Subject: Number 104 in the Series--Lockheed F-104 Starfighter (12 of 20)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 7 Jan 94 03:11:32 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The service history of the F-104G, by nation: 

FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY: 

The Luftwaffe was the primary user of the Starfighter, operating over 
thirty-five percent of all F-104s built.  The West German Luftwaffe 
received a total of 915 Starfighters (30 F-104Fs, 96 F-104Gs, and 136 
TF-104Gs from Lockheed, 255 F/RF-104Gs from the North Group, 210 
F-104Gs from the South Group, 88 F-104Gs from the West Group, 50 
F/RF-104Gs from the Italian Group, plus 50 replacement F-104Gs from 
MBB to replace some of those lost in crashes).  

The first German Starfighters were the Lockheed-built two-seat F-104Fs 
which were initially used in the USA to train German instructors.  At 
that time, the F-104Fs were painted with standard USAF insignia and 
carried USAF serial numbers.  These machines were then handed over to 
Waffenschule 10, which was based at Norvenich in Germany.  After 
handover, they were repainted in Luftwaffe insignia and assigned 
German serial numbers.  

The first operational unit to be equipped with the F-104G was 
Jagdbombergeschwader 31 (JBG31), also based at Norvenich.  JBG31 
became fully operational in 1963.  Other Jagdbombergeschwadern 
(fighter-bomber squadrons) to receive the F-104G were JBG32 at 
Lechfeld, JBG33 at Buchel, JBG34 at Memmingen, and JBG36 at 
Rheine-Hopsten.  Two fighter squadrons (Jagdgeschwadern) received the 
F-104G--JG71 at Wittmundhafen and JG74 at Neuburg.  Two 
Aufklarungsgeschwadern (reconnaissance squadrons) received the 
F-104G-- AKG51 at Ingoldstat/Manching and AKG52 at Leck.  In addition, 
two Marininefliegergeschwasedern of the Bundesmarine (West German 
Navy) received F-104Gs.  These were MFG1 at Schleswig and MFG2 at 
Eggebeck.  They operated in the armed reconnaissance and anti-shipping 
strike roles.  

Many Luftwaffe Starfighters remained in the United States and were 
stationed at Luke AFB in Arizona for pilot training.  They were 
assigned to the 4512th, 4518th, and 4443rd Combat Crew Training 
Squadrons of the USAF.  Although remaining Luftwaffe property, these 
aircraft carried USAF insignia and were assigned USAF serial numbers.  
The reason given for training Luftwaffe pilots in the USA rather than 
in Germany was that the clear air and good flying weather in the 
American Southwest was much more conducive to pilot training than was 
the often lousy weather of Northern Europe.  However, one might fairly 
point out that were war to break out, the actual fighting would be 
done in the nasty weather of Europe rather than in the clear desert 
air of the American West.  

In Luftwaffe service, the F-104G got a bad reputation because of the 
large number of accidents, many of them resulting in fatalities.  At 
the height of the crisis, the Starfighter accident rate peaked at 139 
per 100,000 flying hours.  As a result, the German press went into a 
feeding frenzy and the F-104G was given derogatory nicknames such as 
the "Flying Coffin" or the "Widowmaker", which brings to mind all of 
the flak that surrounded the Martin B-26 Marauder during World War 2.  
One running joke at the time was that if you waited long enough, just 
about every square mile of Germany would have a Starfighter crash onto 
it.  The press left many people with the impression that there was 
something intrinsically wrong with the F-104G, that it was just too 
difficult an airplane to fly.  However, the attrition rate in German 
service was not all that much greater than that of the F-104 in 
service with several other air forces, including the United States Air 
Force.  Furthermore, the Royal Norwegian Air Force operating identical 
F-104Gs suffered only six losses in 56,000 flying hours.  The high 
rate of crashes while in Luftwaffe service could be blamed more on the 
hazards of flying low-altitude missions at high speeds in the bad 
weather of Northern Europe than on any intrinsic flaw with the F-104G.  
In addition, some argued that the F-104G was simply too "hot" a 
fighter for many of the new Luftwaffe pilots to operate, and that the 
training of new Starfighter aircrews had in retrospect been less than 
adequate.  

