The Lockheed F-104C came about as the result of Tactical Air Command (TAC) decision that the F-104A wasn’t a capable supersonic tactical strike fighter. The F-104C was equipped with an in- flight refueling probe to extend its range and was capable of delivering a tactical nuclear weapon. Put into service during the Vietnam War the USAF realized the F-104C wasn’t the aircraft for Vietnam and was replaced with the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II. The surviving F-104Cs were transferred to the 198th TFS of the Puerto Rico Air National Guard.
F-104D (c/n 5038) 57-1326 “4166” was one of six F-104Ds purchased from the U.S. Air National Guard by the Republic of China that operated 244 Starfighters in total. The F-104Ds were used to equip the 427th TFW located at Ching Chuan Kang Air Base assigned to train pilots for combat missions using the Starfighter. All variants of the F-104 were retired in the early 1980s with some being sold to Jordan and Pakistan. 4166 was sent to the Aviation Technology School and later transferred to the Military History Museum.