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Known as "the missile with a man in it," the stubby-winged Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the first U.S. jet fighter in service to fly Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Designed as a high-performance day fighter, the F-104 had excellent acceleration and top speed. It first flew on March 4, 1954.

While built for the U.S. Air Force, most Starfighters were flown by other countries, particularly Canada, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Many were built under license overseas.

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flew this F-104A for 19 years as a flying test bed and a chase plane. It was used to test the reaction controls later used on the North American X-15. This aircraft was the seventh F-104 built and was transferred to the Museum after its last flight, to Andrews Air Force Base, on November 18, 1975.

Display Status

This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.

Object Details
Key Accomplishment(s) First Aircraft Capable of Sustained Mach 2 Flight Brief Description Known as "the missile with a man in it," the stubby-winged Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the first U.S. jet fighter in service to fly Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Country of Origin United States of America Type CRAFT-Aircraft Manufacturer Lockheed Aircraft Company
Dimensions Wingspan: 6.7 m (21 ft 11 in)
Length: 16.6 m (54 ft 9 in)
Height: 4.1 m (13 ft 6 in)
Weight, gross: 11,271 kg (25,840 lb)
Weight, empty: 6,071 kg (13,384 lb)
Top speed: 1,669 km/h (1,037 mph)
Inventory Number A19761017000 Credit Line Transferred from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Open Access (CCO)
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