Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter

XF-104 Starfighter
First prototype XF-104 53-7786
Role	Interceptor prototype Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Lockheed Corporation
Designer	Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson
First flight	4 March 1954
Number built	2
Variants	Lockheed F-104 Starfighter Lockheed NF-104A Canadair CF-104 Aeritalia F-104S CL-1200 Lancer/X-27

The Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter was a single-engine, high-performance, supersonic interceptor prototype for a United States Air Force (USAF) series of lightweight and simple fighters. Only two aircraft were built; one aircraft was used primarily for aerodynamic research and the other served as an armament testbed, both aircraft being destroyed in accidents during testing.^[1] The XF-104s were forerunners of over 2,500 production Lockheed F-104 Starfighters.

During the Korean War, USAF fighter pilots were outclassed by MiG-equipped Soviet pilots. Lockheed engineers, led by Kelly Johnson, designed and submitted a novel design to the Air Force, notable for its sleekness, particularly its thin wings and missile-shaped fuselage, as well as a novel pilot ejection system.

Flight testing of the XF-104s began with the first flight in March 1954, encountering several problems, some of which were resolved; however, performance of the XF-104 proved better than estimates and despite both prototypes being lost through accidents, the USAF ordered 17 service-test/pre-production YF-104As. Production Starfighters proved popular, both with the USAF and internationally, serving with a number of countries, including Jordan, Turkey, and Japan.