[Fiji Hill]

By the time hostilities ended on December 16, the MiGs had downed four F-104 Starfighters, two F-6s, an F-86 Sabre and a C-130 Hercules of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).

The F-104 was West Germany's front-line fighter at the time and was prone to accidents.

An F-86 Sabre vs. a MiG-21? That would be the equivalent of a Nieuport-17 vs. a P-61.

[SampleMan]

The F-104 was a pure interceptor. It had a stall speed of over 200 mph and was a real handful to land and takeoff.

I’d say the turning radius of a 5G turn would have to be measured in tens of miles.

To dog fight with it would be quite stupid.

[Tallguy]

“The F-104 was West Germany’s front-line fighter at the time and was prone to accidents.”

The F-104G that Germany used was essentially a different aircraft. It was heavily modified for ground attack. Lengthened fuselage, increased fuel capacity, ground-mapping radar, inertial navigation — all the things you’d look for in a low-level strike aircraft. But it was a handful.