The Place And Importance Of F-104 Aircraft In World Aviation History

Abstract

In this article, the F-104, a supersonic fighter-bomber and fighterinterceptor, which emerged during the Cold War in the 1950s, held the world speed record and world altitude records with its supersonic Mach-2 speed for a long time, participated in many wars and achieved success in air combat and was defined as a “missile with a pilot inside” was discussed.

F-104 aircraft made their first flight in the USA in 1954 and became an important element of the nuclear deterrent force of NATO and Europe in the 1960s and 1970s. These aircraft were used by many countries such as Türkiye, Germany, Canada, Netherlands, Italy and Norway, as well as the USA. A total of 2,579 F-104s of different types were produced in these years, and it became one of the most important warplanes used by the West in case of crisis and war. The first batch of F-104 aircraft, which were included in the inventory of the Turkish Air Force within the framework of the NATO Mutual Assistance Program, entered service at the 144th Jet Fleet Command in Mürted Square in 1963, and 433 aircraft served in the Turkish Air Force between 1963 and 1996. Thus, the Turkish Air Force was introduced to radar and 2 Mach flight speed for the first time.

In this article, the successes of F-104s by performing air combat, huntbomber, hunt-prevention, patrol, escort and reconnaissance missions in the Taiwan Strait Crisis, Berlin Crisis, Vietnam War, India-Pakistan Wars, Cyprus Air Operation and Cyprus Peace Operation are explained. These aircraft, which were taken out of service in the Turkish Air Force in 1996, were last taken out of the inventory in Italy in 2004. In conclusion, this article examines the reasons why F-104 aircraft were preferred by many NATO and European countries, including Türkiye, during the Cold War period, their characteristics, how they influenced the outcomes of the Vietnam War, the Pakistan-India War, and other conflicts during this period, the records they broke, and their place in world aviation history.