jtchew@csa1.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW) (09/14/90)
From: jtchew@csa1.lbl.gov (JOSEPH T CHEW) Apparently not only is the F-104 still in service, but at least one government plans to keep it there awhile. The September 10 Aviation Week has an article (IMHO, uncharacteristically sketchy) on Israel Aircraft Industries. It mentions a contract to modify F-104s on behalf of an unnamed major Far East operator. (My semi-educated guess would be Indonesia.) Says IAI is also remanufacturing Phantoms on behalf of Israel. The F-104 in particular is likely to be older than its pilots, but hey, different Air Forces fly different missions against different threats -- and I daresay you can crack Mach 2 for less money with an overhauled Starfighter than with a new anything. --Joe "Just another personal opinion from the People's Republic of Berkeley"