On 20 February 1958, Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, the new American interceptor aircraft, became operational with the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the United States Air Force.
The aircraft was designed in response to the USAF´s experiences from the Korean War. The conflict revealed a need for a high-speed, high-altitude interceptor within the Air Force. As a result, four manufacturers joined the programme to create a light yet fast fighter: Republic Aviation, North American Aviation, Northrop and Lockheed.
The competition was intense but, eventually, a preliminary contract was awarded to Lockheed. On 12 March 1953, an agreement was signed for the construction of two prototypes. The new aircraft was officially named the XF-104.
Less than a year later, on 28 February 1954, the first prototype was completed and carried out its initial taxi trials, followed by a brief maiden hop. On 4 March, at Edwards Air Force Base, the XF-104 made its first official flight. At the controls was Lockheed’s chief test pilot, A. W. LeVier. The flight lasted 21 minutes.
Interestingly, the first military pilot to fly the F-104 was Chuck Yeager, the USAF test pilot famous for being the first person to break the sound barrier.
On 1 November 1955, the new fighter was officially accepted by the USAF and designated the F-104A Starfighter. It is worth noting that the entire development process was, albeit unofficially, kept secret. The first photographs of the new interceptor were released only in 1956, two years after its maiden flight.
Also in 1956, the two-seat variant of the aircraft, initially designated the YF-104B, was presented for the first time. The aeroplane made its first flight in January 1958. Shortly afterwards, it was officially redesignated the F-104B.
At the beginning of January 1958, the first production batch of single-seat interceptors was delivered to the USAF. On 20 February, the new fighter officially entered service with the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Hamilton Air Force Base.
Additional information about the F-104 Starfighter service in Belgium, Germany and Turkey, can be found in our previous articles: Lockheed F-104G Starfighter, 23 October 1987 – F-104 Starfighter was withdrawn from Luftwaffe, 22 May 1991 – last operational flight of German F-104 Starfighter and Canadair CF-104 Starfighter.
Cover photo: An air-to-air right side view of an F-104 Starfighter aircraft carrying two AIM-9J Sidewinder missiles. The aircraft, from the 69th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron, 58th Tactical Training Wing, 12th Air Force, is involved in Tactical Training Luke / original caption (photo: National Archives, 6346677, cropped)
