Aereo Lockheed F104-S (Starfighter)

A static display specimen of the Lockheed F-104S Starfighter, preserved as an open-air monument in Palermo. The Starfighter was the first aircraft to simultaneously hold world records for top speed, maximum altitude — reaching 31,513 metres — and rate of climb, making it one of the defining jets of the Cold War era. Built from 1956 onward by Lockheed and European licensees, it was conceived purely as a high-performance interceptor. The F-104S was the final and most advanced variant, serving with the Italian Air Force until 2004. Up close, the aircraft's razor-thin wings and needle-like fuselage make it immediately clear why it earned the nickname 'the missile with a man in it.'