Official USAF Aerial Photo Tactical Air Command’s F-104C Starfighter ca. 9/1958

Description

160746 AC - TOP FIGHTER JOINS TAC -- An aerial photo of the
Tactical Air Command's new F-104C Starfighter. Holder of the world's speed title (1404 m.p.h.) and altitude mark (91,243 feet), the F-104 has in-flight refueling provisions which give Lockheed's ultrasonic Starfighter globe-circling range for its assignments with TAC's Composite Air Strike Forces. The Starfighter is armed with. General Electric T-171 Vulcan cannon. Fastest-firing machine gun in the world, the six-barreled 20-mm Vulcan's rate of fire is 6000 rounds per minute (that's 100 per second). The dart-like and cleaver-winged F-104C can carry a variety of external stores, including atomic bombs. First TAC Starfighters are assigned to the 831st Air Division at George AFB, near Victorville, California.
U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO
"The subsequent F-104C entered service with USAF Tactical Air Command (TAC) as a multi-role fighter and fighter-bomber. The 479th Tactical Fighter Wing at George AFB, California, was the first unit to equip with the type in September 1958. Although not an optimum platform for the theater, the F-104 did see limited service in the Vietnam War. In 1967, these TAC aircraft were transferred to the Air National Guard."
Measures 8x10
Weight 1oz
Box J1119A