WRECKAGE IN FIELD; DETACHED NOSE CONE; BURNT-OUT ENGINE; MEN INSPECT WRECKAGE; EJECTOR SEAT; WRECKED TAILPLANE; PARACHUTE IN TREE; MILITARY BY WRECKAGE.




Initials AH/VS/JH/MH


This material re-issued: Available as X2150-72. CAN NO: 10436
EDITORS: PLEASE REFER TO OUR PRODUCTION NUMBER 8286/69 SERVICED ON 13 OCTOBER, 1969.

Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: THE WEST GERMAN AIR FORCE LOST ITS 100TH STARFIGHTER JET IN A CRASH NEAR MEMMINGEN YESTERDAY (MONDAY). THE AIRCRAFT SCATTERED ITS WRECKAGE OVER A FIELD JUST OUTSIDE THE SMALL VILLAGE OF ERKHEIM. BUT ALTHOUGH 54 LUFTWAFFE PILOTS HAVE LOST THEIR LIVES IN STARFIGHTER CRASHES SINCE 1961, ON THIS OCCASION THE PILOT EJECTED SAFELY.

MONDAY'S CRASH HAPPENED WHEN THE FIGHTER-BOMBER WENT INTO A SPIN DURING A TRAINING FLIGHT. AFTER USING HIS EJECTOR SEAT, THE PILOT PARACHUTED INTO A TREE.

THE AMERICAN-DESIGNED F-104G STARFIGHTER HAS FORMED THE SPEARHEAD OF THE LUFTWAFFE'S STRIKE CAPABILITY SINCE IT WAS ADOPTED UNDER A 1960 NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY ORGANISATION AGREEMENT BY WEST GERMANY -- TOGETHER WITH OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES.

BUILT UNDER LICENCE BY THE WEST GERMAN MESSERSCHMITT COMPANY, THE AIRCRAFT, WHICH OPERATES AT TWICE THE SPEED OF SOUND, WENT THROUGH OVER 10,000 DESIGN CHANGES IN ATTEMPTS TO IMPROVE ITS RELIABILITY.

BUT THE CONTINUED ALARMING CRASH RATE OF THE STARFIGHTER CONTRIBUTED TO A LEADERSHIP CRISIS IN THE WEST GERMAN ARMED FORCES IN 1966, WHEN THREE TOP GENERALS RESIGNED, INCLUDING THE GENERAL COMMANDING THE AIR FORCE.

THE LUFTWAFFE'S 700 STARFIGHTERS ARE DUE TO THE REPLACED AS THE FRONT-LINE STRIKE AIRCRAFT BY A MULTI-ROLE COMBAT AIRCRAFT NOW BEING DEVELOPED JOINTLY BY WEST GERMANY, BRITAIN AND ITALY.