F-104 Starfighter.....

[The Basket]

No contemporary 1950s jet suffered fools gladly. Comparing F-35 v F104 is comparing peaches to concrete.
The F104 came out of Korean war studies where sheer performance mattered the most and that's where the Starfighter shines.
The nuclear question is still big. The USAF is a big player because it's nuke capacity. Not CAS. So more B-52 less A-10.

 

[johnbr]

The Lockheed CL-802-12, a modified VTOL F-104 designed for operations in Europe.

 

[swampyankee]

I remember seeing that both Belgium and the Netherlands had quite high accident rates with the F-104, but the Belgians has higher rates with the Mirage III, which doesn't have the same sort of widowmaker reputation.