F-104 with arrestor hook????

[Arsenal VG-33]

I was going through some boxes which contained some of my childhood/teen years things, and I found my old little Modern Fighter Aircraft book from the mid-1980s. All profile drawings of military aircraft of the day. I came across the F-104 Starfighter, and noticed that an arrestor hook was visible under the fuselage, between the wing and the exhaust. The F-104 was not aircraft carrier capable, was it? Was it for short landings or emergency purposes?

 

[Dark Matter]

Couldnt be carrier capible....The wings are to damn small!

 

[vikingBerserker]

I've never heard of one being carrier capable. I believe it was for emergency landings only.

 

[Dark Matter]

Actualy, look:

 

[vikingBerserker]

I think a number of USAF Jets have them too. When I lived on Shaw AFB, IIRC the F-16's had them as well.

 

[FLYBOYJ]

Many USAF fighters have tail hooks for emergency purposes.

Aerospaceweb.org | Ask Us - Air Force Fighters Tailhooks

 

[Degs]

look up Rotary Hydraulic Arrestor Gear. (RHAG) most military airfields have them fitted in case of drag chute or hydraulics failure

 

[FLYBOYJ]

There's also chains layed across the over runs at many military airfields for this purpose.

 

[evangilder]

Yep, I remember several cables strung across the runway at Lakenheath for emergency landings. There were also heavy chains at the very ends for the last gasp. With F-111s, they got quite a bit of use because the 'Varks didn't have reverse thrust, just brakes. When they had hot brakes (not uncommon after long runups), they wouldn't slow down enough and cables were needed. It looked really cool at night as the hook dragged the pavement, sending out sparks.

 

[S. Vetter]

The -104 was never meant to be carrier capable. It was used for landing at airfields that were of questionable length. While the brakes of the -104 were good, they still could not hold back the aircraft at full thrust.

 

[Wildcat]

Here's a good example of the hook in action. This one on an F-111

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIyYK9oz9Go