In the nuclear role, the Luftwaffe F-104Gs could carry a single store 
underneath the fuselage on the centerline.  I remember some concern 
being expressed at the time about a German finger being on the nuclear 
trigger.  However, although these nuclear weapons were carried 
underneath German aircraft, these bombs remained under American 
control at all times, and could be released for delivery only under a 
direct order passed down the chain of command from the President.  A 
typical load of conventional weapons for ground attack included Lepus 
flare bombs, CBU-33 cluster bombs, various iron bombs and LAU-3A 
unguided rocket packs.  

The F-104Gs of the Bundesmarine usually carried a MBB Kormoran 
antiship missile on each of the inner underwing stores pylons.  The 
Kormoran missile had a range of up to 23 miles.  The missile had a 350 
pound warhead with 16 radially-mounted projectile charges and fuse 
delays designed for penetration of ship armor.  After launch, the 
Kormoran used an inertial midcourse guidance in conjunction with a 
radio altimeter to hold an altitude of less than 100 feet off the 
wavetops during the approach to the target.  The radar seeker in the 
nose could operate either as an active radar seeker or as a passive 
receiver.  When it found a target, it locks onto it, and the impact 
point was intended to be just above the waterline of the enemy ship in 
order to ensure maximum damage.  

Under contract from the Luftwaffe, Lockheed carried out tests with an 
F-104G launched by rocket from a platform.  At least one Luftwaffe 
F-104G was modified for a series of zero-length launch (ZELL) tests in 
1963 at Edwards AFB in California.  The F-104G was mounted on a 
trailer, and a 130,000 lb.s.t. Rocketdyne solid-fuel rocket booster 
was attached to the rear of the fuselage.  For takeoff, the pilot 
would run up the J79 engine to full thrust, then light the rocket 
motor.  Within four seconds after ignition, the F-104G would be flying 
at 300 mph and the rocket booster would drop off.  The program was not 
disclosed to the public until March 21, 1966.  Although tests were 
successful, the scheme was not adopted for operational use.  After the 
ZELL test program was completed, the test F-104G was returned to 
service in Germany.  

The serial numbers of German Starfighters were as follows: 

Lockheed-built: 

F-104G: KF101/196 

TF-104G: KF201/KF232, KE201/KE223 61-3031/3084, 63-8452/8469, 
	66-13622/13631 

The following aircraft of this batch served in the USA under USAF 
serial numbers as follows: 

KF110 (63-13259) 
KF111/KF116(63-13230/13235) 
KF118(63-13236) 
KF120/KF128 (63-13237/13245) 
KF130/KF142 (63-13246/13258) 
KF175(63-13260) 
KF185(63-13262) 
KF190/KF192 (63-13263/13265) 
KF194/KF196 (63-13266/13268) 

Fiat-built: 

F-104G: KC101/KC115 
RF-104G: KC116/150 

Fokker-built: 

F-104G: 
KG101/112, KG114/KG121, KG123/KG144, KG146, KG154/KG156, KG164, 
KG167/KG181, KG188, KG192, KG196/KG197, KG200, KG262, KG266, 
KG268/KG270, KG272, KG275, KG277, KG278, KG282/KG290, KG293/KG303, 
KG307, KG312, KG316, KG320, KG324, KG328, KG331, KG334, KG337, KG350, 
KG363, KG375, KG377, KG378, KG384, KG385, KG387, KG389, KG392, KG395, 
KG396, KG398, KG399, KG401/KG403, KG405/KG407, KG409, KG410, 
KG413/KG417, KG420/KG423, KG427/KG430, KG433/KG435, KG439, KG440, 
KG444/KG450.  

