Description

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft, which was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War. Created as a day fighter by Lockheed as one of the 'Century Series' of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF), it was developed into an all-weather multi-role aircraft in the early 1960s and produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States. The Starfighter eventually flew with 15 air forces, but its poor safety record, especially in Luftwaffe service, brought it substantial criticism. The Germans lost 292 of 916 aircraft and 116 pilots from 1961 to 1989, its high accident rate earning it the nickname "the Widowmaker" from the German public. This work, spread over two volumes, charts the history of the Starfighter in German service.