| "Television brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room. Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - not on the battlefields of Vietnam." - Marshal McLuhan The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter was an American single-engined, high-performance, supersonic interceptor aircraft that served with the United States Air Force (USAF) from 1958 until 1967. One of the Century Series of aircraft, it continued in service with Air National Guard units until it was phased out in 1975. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) flew a small mixed fleet of F-104 types in supersonic flight tests and spaceflight programs until they were retired in 1994. Several two-seat trainer versions were produced, the most numerous being the TF-104G. USAF F-104Cs saw service during the Vietnam War, and F-104A aircraft were deployed by Pakistan briefly during the Indo-Pakistani wars. Republic of China Air Force F-104s also engaged the People's Liberation Army Air Force over the disputed island of Kinmen. A set of modifications produced the F-104G model, which won a NATO competition for a new fighter-bomber. The ultimate F-104 version was the F-104S all-weather interceptor equipped with radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, designed for the Italian Air Force. An advanced F-104 with a high-mounted wing, known as the CL-1200 Lancer, did not proceed. The project was cancelled at the mock-up stage in favor of other lightweight fighters such as the F-16. A total of 2,535 Starfighters were eventually produced. The F-104 served with the air forces of over a dozen nations until the summer of 2004, some 46 years after its introduction in 1958 by the USAF. The poor safety record of the Starfighter brought the aircraft into the public eye, especially in Luftwaffe service. The subsequent Lockheed bribery scandals surrounding the original purchase contracts caused considerable political controversy in Europe and Japan. Pictured here is a 1:72 scale limited edition RCAF Canadair CF-104 Starfighter interceptor that was attached to the 1 Canada Air Group, then deployed to West Germany during 1964. #HA1065 Dimensions: Features: Historical Account: "Air Canada" - 1 Canadian Air Division (1 Cdn Air Div) (French: 1re Division aerienne du Canada) is the operational-level command and control formation of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF). Prior to 2006 the official abbreviation for the division was 1 CAD. It is commanded by an air force major-general. The division traces its origins to the activation of Headquarters No. 1 Air Division, Royal Canadian Air Force in Paris, France, on October 1st, 1952. Air Division headquarters relocated to Metz, France in April 1953. No. 1 Air Division was established to meet Canada's NATO air defense commitments in Europe. It consisted of four wings of twelve fighter squadrons located at four bases. Two bases were located in France (RCAF Station Marville (No.1 Wing) and RCAF Station Grostenquin (No. 2 Wing)) and two were located in West Germany (RCAF Station Zweibrucken (No. 3 Wing) and RCAF Station Baden-Soellingen (No. 4 Wing)). (No.1 Wing was first located at RCAF North Luffenham, England and was moved to Marville some time after October 1954). These wings were part of a group of bases which also included U.S. and French installations, all of which came under the jurisdiction of NATO's Fourth Allied Tactical Air Force (4 ATAF) which, in turn, was commanded by Allied Air Forces Central Europe (AAFCE). Components located in Metz included Air Division Headquarters, an air traffic control centre, a telecommunications centre, a combat operations center, and a support unit. From 1952 to 1963 the RCAF operated the 30 Air Materiel Base, at RCAF Langar (RAF Langar) in Nottinghamshire. RCAF Langar was Canada's last base in the U.K. and served as a primary supply station for No.1 Air Division RCAF in Europe. Canadian squadrons were originally equipped with Canadair Sabre day fighters. One squadron of each wing, however, would be replaced by the all-weather CF-100 in 1956. The Sabre squadrons were replaced by (nuclear) strike/reconnaissance CF-104 Starfighters in 1962. "In the early 1960s, France assumed a greater role in its own defences and 2 Wing along with its sister wings were again disbanded on August 1st, 1964."
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