RF-104G: 
KG185/KG187, KG194, KG195, KG202, KG206, KG208, KG211, KG213, KG216, 
KG218, KG222, KG224, KG226, KG228, KG230, KG232, KG234, KG236, KG237, 
KG239, KG240, KG242, KG244, KG246, KG246/KG261, KG263/KG265, KG267, 
KG271, KG273, KG274, KG276, KG279/KG281, KG291, KG292, KG304/KG306, 
KG308/KG311, KG313/KG315, KG317/KG319, KG321/KG323, KG325/KG327, 
KG329/KG330, KG332, KG333, KG335, KG336, KG338/KG342, KG346/KG349, 
KG351/KG355, KG361, KG362, KG364, KG365, KG369/KG371, KG374, KG376.  

The gaps in this sequence were an artifact of the rather unusual 
numbering system used by the Luftwaffe to identify Fokker-built 
F-104Gs.  The Luftwaffe serial numbers tracked with the Fokker 
company's manufacturing numbers.  The missing numbers in this sequence 
correspond to those aircraft which were delivered to Holland.  There 
were corresponding gaps in the list of Dutch Starfighter serial 
numbers which identified Starfighters delivered to Germany.  

The following aircraft from this batch served in the USA with USAF 
serial numbers as follows: 

KG102/KG103 (63-13269/13270) 
KG107/KG109 (63-13271/13273) 
KG121 (64-12746) 
KG156 (63-13229) 
KG164 (64-12749) 
KG167/KG169 (64-12750/12752) 
KG171 (64-12753) 
KG177 (64-12754) 
KG291/KG292 (67-14890/14891) 
KG296 (63-13261) 
KG304 (67-14890) 

Messerschmitt-built: 

F-104G: KE301/KE510 

The following aircraft from this batch served in the USA with USAF 
serial numbers: 

KE301 (64-12745) 
KE307 (67-14888) 
KE315 (67-14889) 
KE323 (67-14886) 
KE339 (64-12748) 
KE398 (64-12747) 
KE420 (66-13524) 
KE432 (66-13525) 
KE433 (67-14885) 
KE477 (63-13526) 

SABCA-built: 

F-104G: KH102/KH188.  

The following aircraft from this batch served in the USA with USAF 
serial numbers: 

KH102/KH105 (63-13275/13278) 

On January 1, 1968, the original two letter-three digit serial numbers 
were replaced by new four-digit serials.  Surviving German 
Starfighters were reserialed as follows: 

KF101/196 --> 2001/2084 
KC101/KC150 --> 2085/2132 
KE301/KE510 --> 2133/2326 
KG101/KG450 --> 2327/2555 
KH101/KH188 --> 2556/2637 
KF201/KF272 and KE201/KE233 -> 2701/2835 
BB360/BB389 --> 2901/2921 

In the early 1970s, the MBB concern built 50 F-104Gs as replacements 
for those Starfighters which had crashed.  Their serials were 2641 
through 2690.  

The Starfighter began to be phased out of Luftwaffe service in 1971, 
when the AKG51 and AKG52 reconnaissance squadrons received McDonnell 
RF-4E Phantoms.  JG71 and JG74 reequipped with F-4Es in 1973-74, and 
JBG36 received Phantoms in 1976.  In the Bundesmarine, MFG1 converted 
to the Panavia Tornado in July of 1982.  By the mid-1980s, most 
Starfighters were gone from West German service.  Most German F-104Gs 
were transferred to the air forces of Greece, Turkey, and Taiwan.  The 
last Luftwaffe operational unit to operate the F-104G was JBG34, which 
retired its aircraft at the end of 1986.  

BELGIUM: 

Beginning in February of 1963, the Force Aerienne Belge (Belgian Air 
Force) received a total of 100 SABCA-built F-104Gs and twelve 
Lockheed-built TF-104Gs.  They were assigned to four Escadrilles, the 
23eme and 31eme at Kleine Brogel and the 349eme and 350eme at 
Beauvechain (Bevekom).  Serials were FC-01/FC-12 for the 
Lockheed-supplied TF-104Gs and FX-1 through FX-100 for the SABCA-built 
F-104Gs.  

