F-104 G "ZELL" 1:48

History

The Bundeswehr's ZELL program, which originated at Lockheed in California, served to test the possibility of launching the F-104G without the need for a runway. Using a Rocketdyne booster, the jet was to be able to take off from a standing start in order to launch an immediate counter-attack in the event of a nuclear attack. The NATO strategy of “massive retaliation” at the time could thus have been implemented directly. However, due to a change in strategy towards “flexible retaliation”, the program was discontinued in October 1966.

Model