Italian service AMI squadrons equipped with the F-104G and S versions were: 9, 10, 12, 18 (initially for reconnaissance, then dual-role), 20 (training), 21, 22, 23, 28 (reconnaissance), 132 (reconnaissance) 102, 154, 155, and 156 (bombers). The
J79-GE-19 allowed a faster climb, comparable with contemporary fighters (up to , with a time-to-climb of 80 seconds claimed; ten seconds less than the F-104G), with the capability of reaching
Mach 2 at in around five minutes. Napoleone Bragagnolo, a test pilot for Aeritalia, was able to land at Ciampino,
Rome, 19 minutes and 30 seconds after taking off from
Turin in northern Italy. During this flight with two wingtip auxiliary tanks, he climbed and accelerated to Mach 2. The aircraft still had of fuel on board when it landed; enough to reach
Palermo, Sicily at subsonic speeds. The average speed for the flight was Mach 1.5. Even with these new Starfighters, the loss rate remained high, with peaks in 1973 and 1975 (ten F-104s of all versions were lost in AMI service during this period). Up to 1997, Italy had lost 137 (38%) of its F-104s in 928,000 flying hours (14.7 aircraft every 100,000 hours). Despite a drop in the loss rate in the 1980s (with 33 losses between 1981 and 1990 included), the debate about the reliability of this aircraft was often fierce in the
mass media, which gave it the nickname
bara volante (meaning "flying casket" in Italian, a translation of the similar German nickname
Fliegender Sarg). In the 1980s the loss rate dropped, even more so in the 1990s, when all the old versions (except TF-104s) were scrapped. During the 1991
Gulf War, 6 Italian F-104s were deployed to Turkey alongside
German Alpha Jets and
Belgian Mirage 5s under a
NATO-based operation to protect Turkey against potential Iraqi attacks. 12 Italian F-104s belonging to 4th, 5th, 9th and 37th Stormi were deployed to the
Balkans in
Operation Deny Flight,
Operation Deliberate Force, and
Operation Allied Force. The last Italian F-104 was withdrawn from front line in 2004, after the type had flown around a million flying hours in a total of over 40 years of service. Four F-104s (2 TF-104M and 2 F-104ASAM) were flown by the Italian Air Force Test Center until July 2005. The last F-104's military flight was in Pratica di Mare on July 27.
Turkish service Turkey was the only other customer for the Aeritalia F-104S. The initial order was placed in 1974, with the first of 18 examples entering service by December 1974. These first aircraft were a gift from
Libya to Turkey during
US embargo against 1974
Turkish invasion of Cyprus. These may have been a reward for good relations and Turkish technical assistance to improve the capabilities of the
Libyan Air Force. Another 18 were ordered in May 1975, which eventually increased to 40 aircraft, but another batch (for 20 aircraft) was dropped, probably because
F-4Es were delivered as well. They served with 142 and 182 Filo from the 1970s, and around a dozen were still in service until the mid-1990s. While 200 Selenia AIM-7 missiles were delivered, Turkish F-104Ss were seldom seen carrying them, thus F-4Es were probably the main users of those missiles.
Mid-life updates , in north-eastern Italy Two further update programs were carried out prior to the introduction into AMI service of the
Eurofighter Typhoon, resulting in the
F-104S-ASA and
F-104S-ASA/M.
F-104S-ASA The F-104ASA (''Aggiornamento Sistemi d'Arma'', Weapon Systems Update), developed in 1986, introduced a
FIAR R21G/M1 Setter radar, with 'look-down' capability and compatibility with the
Selenia Aspide missile. AIM-9Ls were then used as the main armament, replacing the previous "B" and "F" version of this missile, while the older AIM-7s were retained. One AIM-7 was usually carried under each wing. In total, 147 of the F-104S airframes were converted to ASA standard at an expense of around 600 billion
lire, the last ASA model was delivered in the early 1990s.
F-104S-ASA/M The ASA/M upgrade (initially known as the 'ECO' (
Estensione Capacità Operative) upgrade) focused on improving reliability rather than combat enhancements, and involved 49 ASA aircraft. 15 TF-104Gs were also involved in this program . ==Variants==