The Starfighters remained in service with the FAB until the 1980s when 
they were replaced by General Dynamics F-16A/B Fighting Falcons.  The 
last Starfighters left Belgian service in September of 1983.  

NETHERLANDS: 

A total of 138 Starfighters was delivered to the Koninklijke 
Luchtmacht (Royal Netherlands Air Force, or KLu).  These consisted of 
95 F/RF-104Gs manufactured by the Fokker group, twenty-five F-104Gs 
manufactured by Fiat and the Italian group, and eighteen TF-104Gs 
built by Lockheed.  They entered service in December of 1962 with No.  
306 Squadron based at Twenthe.  In 1963, this unit converted from 
F/TF-104Gs to RF-104Gs when its responsibility for Starfighter crew 
training was transferred to the "Dutch Masters" operational conversion 
unit based at Twenthe.  The F-104Gs were operated in the interceptor 
role by Nos. 322 and 323 Squadrons based at Leeuwarden and in the 
fighter-bomber role with Nos.  311 and 312 Squadrons based at Volkel.  

Conversion from F-104Gs was begun by the two interceptor squadrons in 
1979, and in June of 1984, No 306 Squadron stood down as the last KLu 
operational F-104G unit.  In November of 1984 the last Dutch 
Starfighters were replaced by European-built F-16A/B Fighting Falcons.  

KLu serials were as follows: 

Lockheed-built TF-104Gs: D-5801/5817 

Fiat-built F-104Gs: D-6652/6657, 6666/6671, 6680/6685, 6694/6700 

Fokker-built F-104Gs: 
D-8013, 8022, 8045, 8047/8053, 8057/8063, 8065, 8066, 8082/8084, 
8086/8091, 8093, 8098, 8099, 8104, 8105, 8109, 8110, 8114, 8115, 8120, 
8121, 8243/8245, 8256/8260, 8266/8268, 8272, 8273, 8279/8283, 8286, 
8288, 8293, 8294, 8297, 8300, 8304, 8308, 8311, 8312, 8318, 
8319,8324/8326, 8331, 8332, 8336/8338, 8341/8343.  

Fokker-built RF-104Gs: 
8101, 8103, 8107, 8112, 8117, 8119, 8123, 8127, 8129, 8131, 8133, 
8135, 8138, 8141, 8143, 8145, 8147.  

The gaps in this sequence correspond to aircraft which were delivered 
to Germany.  

ITALY: 

The Aeronautica Militare Italiana (AMI) received 135 Fiat-built 
F-104Gs plus 24 Lockheed-built TF-104Gs.  They equipped four 
interceptor/fighter-bomber gruppi, two reconnaissance gruppi, and one 
training gruppo.  

AMI serials of the Fiat-built F-104Gs were as follows:
MM6501 (pattern aircraft), MM6502/MM6599, MM6601, MM6603, MM6608/MM6611, 
MM6631/MM6638, MM6643/MM6651, and MM6658/MM6660.  The AMI serials 
tracked with Fiat's company numbers, and the gaps correspond to 
machines which were delivered to Germany and Holland.  

The TF-104Gs operated with USAF serial numbers as such: 
63-12685/12696, plus 12 TF-104Gs for which no serials were issued.  

In late 1965, the 154o Grouppo based at Ghedi received a NATO Flight 
Safety Awary after it had flown more than 5000 hours on the F-104G 
without a single accident.  

The AMI continued to use the F/RF-104G in large numbers long after 
other European air forces had passed their Starfighters on to other 
users.  Beginning in 1968, the F-104G was supplemented by the much 
improved F-104S.  Substantial numbers of both types remain in service 
today.  

NORWAY: 

The Kongelige Norske Luftforsvaret (Royal Norwegian Air Force) 
received the first of nineteen Canadian-built F-104Gs and two 
Lockheed-built TF-104Gs in 1963.  The F-104Gs were converted to the 
RF-104G reconnaissance configuration and served with No. 332 Squadron 
at Bodo.  Following the arrival of Northrop RF-5As for No.  717 
Squadron, these aircraft reverted to the fighter configuration and 
served until 1981.  

