Latest generation aircraft
The German Armed Forces were officially established in November 1955, and shortly afterward, a rapid buildup of several operational Luftwaffe (Air Force) and Marineflieger (Naval Aviation) wings began, equipped with the F/RF-84F, Sabre VI, F-86K, and Sea Hawk weapon systems.
As described by Klaus Kropf in his book German Starfighters, The Story in Colour: Introduction and Units, the Air Force Command had already started looking for a replacement for these aircraft during the build-up phase. To stand as an equal partner in NATO’s European spearhead in Central Europe, the German Air Force needed to be equipped with a state-of-the-art, next-generation aircraft by the early 1960s. Due to budget constraints, they sought a single successor model capable of handling every operational task, from interception to naval fighter-bomber missions.
Over the course of 1957, three aircraft were ultimately shortlisted. Alongside the French Mirage III, two American designs—the Grumman F11F-1F Super Tiger and the F-104 Starfighter—were evaluated. Test flights were carried out by Lieutenant Colonel Albert Werner and Major Walter Krupinski, the Officer Commanding Waffenschule 30, the F-84F Weapon School. The small evaluation team recommended choosing the F-104 as the replacement for most of the German Armed Forces’ earlier jet fighters.
F-104G ‘all-rounder’ Starfighter
Lockheed pledged a greatly enhanced Starfighter that, with modifications to the airframe and the addition of a modern fire-control system, a more powerful engine, upgraded radar, and an inertial navigation system, would be capable of fulfilling all of the German Air Force’s future missions.
In the autumn of 1958, the Federal Ministry of Defence chose the F-104G, the versatile ‘all-round’ Starfighter that Lockheed had proposed. The Defence Committee of the German Parliament backed this choice and authorized the purchase on 6 November 1958. Only a few months later, on 6 February 1959, the first procurement contract was signed with Lockheed for 66 F-104Gs. Less than six weeks after that, on 18 March 1959, another contract followed for 30 F-104F two-seat trainers and 210 licence-built F-104Gs. Under a year later, in early February 1960, the first six Luftwaffe pilots travelled to the United States to start flight training, while the initial technical training courses for ground personnel began at Lockheed’s facility in Palmdale, California.
This marked the beginning of nearly three decades of Starfighter service in both the Luftwaffe and the Marineflieger.
The initial purchase contract with Lockheed, signed on 6 February 1959, covered the construction of 66 F-104G Starfighters at the company’s Palmdale, California, facility. After production, these aircraft were disassembled and transported to Germany by air or sea, where they were reassembled by Messerschmitt (MTT) in Manching before being delivered to the Luftwaffe. A number of these F-104Gs initially remained at Edwards AFB to support Joint Test Force flight operations.
NASMO
The following sales contract, signed on 18 March 1959, covered 30 F-104F two-seat aircraft to be built by Lockheed and 210 F-104Gs to be licence-produced in Germany by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft Süd (ARGE-South, Working Group South). ARGE-South consisted of Dornier, Siebel, Heinkel, and MTT, with final assembly carried out by MTT at Ingolstadt-Manching. At the same time, Belgium and the Netherlands were also evaluating a new fighter. They likewise chose the F-104G, leading Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands to agree on a joint European Starfighter production program.
To coordinate this effort, the NATO Starfighter Management Office (NASMO) was established, headquartered in Koblenz, Germany. Italy also selected the F-104G as its new fighter in 1960 and joined the European Starfighter production program. In addition to ARGE-South, three more production consortia were created in Europe. ARGE-North included Hamburger Flugzeugbau, Weserflug, Aviolanda, Avio Dieper, and Fokker, with final assembly carried out by Fokker at Schiphol in the Netherlands. ARGE-West comprised Avions Fairey, FIAT, Siebel, Heinkel, and SABCA, with SABCA responsible for final assembly at Gosselies, Belgium. The third group, ARGE-Italy, brought together Macchi, Piaggio, SACA, Aeronavali, SIAI-Marchetti, and FIAT, with FIAT handling final assembly at Turin-Caselle, Italy.
Germany signed additional procurement contracts for 424 F-104Gs between 1960 and 1961, all but 30 of which were to be built by the European production groups. Between 1961 and 1965, a total of 137 TF-104Gs were ordered, again with most aircraft produced in Europe under a complex work-sharing scheme.
917 F-104s ordered by Germany
In October 1969, a final agreement was concluded for the construction of an additional 50 F-104G Starfighters to make up for earlier losses. These aircraft were produced by ARGE-South and by VFW between 1971 and 1972. Altogether, the German Armed Forces ordered 917 Starfighters. One F-104G built by ARGE-West was transferred to the Belgian Air Force as a replacement for an accident loss, leaving 916 Starfighters that ultimately served with the German military.
At the same time as Starfighter production, the General Electric J79-GE-11A engine was manufactured under licence in Europe. Three companies—one each in Belgium, Germany, and Italy—were contracted, with each responsible for roughly one-third of the engine components. These firms were BMW-Triebwerksbau GmbH in Munich-Allach, Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerres (FN) in Belgium, and FIAT in Italy.
German Starfighters, The Story in colour: Introduction and Units, is published by Key Publishing and is available to order here.
Photos by German Federal Archive and U.S. Air Force
