F-104G 20+38 JaboG 31 Norvenich AB 1980

F-104G, construction number 683-2045, company model 683-10-19, built by Lockheed
manufactured by Group USA (ARGE-USA); assembly in Fighterbomber version according contract lot 5 at Palmdale; for test flights coded "145"
acceptance date December 14, 1961 by BABwLockheed, coded KF+121 for system tests at Palmdale with 115 flight hours flown in 1962
airlifted to Germany August 7, 1962 in a Canadair CL-44D airfreighter of "Flying Tiger Line"; project "Loreley" was not implemented
project "Replace" with modification as Fighterbomber with the Vulcan M61 20 mm machine gun installed and long range tanks as loose parts
test flight at Messerschmitt on November 6, 1962; acceptance date February 4, 1963 by BABwMTT
DA+243 JaboG 31 "Boelcke" at Norvenich AB delivery date on February 26, 1963 in Silver finish colors; at 4.Tactical Weapons Meet in Chaumont France seen on June 11, 1965
July 1, 1965 heavily damaged after take-off abort due to nose wheel shimmy, by truck to Messerschmitt for repair
camouflage scheme "Norm 62" according tech order "TA-196" in 1966, back to JaboG 31 on September 9, 1966
20+38 Tactical Weapons Meet at Twenthe AB May 1976; JaboG 34 on May 2, 1983; TechnGrp 11 on June 6, 1984
withdrawn from use at LwSchleuse 11 on March 6, 1985 with 3.870 flight hours; struck off charge order (AVA) December 18, 1984
MAP (Military Assistance Program) to Turkish Air Force June 11, 1985 (with TuAF serial number 61-2045); coded "4-45" at 4.AJU at Murted AB; coded "9-045" with 193 Filo at Balikesir AB in 1988
withdrawn from use on October 24, 1989; preserved at Balikesir AB in old Luftwaffe color scheme in April 1994 first noted; March 2009 noted; April 2010 last noted
present status unknown; likely scrapped.

Project "Replace": 21 aircrafts (partly with and partly without test flights) were stored with a long-term preservation for the purpose of a later upgrade and transfer to the BABwMTT 
for storage at Manching AB. 19 aircraft were later upgraded when enough retrofit kits were available.

copyright © Hans-Peter Jans