F-104 Pilot Recalls when He Nearly Intercepted a CIA U-2 and Caused the Replacement of ANG Starfighters with F-102 Delta Daggers

Key Takeaways

• F-104s acted as stop‑gap ADC interceptors
• ANG pilots lacked pressure suits for high‑altitude missions
• Near‑miss with a CIA U‑2 prompted aircraft reassignment
• LeMay ordered F‑104s back, replacing pilots with F‑102s
• F‑102 Delta Dagger became ANG’s primary interceptor

Summary

The F‑104 Starfighter, once a record‑breaking supersonic fighter, was used by the Air National Guard as a short‑term interceptor in the early 1960s. In 1963, a South Carolina ANG pilot, Maj Gen Stan Hood, was scrambled to intercept an unidentified high‑altitude aircraft that turned out to be a CIA U‑2, despite lacking pressure suits. The near‑miss alarmed senior USAF leaders, and General Curtis LeMay ordered the F‑104s returned to active duty and replaced the ANG’s fleet with F‑102 Delta Daggers. The episode highlighted the F‑104’s limitations for high‑altitude air‑defense and accelerated the transition to more capable delta‑wing interceptors.

Pulse Analysis

During the height of the Cold War, the United States built an intricate air‑defense network anchored by the SAGE system, which required interceptors capable of integrating sophisticated radar and communications gear. The F‑104 Starfighter, celebrated for its speed and altitude records, lacked the space and avionics to plug into SAGE, relegating it to a stop‑gap role for the Air Defense Command before being passed to the Air National Guard. Its slim fuselage and limited payload made it ill‑suited for sustained high‑altitude missions, a shortcoming that would soon be exposed.

In 1963, Maj Gen Stan Hood of the South Carolina ANG was launched from five‑minute alert to chase an unidentified aircraft cruising above 60,000 feet. Unaware that the target was a CIA U‑2 spy plane, Hood’s F‑104, without a partial‑pressure suit, performed a split‑S maneuver and returned to base, narrowly avoiding a dangerous encounter. The episode, kept secret at the time, reached General Curtis LeMay, who demanded the ANG’s only high‑altitude interceptors be reclaimed for active duty. LeMay’s decisive order underscored the strategic risk of assigning under‑equipped reserve units to critical air‑defense tasks.

The fallout reshaped USAF procurement strategy: the aging F‑104s were withdrawn from the Guard and replaced with the larger, radar‑equipped F‑102 Delta Dagger, which could fully integrate with SAGE and operate safely at extreme altitudes. This transition not only bolstered the Guard’s defensive posture but also illustrated how operational incidents can accelerate platform modernization. Modern forces draw a parallel lesson—reserve components must be equipped with systems that match active‑duty capabilities to maintain credible deterrence in an era of rapid technological change.