How high could the F-104G climb in ballistic flight?

Short answer

In the late 1960s, pilots from 322 or 323 Squadron at Leeuwarden flew zoom climbs above 70,000 ft in the F-104G. On 8 November 1967 Captain Henk Krauss set a new record by exceeding that altitude. The Starfighter's absolute ceiling was around 27,400 m (90,000 ft).

Published: October 31, 2026 · Updated: October 31, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How high could the F-104G climb in ballistic flight?

F-104 right side view

Zoom climbs from Leeuwarden

In the late 1960s, pilots from 322 or 323 Squadron, based at Leeuwarden Air Base, climbed in zoom flights above 70,000 feet. On 8 November 1967, Captain Henk Krauss, from one of those two squadrons, set a new record by exceeding 70,000 feet. The aircraft used on that flight was an F-104G.

Ceilings and climb rate

The Starfighter's service ceiling was 15,240 m (50,000 ft) and its absolute ceiling was around 27,400 m (90,000 ft). Its initial climb rate was 14,630 m/min (48,000 ft/min). The Starfighter climbed like almost no other aircraft before it, at about 48,000 ft/min. It was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold the world records for speed, altitude, and time to climb.

Beyond 100,000 feet

In December 1959 it became the first aircraft to exceed 100,000 ft under its own power. That same month, Captain Joe Jordan took one above 100,000 feet powered solely by its engine. It was also the first aircraft to take off under its own power and exceed 100,000 feet. Three examples were eventually fitted with a Rocketdyne rocket in the tail, the NF-104s, to train astronauts in flying at the edge of space.