F-104C and G questions

[momaw nadon]

I got myself a Smoke II F-104 the other day and was wondering about the different armament it carried and have some questions for anyone that knows about the Starfighter. I did some searching on the web but can't find much on it. I'm not a big aircraft nut and don't know too much on the subject, but I like to know about the aircraft I buy.

First is about the hardpoints? I seen some with five points and some with just the three like the 21st C version. Would the C and the G have five points (2 underwing) and how often was five/more used?

Next would be on armament. Would the underwing hardpoint droptanks used be the same as the ones that 21st C have on the wingtips? If not, how different would they be? What would the normal payload of a Nam F-104C be? I read that they carried napalm, 2.75 rocket pods, and bombs, but does anyone know names/version of these weapons they carried? The only thing I can really find about weapons that it carried are Sidewiders and Mk12 or Mk28 tactical nuclear bomb. How often would they have flown with a nuclear payload? And would a Nam bird flown like that? Also on a 104G like the German one, what would it's payload be?

Reason I’m asking all the questions is I want to make some custom armament for my 104, so any good pictures of underwind droptanks, napalm, or any other weapons they would have flown with would help big time. Also the centerline and underwing pylons positions and/or pictures would be great too. Thanks for any information and help.
momaw nadon

[Folkwulfe]

This is the most accurate information I have found.

Basic armament of the F-104 was the M61 Vulcan 20 mm Gatling gun. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to carry the new weapon, which had a phenomenal rate of fire of 6,000 rounds per minute. The cannon, mounted in the lower part of the port fuselage, was fed by a 725-round drum behind the pilot's seat. It was deleted in two-seat models and some single-seat models, including reconnaissance versions and the early Italian F-104S models (the gun bay and ammunition tank could be replaced by an additional fuel tank). Two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles could be carried on the wingtip stations, which could also be used for fuel tanks or other stores. F-104C and later models added a centerline pylon and two underwing pylons under each wing for bombs, nuclear weapons, rocket pods, or tanks. The centerline pylon could carry a "catamaran" launcher for two additional Sidewinders, although the installation had minimal ground clearance and made the seeker heads of the missiles vulnerable to ground debris. The F-104S and some F-104G and F-104J models added a pair of fuselage pylons beneath the intakes, usually used for Sidewinders (providing better ground clearance than the catamaran launcher and leaving the centerline available for other stores). The Italian F-104S had still another pylon under each wing, for a maximum of nine. The F-104S was cleared for a higher maximum take-off weight, allowing it to carry up to 7,500 lb (3,400 kg) of stores; other Starfighters had a maximum external load of 4,000 lb (1,814 kg).

As most all of the AF F-104s that served during Vietnam were C-2 or later, they carried a normal two hardpoints (one under each wing) and the two wing-tip hardpoints. A "standard" layout was two sidewinders on wing-tip stations and either napalm of iron bombs on under-wing stations. This was for QRF or rapid ground support roles. In the air superiority role, under-wing stations carried drop tanks with stabilization fins different from the wing-tip tanks.
This is by no way meaning these were the only configurations. There were many.

[momaw nadon]

That is about what I found too. Would you have any pictures or know where I can find any of the underwing droptanks? Also any good pictures of the napalm or iron-bombs used? The only thing I find on searches on those are what napalm did in Nam and on bombs I get modern one. So I have know idea where to start from.

Also anyone know of armament configurations of other countries? ie the German F-104? Thanks
momaw nadon

[Grilledcheese]

Don't know if this will help any, but...
Here are a couple of sites with tons of F-104 info. The second site also has a slew of starfighter pictures in the service of multiple countries.


http://www.vectorsite.net/avf104_1.html

http://www.starfighters.nl/



Jeffrey (the other one)

[momaw nadon]

Thanks for the sites. Found some good pictures of the underwing droptanks and they shouldn't be to hard to make. Odd think is there was very few pictures with payloads. So I still have no clue what the napalm looks like.

Anyway, maybe someone can help with these pictures:
What is on the centerline pylon on this German F-104? It looks like another droptank to me, but I have no real clue other than that.
http://news.webshots.com/photo/29413463 ... 8458tKCVqz

On the German F-104, what is the missile under the wing? Is it the MBB Kormoran Anti-Ship Missile? One site said that Marineflieger of the German Navy, the Bundesmarine carried that missile, but haven't found out much yet.
http://news.webshots.com/photo/21615432 ... 8458ABtyFr

Thanks again for all the help.
momaw nadon