The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was an American single-engined, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1958 until 1967. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it continued in service with Air National Guard units until it was phased out in 1975. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flew a small mixed fleet of F-104 types in supersonic flight tests and spaceflight programs until they were retired in 1994. Several two-seat trainer versions were produced, the most numerous being the TF-104G.

USAF F-104Cs saw service during the Vietnam War, and F-104A aircraft were deployed by Pakistan briefly during the Indo-Pakistani wars. Republic of China Air Force F-104s also engaged the People's Liberation Army Air Force over the disputed island of Kinmen. A set of modifications produced the F-104G model, which won a NATO competition for a new fighter-bomber.

The ultimate F-104 version was the F-104S all-weather interceptor equipped with radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, designed for the Italian Air Force. An advanced F-104 with a high-mounted wing, known as the CL-1200 Lancer, did not proceed. The project was cancelled at the mock-up stage in favor of other lightweight fighters such as the F-16. A total of 2,535 Starfighters were eventually produced. The F-104 served with the air forces of over a dozen nations until the summer of 2004, some 46 years after its introduction in 1958 by the USAF.

The poor safety record of the Starfighter brought the aircraft into the public eye, especially in Luftwaffe service. The subsequent Lockheed bribery scandals surrounding the original purchase contracts caused considerable political controversy in Europe and Japan.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a F-104G Starfighter interceptor used by the German Marinefliegergeschwader 2 in 1985. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 4-inches
Length: 9-inches

Release Date: March 2022

Historical Account: "In the Navy" - The Marinefliegergeschwader 2 (MFG 2) was an aircraft squadron of the Federal Navy and the German Navy that was in service from 1958 to 2005.

At the beginning of 1960 there was a restructuring of the structure of the naval aviation based on that of the air force, and so the 2nd MFGr officially became the 2nd Naval Aviation Squadron on August 1st, 1960. In the spring of 1960, the squadron returned from the Schleswig-See barracks to Jagel. Gannet AS.4, submarine squadron

After less than a year, the space in Jagel was no longer sufficient because the 2nd multi-purpose squadron now consisted of 18 Sea Hawk and seven liaison aircraft. Therefore, in October 1961, the reconnaissance squadron was given to the new 1st MFG and 18 Fairey Gannets were taken over in exchange for this . They formed the new U-Jagdstaffel, which moved to Sylt in February 1962 with a technical component .

At the time the association was set up, the Nordholz air base was intended as a base. However, this first had to be expanded and could not take up the first parts of the squadron until the summer of 1962. At the beginning of 1963 the expansion was completed, and by April 28th, the entire 2nd Marine Aviation Squadron had been relocated to Nordholz.

The 2nd MFG was divided in 1964. The new Marinefliegergeschwader 3 set up on June 1st became an U-Jagdgeschwader and took over the U-Jagdstaffel previously stationed on Sylt, which was relocated to Nordholz in October. The Marinefliegergeschwader 2 , so the new name, became a pure fighter-bomber squadron after the gannets were handed over to the MFG 3, which initially remained stationed in Nordholz.

Starting in 1960, which also replaced in the Air Force introduced F / RF / TF-104G "Starfighter" The Sea Hawk of naval aviation. The runway in Nordholz was too short for this aircraft, and there was not enough accommodation either. Therefore, large parts of the technical group had to be relocated to Drangstedt . Before the MFG 2 was relocated to Eggebek Air Base, the Nordholz Naval Aviation organized an open day on June 14th, 1964.

The move back to Schleswig-Holstein began in September 1964 and after a while the Eggebek Air Base was taken over by the Air Force, whose reconnaissance wing 52 was stationed there until October 1964. The associated barracks (from 1985 Friedrich Wilhelm Lubke barracks ) was located in Tarp . The official handover of the site took place on March 12th, 1965. The first own F-104G arrived on the 17th of the month and a few days later the MFG 2 also received the reconnaissance variant of the "Starfighter", the RF-104G. The last Sea Hawks left the base the following summer, and the squadron operated two airborne squadrons of the F-104 for the next two decades. The Magister and the P.149 were used until 1973.