LOCKHEED F-104 STAR FIGHTER
(1960-1972)
The Lockheed F-104 Star Fighter was an American single-engine, high performance, supersonic Interceptor aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1958 until 1967
USAF F-104Cs saw service during the Vietnam War, and F-104A aircraft were deployed by Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971with great success. F-104s were armed with 1 × 20 mm (0.79 in) M61 Vulcan Gatling gun, tip-mounted Sidewinder missiles and could carry 1814 kg combination war load on 7 hard points (4 × AIM-9 Sidewinder, bombs, rockets, or other stores).
In all twelve F-104As and two F-104Bs were transferred to Pakistan Air Force; equipping
No. 9 Air Superiority Squadron.
F-104s were highly dreaded by the Indian Air Force (IAF). On 3rd September, 1965, even before the War began, an Indian Gnat surrendered to an F-104 which forced it to land at the abandoned airfield of Pasrur (in Pakistan). Its pilot Squadron Leader Brijpal Singh Sikand became a POW.
On 6 September 1965, two Starfighters were sent on dawn patrol from Sargodha. They were vectored by Sakesar Radar towards 4 IAF Mysteres engaged in bomb and rocket attacks against a stationary passenger train at Gakkhar railway station. One of the F-104 pilots was forced to return to base with a radio failure but the other pilot, Flight Lieutenant Aftab Alam Khan dived his F-104 with full after burners, going supersonically through the Mysteres formation which promptly scattered. The Indian aircraft tried to escape at about 50 feet above the ground but they were no match for the Starfighter. Aftab Alam destroyed one Iadian Air Force Mystere with his Sidewinder missile thus achieving one of the world’s first kill by a mach 2 combat aircraft, and the first missile kill for Pakistan Air Force.
Aircraft were decommissioned in1972.