Two ex-Luftwaffe TF-104Gs were transferred to Norway from the United 
States.  

A second KNL Starfighter unit, No. 334 Squadron, was formed with 
eighteen ex-Canadian Forces CF-104s and four CF-104Ds.  These aircraft 
were modified to carry Martin Bullpup air-to-surface missiles and were 
employed in the antishipping role.  

The last Norwegian Starfighters, the CF-104/CF-104Ds of No. 334 
Squadron, were phased out of service during the winter of 1982-83.  

DENMARK: 

In November of 1964, the Kongelige Danske Flyvevaben (Royal Danish Air 
Force) received twenty-five Canadian-built F-104Gs and four 
Lockheed-built TF-104Gs.  These equipped two units (Esk 723 and Esk 
726), both based at Aalborg.  

Attrition was made up by the transfer in 1972-74 of 22 ex-Canadian 
Forces Starfighters(15 CF-104s and seven CF-104Ds).  The CF-104Ds were 
specially modified for use of Esk 726 in the electronics 
countermeasures role.  

Esk 726 was disbanded on April 30, 1986.  The Starfighters were then 
retired from Danish service, with the exception of four aircraft 
retained for target-towing duty.  

GREECE: 

In 1965, deliveries of 35 F-104Gs and four TF-104Gs began to the 
Elliniki Vassiliki Aeroporia (Royal Hellenic Air Force).  They served 
with two fighter-bomber squadrons, the 225 and 336 Mire (squadrons) of 
the 116 Pterix (wing) based at Araxos.  

Attrition was made up by the transfer of ninteen F-104Gs and six 
TF-104Gs from the USA, Spain, and Germany.  

TURKEY: 

In 1965-66, the Turk Hava Kuvvetleri (THK) received 32 F-104Gs built 
by Lockheed and Canadair, plus four TF-104Gs built by Lockheed.  These 
aircraft took part in the 1976 invasion of Cyprus, but so far as I 
know Greek and Turkish Starfighters never faced off against each 
other.  

The THK obtained twenty F-104Gs and forty F-104Ss from Italy.  

In 1980-81, F-104G/TF-104Gs being phased out of service in Belgium, 
Germany, and the Netherlands were transferred to Turkey.  

Starfighters equipped five squadrons of the THK--the 141nci and 142nci 
Filoler at Murted, the 182nci Filo, and the 191nci and 192nci Filoler 
at Balikesir.  

SPAIN: 

Eighteen Canadair-built F-104Gs and three Lockheed-built TF-104Gs were 
delivered to Spain's Ejercito del Aire in 1965.  They served until May 
of 1972.  In Spanish service, they were designated C.8 (serials C.8-1 
to C.8-18) and CE.8 (serials CE.8-1 to CE.8-3).  They were operated 
successively by Escuadron 61, Eacuadron 161, and Escuadron 194 at 
Torrejon.  

In 1972, Spanish Starfighters were returned to the USAF for transfer 
to Greece and Turkey.  

NATIONALIST CHINA: 

Taiwan received eight RF-104Gs, forty-two F-104Gs, and a few TF-104Gs.  
Most of the single-seaters were Canadair-built.  These Starfighters 
were later supplemented by ex-Luftwaffe machines (35 F-104Gs and 25 
TF-104Gs).  I am unaware of the service status of these machines, and 
I know very little about their use.  Perhaps someone out there in 
Netland can fill in the blanks.  

Sources:

    The Lockheed F-104G/CF-104, Gerhard Joos, Aircraft in Profile No.
    131, Doubleday, 1969.  

    The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery Books, 1989.

    Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Steve Pace, Motorbooks International, 
    1992.

    Lockheed Aircraft Since 1913, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute
    Press, 1987.

    The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

    The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Armament, Bill Gunston,
    Orion Books, 1988.

    The World's Fighting Planes, William Green, Doubleday 1968.

    American Combat Planes, Ray Wagner, Third Enlarged Edition, Doubleday,
    1982.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
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