Aeritalia F-104S Starfighter
The last and most capable Starfighter — Sparrow-armed, J79-19-powered, and in Italian front-line service until 2004 · First flight 1966 · In service 1969
The F-104S came from Lockheed's 'Super Starfighter' studies and Italy's mid-1960s requirement for an all-weather fighter. It had the more powerful J79-GE-19, slightly larger intakes, two extra ventral fins, and nine hardpoints instead of five. The NASARR R-21G radar had a continuous-wave illuminator for the semi-active AIM-7 Sparrow. On the interceptor version the M61 cannon was removed to make room for the missile avionics, while the fighter-bomber kept it. A modified Fiat-built F-104G flew as the aerodynamic prototype on 22 December 1966, and the first production aircraft flew on 30 December 1968.
The type joined 22° Gruppo in mid-1969, and Italy took 205 aircraft by 1979. Turkey was the only other customer, receiving 40 from 1974. From 1985 Italian aircraft were brought up to ASA standard, with a frequency-agile look-down/shoot-down radar and the AIM-9L and Selenia Aspide missiles. In the late 1990s, 49 were converted to ASA/M with GPS, a new inertial system and their strike equipment removed.
The F-104S-ASA/M of 10° Gruppo/9° Stormo at Grazzanise retired in October 2004, ending more than 40 years of Italian Starfighter flying. They were the last Starfighters in front-line service anywhere. The final Italian military F-104 flight took place at Pratica di Mare on 27 July 2005.
