Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Canadair CF-104 Starfighter

1962 COLD WAR

History of the Air Canada CF-104 Starfighter

Air Canada began producing several aircraft of American origin during the decades of the Cold War, including the famous Lockheed T-33 Meteor (CT-133 Silver Star) two-seater trainer and the North American F -86 "Saber". (as the CF-13 Sabre). In order to replace the latter in the front-line fighter role, it was once again decided to use an American product through locally licensed production this was the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.

The F-104 became Canada Royal Air Force (RCAF) CF-104 starfighter, produced by Air Canada in Montreal.

The original F-104 first flew in March 1954 and entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1958. The Air Canada version then flew for the first time on May 26, 1961, and entered service in March 1962. About 200 prototypes of this type were all built and in service in the U.S.

Navy's carrier-based fighter line until 1983 when they were replaced in the form of the state-of-the-art McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet (Canadian version) F- 18 "Bumblebee".

Initially, the Canadian fighter replacement program included a number of existing competitors from the UK, France and the US - the Lockheed F-104G model being one of them. Lockheed's submission outperformed competing submissions due to Lockheed's ongoing relationship with the local Canadian aviation industry through Canadaair and its product CT-133.

The Royal Canadian Air Force then commissioned Air Canada in August 1959 to purchase 200 aircraft of this type, initially designated the CF-111 until it became better known as the CF-104.

Overall, the Canadian version of the Starfighter is virtually indistinguishable from the American version of the F-104G. The aircraft was originally released without the standard 20mm internal cannon to provide more internal fuel volume in the fuselage, thereby extending the aircraft's operational range. The landing gear was slightly redesigned to meet specific RCAF requirements and added inherent reconnaissance and nuclear strike capabilities.

The aircraft can carry air-to-air missiles, missile pods and conventionally dropped bombs as needed, including nuclear weapons options.

The Royal Canadian Air Force has ordered the CF-104 in two different production forms - the base CF-104 is the standard single-seat fighter/bomber variant, while the CF-104D follows as a two-seat trainer. D-models retain the performance numbers of their single-seat cousins, sitting side by side in pairs, always armed with practice ammo only.

Because Air Canada and Lockheed have similar assembly lines, Lockheed will receive an additional 140 F-104G model aircraft in inventory from Montreal, over and above the 200 airframes reserved for RCAF - that's between the two planes of similarities.

Externally, the aircraft retains the same design lines as the F-104G model, including a tubular slender fuselage, short-winged main wing and T-tail. Wings have always been of great interest to onlookers because they are deliberately designed to be as thin and small as possible to reduce drag at high speeds.

While this helped the plane achieve amazing performance for its time, it also forced fuel supplies to avionics, systems, etc. located next to the plane's fuselage. An Avro Canada Orenda J79-OEL-7 afterburning turbojet engine powered the model - so a flameout meant the pilot had no choice but to parachute, and the plane was more or less lost.

The engine provides 10,000 lbf of dry thrust and up to 15,800 lbf of afterburner thrust.

In practice, the aircraft were quickly assigned to intercept missions. As a nation, the Royal Canadian Air Force must manage vast amounts of ground airspace and support continued commitments to NORAD and the United States in North America, while continuing to participate in NATO in Europe.

The enemy at the time was still the Soviet Union, and raids into North American and European airspace were commonplace throughout the Cold War years. So the CF-104's high speed, straight-line speed, and fast rate of climb put it to good use in terms of interceptionthe plane can climb at 1,145 miles per hour at 48,000 feet per second. The CF-104 initially proved to be a minority for Canadian pilots, however, as accidents interrupted the career of this memorable aircraft, a number of which resulted in casualties during more than 25 years of service with the RCAF. The speed at which the aircraft operates and its relatively constrained profile at any approach angle are also an advantage.

The 20mm gun was finally reintroduced into the CF-104 design, and the days of its nuclear strike role are over.

CF-104 operators outside of Canada become Denmark and Norway. The Turkish Air Force received a batch of ex-Royal Canadian Air Force aircraft before closing. All RCAF CF-104s were retired in the 1980s and replaced by the CF-18 Hornet series. Turkish use of the CF-104 did not end until 1995.