of
15,600-lb. afterburning thrust, with a maximum speed of 1,146 mph at 50,000
feet, service ceiling of 50,000 feet, and range of 1,081 miles. Airplane
armament on the late model F-104G was one 20-mm General Electric six-barrelled
cannon, wingtip-mounted Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, and up to 4,000
lbs. of stores. |
All airplane models are Hand Carved, Hand Painted
Mahogany and come fully assembled with removable desk stand. |
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Dimensions: Wingspan, 6 1/2" -Length, 15
1/2" -Scale, 1/42
Item #AM070AR - $119.95
More
Dimensions: Wingspan, 8 7/8" -Length, 20 1/2"
-Scale, 1/32
Item #ESAF023W - $125.95
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