laststandonzombieisland

The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, called the “missile with a man in it” due to its construction and “Lawn dart” due to its unforgiving flying characteristics (the Germans called it the Witwenmacher–“Widowmaker”), was the hottest thing in the sky in the late 1950s. Placed in production in 1958, it was the F-16 of its day, with over 2500 built and serving the air forces of no less than 11 NATO countries as well as Japan, Jordan, South Korea, the ROC and Pakistan. Heck the Italians only retired their last one in 2004.

The Royal Canadian Air Force had some 200 CF-104s build under license by Canadair in the 1960s. These formed an incredible 8-squadron commitment of the 1st CAD (Canadian Air Division) to the NATO standing air forces in Western Europe that included arming these rocket-ships with U.S.-supplied atomic bombs for if the balloon went up for real (go ahead and try to get 8 squadrons of anything from NATO these days!). By 1970, however, with defense cuts coming, these 8 squadrons were reduced to just three.

However what a beautiful three they were.

They were No. 421 “Red Indians “Squadron,  No.439 “Sabre Tooth Tigers” Squadron, and No. 441 “Checkerboard” Squadron, .Based in Baden-Söllingen (near Baden-Baden), Germany. These squadrons each had a “flash bird” made up for airshows and Tiger Meets in the 1970s and 80s in addition to their dozen or so more combat schemed craft.

With the CF-104 and CF-101 Voodoo replaced by some 138 CF-18A Hornets in 1987, most of the flyable CF-104s were transferred to NATO-ally Turkey where they flew for another decade.

Today both No. 421 and 441 Squadrons have long since been disestablished while No. 439, after flying Hornets for a few years, was moved back to Canada and is now a Combat Support Squadron attached to 3 Wing at Bagotville flying the very un-sexy CH-146 Griffon (Bell 412EP).