5th October 1954 XF-104

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5 October 1954 First Flight in the second prototype Lockheed XF-104 Starfighter, 53-7787 at Edwards
This was the armament test aircraft and was equipped with a General Electric T171 Vulcan 20mm Gatling gun.
This six-barreled gun was capable of firing at a rate of 6,000 rounds per minute.



The XF-104 was 49 feet, 2 inches long with a wingspan of 21 feet, 11 inches and overall height of 13 feet, 6 inches


The XF-104 had a maximum speed of 1,324 miles per hour a range of 800 miles and a service ceiling of 50,500 feet

[graham]

Thanks Russ, I always wondered how the F-104s were able to fly with such tiny wings but then, if you think about it, not many stayed airborne for that long anyway.

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Just Brutal Speed hence the nicknames Missile with a man in it, Flying Coffin, etc etc
An F-104A flew at 1,404 Mph and reached up to 103,395ft Popular with NATO & Japan back in the Day

www.916-starfighter.de/main.htm all about it and more