F-104 Starfighter: Lockheed's Sleek Cold War Interceptor

Lockheed developed the F-104 Starfighter in the late 1950s. The plane was designed to be an all-weather interceptor. Speed, climb, and altitude all were priorities, and the plane did turn out to be extraordinarily fast, but there were costs associated with that top speed: low-speed handling and landing characteristics were compromised. The plane had a relatively short service life with the US Air Force but remained on duty with several large NATO allies for decades. Particularly when deploy...