In the late 1950s, due to advances in jet fighter technology leading to the increasing obsolescence of the Sabre day fighter and changes in Canada’s role in NATO, the Canadian government was looking for a new fighter aircraft. The Lockheed F-104 manufacturing contract was given to Canadair Ltd. in Montreal for 200 aircraft. The General Electric J-79-OEL-7 engine also was built in Canada by Orenda Engines Ltd. The CF-104s also carried RCAF-specific equipment, including a ventral reconnaissance pod equipped with four Vinten cameras and special electronic sensors. 

In March 1962, the CF-104 entered Canadian service. In the RCAF it was used primarily for low-level strike and reconnaissance. Of the nine CF-104 RCAF squadrons, eight were stationed in Europe as part of Canada’s NATO commitment. The only non-NATO squadron was the 448 Squadron based in Cold Lake, Alberta. The European NATO commitment was reduced to six squadrons in 1967, with a further reduction to three squadrons in 1970. 

From 1962 to 1971, the CF-104 were equipped for a possible nuclear strike role. The CF-104s would have been armed with US-supplied nuclear weapons in the event of conflict with Warsaw Pact forces. 

After 1971, with the nuclear strike role removed, the CF-104 took up a conventional attack role with rockets and bombs. In the late 1970s, the Canadian Forces realized that a replacement for the CF-104 Starfighter, CF-101 Voodoo and CF-116 Freedom Fighter was needed. The chosen aircraft was the CF-188 Hornet, which began to replace the CF-104 in 1982. All of the CF-104s were retired from service by the Canadian Forces by 1987, with most of the remaining aircraft given to Turkey. 

The Museum’s Starfighter was taken on strength on March 18, 1963. During the 1960s, Dual-seat CF-104 Starfighter 104646 operated out of Cold Lake, Alberta, as part of the No. 6 Operational Training Unit. The large “X” marking on the tail indicated that 104646 also was operated by Aerospace Engineering Test Establishment, a unit that evaluates the safety and effectiveness of the aircraft in the Canadian military. 

In 1983, CF-104 Starfighter 104646 flew from Cold Lake to Trenton. This was the last flight of a Starfighter in Canada. 104646 was stored at the Mountainview storage facility before it was acquired by the Museum.