Apparently not always easy to fly, but the Starfighter was an incredibly amazing design very ahead of its peers. Afaik this fighter could supercruise. It had tiny thin wings, very low drag, and clever mechanisms to cope with low speeds or higher AOA.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blown_flap
Some hated them; notably one of the Luftwaffe chiefs at the time.
Disadvantage of the small low drag wings is that the aircraft cannot sustain a tight turn, as the aircraft bleeds off too much energy. So in a dogfight versus say a delta wing (low wing loading) like Mig-21 the F-104 will run out of energy.
But this is the sort of fighter that will use superiority in numbers and stand off weapons to inflict a blow on the enemy. It's not an air superiority fighter, but more of a first wave interceptor to inflict hit and run damage.
Re:Crash and Burn (F-35)
by hackandthink on Thursday January 05, 2023 @06:27AM
(#34258379)
Sounds like deep knowledge.
Do you have an opinion about F-35 aircrafts?
Lockheed Starfighter a well remembered in Germany.
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter: "A total of 116 pilots were lost in West German F-104 accidents, including 1 ground crew passenger and 8 USAF instructors" (Wikipedia)