XF-104 primitive wooden design fixture in 1953 Although all were interesting, Lockheed had an insurmountable lead and was granted a development contract in March 1953. Test data from the earlier Lockheed X-7 unmanned ramjet/rocket program proved invaluable for aerodynamic research since the XF-104 would share the general design of the X-7's wing and tail. Experience gained from the Douglas X-3 Stiletto was also used in the design phase of the XF-104. Over 400 surplus instrumented artillery rockets were launched to test various airfoils and tail designs; from which the camera film and telemetry were recovered by parachute "XF-104 primitive fixture" likely refers to elements of the original, rudimentary engineering used during the initial design and flight testing phases of the XF-104 prototype aircraft The wooden mock-up was ready for inspection at the end of April 1953 copyright © LCC archive

