Lockheed NF-104A

Lockheed · United States · first flew 1963 · light aircraft

The Lockheed NF-104A was an American mixed-power supersonic aerospace trainer. It served as a low-cost astronaut training vehicle for the X-15 and the planned X-20 Dyna-Soar.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	16.69 m fuselage
T — Tail	T-tail

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Short, thin straight wing with a T-tail, as on the F-104 Starfighter
Larger-area vertical fin and rudder taken from the two-seat F-104
Rocketdyne AR2-3 rocket engine fitted at the base of the vertical fin, above the jet exhaust

Look for an F-104-type fighter with a short straight wing and T-tail, with a rocket nozzle fitted above the jet exhaust.

Specifications

The Lockheed NF-104A has a length of 16.69 m (55 ft).
It has a wingspan of 7.85 m (26 ft).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Three F-104A Starfighters were modified with a small supplementary rocket engine and a reaction control system for flight in the stratosphere. The first aircraft was accepted by the USAF on 1 October 1963.

Variants

The modifications also included a larger vertical fin and rudder taken from the two-seat F-104, strengthened to carry the rocket engine. The jet engine was a General Electric J79-GE-3B and the rocket engine produced 6,000 lbf.

Where you'll see it

The aircraft served with the Aerospace Research Pilots School between 1963 and 1971, reaching more than 120,000 ft. One was destroyed in an accident while Chuck Yeager was flying it.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.