Sujet

Lockheed F-104A Starfighter, 1950s. Creator: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation.

Légende

Known as "the missile with a man in it," the stubby-winged Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was the first U.S. jet fighter in service to fly Mach 2, twice the speed of sound. Designed as a high-performance day fighter, the F-104 had excellent acceleration and top speed. It first flew on March 4, 1954. While built for the U.S. Air Force, most Starfighters were flown by other countries, particularly Canada, Italy, Germany, and Japan. Many were built under license overseas. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flew this F-104A for 19 years as a flying test bed and a chase plane. It was used to test the reaction controls later used on the North American X-15. This aircraft was the seventh F-104 built and was transferred to the Museum after its last flight, to Andrews Air Force Base, on August 26, 1975.

Crédit

Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art

Notre référence

HRM21A88_175

Model release

NA

Property release

NA

Licence

Droits gérés

Format disponible

144,0Mo (8,5Mo) / 73,6cm x 49,0cm / 8688 x 5792 (300dpi)

Mots clés

transport transportation technology education country flight color aeroplane aircraft plane airplane location century jet aviation fighter plane NASA fifties 1950s air Transport United States of America Colour Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum Educational Institution 20th century air and space museum American America USA decade scientific institution object united states National Aeronautics and Space Administration 0 Heritage Art NASM CRAFT-Aircraft Lockheed Aircraft Corporation Lockheed Corporation Lockheed Aircraft Company Lockheed Aircraft Co.