F-104 Starfighter Stars and Stripes Short-Sleeve Unisex T-Shirt (No Text)

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Color: Black
Size: S
Short Sleeve T-Shirt Size Chart

The F-104 Starfighter was a Mach 2 interceptor and fighter-bomber developed in the early 1950s by Clarence “Kelly” Johnson’s team at Lockheed. First flown on Mar 4ᵗʰ, 1954, it entered U.S. Air Force service in 1958 as part of the Century Series. Nicknamed “the missile with a man in it” for its long, slender fuselage and very short wings, the F-104 set multiple world records, including a speed record of 1,404.19 mph in 1958 and an altitude record of 103,395 ft in 1959.

Powered by a single General Electric J79 turbojet, the F-104 was the first U.S. jet fighter in service capable of Mach 2 flight. It was armed with a 20 mm M61 Vulcan cannon and could carry Sidewinder missiles, rockets, conventional bombs or nuclear stores, depending on the variant and mission. Although fast and advanced for its time, the Starfighter had demanding handling characteristics and suffered high accident rates in some air forces.

The Starfighter served with more than a dozen nations, including Canada, West Germany, Italy, Japan and Taiwan. While its U.S. Air Force front-line service was brief, with most active units moving on by the late 1960s, many allied air forces operated upgraded variants for decades. Italy was the final military operator, retiring its last operational F-104s in 2004.

In combat, the F-104 saw limited U.S. use in Vietnam, flying MiG combat air patrol, escort and later ground-attack missions. It also saw combat service with Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistani wars and with Taiwan during the 1967 Taiwan Strait air battle.

Why are the stripes vertical?
Great question - and you're absolutely right that the U.S. flag is usually displayed with horizontal stripes. But in this design, we’ve reimagined the flag as an artistic tribute rather than a literal representation. We chose to depict the flag as if it were hanging vertically from above, similar to how it might appear draped at a hangar entrance or suspended during a ceremony.  This vertical orientation allows the iconic silhouette of the aircraft to really shine -with the red and white stripes running the length of the fuselage, it creates a bold, centred look while still honouring the flag’s spirit and symbolism.

Comfortable nice material

Michael R

True size, very good quality  !!! Thank You

Jozef S

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