Air RB / Aircraft Database / Profile
F-104S TAF
Italy · Rank VII · Fighter
- Acquisition Type
- Premium
- Air RB battle rating
- 11.3Observed October 8, 2026
Weapons & equipment checked October 14, 2026.
Aircraft overview
F-104S TAF has a radar-missile option in the AIM-7E Sparrow. Set up the shot where you can support it without ignoring the return fire. If the enemy forces you defensive, saving the aircraft comes before holding the lock.
How to fly it
Set up the first engagement
Build speed and choose an attack line that carries you through the fight. Plan the exit before committing to a target.
Make the attack count
Make a pass and extend. If the opponent turns sharply out of the sight, let the shot go instead of dragging the aircraft around after them.
Know when to break off
Leave when more enemies arrive, the target draws you away from support, or another turn costs the speed you need to escape. A teammate nearby is more useful than a duel you cannot finish.
Common mistakes
- Forcing the original plan. Bleeding the speed away to follow one evasive turn and having no clean way out.
- Ignoring the next attacker. Look outside the target chase between attacks. The enemy arriving from behind is often the one who decides whether you get home.
Strengths & limitations
Strengths
Use the supported radar shot
AIM-7E Sparrow gives you a radar-guided attack to work with. Choose a contact you can keep track of while still watching the threats coming toward you.
Choose the engagement
An enemy already committed to a teammate gives you time to set up. Enter from a crossing angle and avoid announcing the attack with a long straight chase.
Limitations
A missed shot can cost the next fight
If the first attack becomes a slow chase, another enemy gets time to line up. Check above and behind before spending more speed on the original target.
The lock competes with your defense
A semi-active radar shot needs support. Break it off if maintaining the engagement would carry you through an incoming missile or into several enemies.
Recommended Air RB loadouts
AIM-7E Sparrow
Use this semi-active radar option when you have a workable radar track and room to support the attack. Do not keep the nose committed once an incoming threat makes that unsafe.
AIM-9B Sidewinder
Use the infrared option against a target with little time to react. Judge the angle, closure and countermeasures before firing; a seeker lock alone is not a good reason to launch.
Radar & defenses
Look outside the radar display
Find and track contacts with the radar modes this aircraft provides. Keep the selected weapon in mind when choosing the mode. Once you close, check the sky between looks at the display; the next attacker may not be the contact you are tracking.
React to warnings in time
A radar warning matters even when you nearly have your own shot. Make room to defend, and keep looking for infrared launches that the RWR cannot announce.
Check the countermeasure fit
Fit the available countermeasures for the threats you expect. For an infrared attack, cut afterburner if in use, flare and change the missile’s view of the aircraft. For radar threats, combine the appropriate defensive turn with chaff where fitted.
Ground attack & CAS
Choose the target before diving
For 500 lb LDGP Mk 82 bomb, choose the target before the run and allow room to pull out clear of the blast. Turn away after release; watching the hit leaves you flying a predictable line over the target.
Set the sight before the run
Select the fitted weapon and its supported impact or release cue before entering the target area. Make the correction on the approach; do not circle over the target trying to work out the controls.
Handling & fuel
Keep speed for the next decision
Ease off the pull when the shot is gone. Recover speed and separation before deciding to turn back; holding maximum input through every reversal leaves fewer options.
Plan the return
Check fuel after the opening fight, especially if you have spent the approach on high power. Allow for the flight back and landing rather than using the hangar endurance as an afterburner timer.
Battle Rating History
| Observation | Battle rating |
|---|---|
| October 8, 2026 · Archive | 11.3 |
Unchanged on . Profile rating observed October 8, 2026: 11.3.