Lockheed F-104 Starfighter

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was a high-performance supersonic interceptor aircraft, capable of high speeds and climb rates. The Starfighter entered service with the US Air Force in 1958, but dissatisfaction with the aircraft's range, load-carrying ability, and equipment led to it being phased out in 1967. However, in a heavily modified form, the Starfighter sold well abroad, particularly to the air forces of Germany, Canada and Italy, where high-speed fighter-bomber versions continued in service until the mid 1980s (and, in the case of the Italian Air Force, until 2004). The modified Starfighter versions also gained an unenviable reputation for being challenging to fly, with high fatal accident rates, particularly in German service where it gained a nickname "earth nail" for frequently driving itself into the ground.

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