Sylvie Willis
The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. It is powered by a GE J79 engine, which has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs in full afterburner. The J79 engine burns 10 gallons of fuel per second at full afterburner, which is 600 gallons of fuel per minute. The afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and there are four stages of fuel flow in the afterburner.
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What You'll Learn
The F-104's J79 engine burns 10 gallons of fuel per second when using an afterburner
The F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. It is powered by a GE J79 engine, which is just over 17 feet long and weighs around 3,600 pounds. The J79 engine has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs in full afterburner and 10,000 lbs at military power. The afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and the engine rpm must be at least 94.6% to light the afterburner.
The high fuel consumption of the F-104's J79 engine, especially with the afterburner, has implications for the aircraft's performance and operational strategy. Pilots need to carefully manage their fuel load and usage to ensure they have sufficient fuel for their missions. As shared by one pilot, loading 20 to 30 minutes of fuel is a rule of thumb, but the specific amount can vary depending on the plane and the mission requirements.
The J79 engine's fuel system uses a centrifugal booster pump and two positive displacement gear-type pumps. The loss of the centrifugal pump may limit power during low-altitude, high-mach operations, but the engine will not fail completely as the other pump can supply enough fuel. The F-104's performance and capabilities are closely tied to its fuel management and engine functionality, making it crucial for pilots to have a thorough understanding of these systems.
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The afterburner provides 15,800 lbs of maximum thrust
The F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. It was created by Lockheed as a day fighter for the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-104 is powered by a GE J79 engine, which has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs when in full afterburner. This powerful engine enabled the F-104 to reach impressive speeds, with a maximum speed of Mach 2, or 1,320 mph.
The J79 engine has a fuel consumption of 10 gallons per second at full afterburner, which is an incredible 600 gallons of fuel burned in just one minute. To ensure positive ignition of the fuel, the F-104's engine uses a pilot burner that provides an intense flame through a fuel nozzle and spark plug. This system activates as soon as the afterburner is selected and continues until the engine is shut down.
The afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and the engine RPM must be at least 94.6% to light the afterburner. There are four stages of fuel flow in the afterburner: Primary sector, Secondary sector, Primary uniform, and Secondary uniform. The F-104's engine also has variable inlet guide vanes on the first six compressor stages, which are controlled by the fuel system to optimise engine acceleration.
The F-104's performance is closely linked to its fuel management. For example, when starting at 22,000 lbs and 0.90 Mach at 35,000 feet, it will require 1,100 lbs of fuel to reach 1.5 Mach. The afterburner fuel consumption does not register on the fuel flow gauge, so pilots must carefully monitor the compressor inlet temperature (CIT) as it limits the maximum speed at altitude.
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There are four stages of fuel flow in the afterburner
The F-104 is powered by a GE J79 engine, which has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs in full afterburner. The afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and there are four stages of fuel flow in the afterburner:
Primary Sector
The first stage of fuel flow in the afterburner is the primary sector. The fuel in a turbine engine burns in an excess amount of air, providing sufficient amounts of oxygen to support further combustion. This allows for the injection of additional fuel for burning downstream of the turbine, increasing the overall thrust of the jet engine.
Secondary Sector
The secondary sector is the second stage of fuel flow in the afterburner. At this stage, the gas temperature decreases as it passes through the turbine. The afterburner combustor then reheats the gas to a much higher temperature than the TET (Turbine Entry Temperature).
Primary Uniform
In the primary uniform stage, the gas is accelerated by the heat addition, known as Rayleigh flow. The nozzle then further accelerates the gas to a higher exit velocity than without the afterburner. The mass flow is also slightly increased by the addition of the afterburner fuel.
Secondary Uniform
The final stage of fuel flow in the afterburner is the secondary uniform. The afterburning jet pipe is larger than a normal jet pipe to obtain a reduced velocity gas stream. The nozzle will open or close to give an exit area suitable for the volume of the gas stream, preventing any pressure increase from occurring in the jet pipe.
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The F-104's engine rpm must be at least 94.6% to light the afterburner
The F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor. It was designed as a day fighter by Lockheed and was part of the "Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-104 is powered by a General Electric J79 engine, which is just over 17 feet long and weighs around 3,600 pounds.
The J79 engine has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs in full afterburner and 10,000 lbs at military power. The engine consists of a 17-stage compressor, an accessory drive section, an annular combustion chamber, a three-stage turbine, and an afterburner. The F-104's engine rpm must be at least 94.6% to light the afterburner. This is because the afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and the engine must be at a high enough rpm to activate this pump.
The F-104 has four stages of fuel flow in the afterburner: Primary sector, Secondary sector, Primary uniform, and Secondary uniform. To ensure positive ignition of the fuel, the pilot burner provides an intense flame through a fuel nozzle and spark plug. This system activates automatically when the afterburner is selected and continues until the engine is shut down.
The F-104 has impressive fuel consumption, burning 10 gallons of fuel per second at full afterburner, which is equivalent to 600 gallons of fuel per minute. Due to its high fuel consumption and relatively small fuel capacity, the F-104's time on station can be significantly reduced during maneuvers that require high fuel consumption, such as sustaining a 7-g turn below 5,000 feet with full afterburner.
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The F-104 performs best at 35,000 feet
The F-104 Starfighter is an American single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft. It was created by Lockheed as a day fighter as part of the "Century Series" of fighter aircraft for the United States Air Force (USAF). It was first flown in March 1954 and was extensively deployed as a fighter-bomber during the Cold War.
The F-104 is powered by a GE J79 engine, which has a maximum thrust of 15,800 pounds in full afterburner. The afterburner fuel is supplied by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump, and the engine RPM must be at least 94.6% to light the afterburner. The afterburner fuel consumption is approximately 10 gallons per second, or 600 gallons per minute.
The F-104 has excellent supersonic and high-speed, low-altitude performance, but it has poor turning capability and high landing speeds. It was the first production aircraft to achieve Mach 2 and the first aircraft to reach an altitude of 100,000 feet under its own power. The F-104 has set numerous world speed and altitude records, and it has been used for various missions, including testing heat-resistant tiles for the Space Shuttle and launching sounding rockets.
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Frequently asked questions
The F104 uses 10 gallons of fuel per second when the afterburner is in use, which is the equivalent of 600 gallons of fuel per minute.
The afterburner is supplied with fuel by its own engine-driven centrifugal pump. The engine rpm must be at least 94.6% for the afterburner to light.
The F104 is powered by a GE J79 engine, which has a maximum thrust of 15,800 lbs with an afterburner.
The afterburner allows the F104 to reach higher speeds, with a maximum speed of Mach 2. The afterburner also improves the climb performance of the aircraft, especially above 35,000 feet.
