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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The "Starfighters" display in 2008

Starfighters Space is a civilian organization that uses F-104 Starfighters for contract testing and flight simulations.

History

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Starfighters Space, based in Clearwater, Florida, began as a private venture founded in 1995[1] to restore and fly three former Canadair CF-104 Starfighters at air shows across the United States and Canada. Initially their CF-104s consisted of a two-seat CF-104D Serial#:104632 (registered as N104RB[2]), and two single-seat CF-104s Serial#s: 104850 (registered as N104RD[3]) and 104759 (registered as N104RN[4]). The aircraft were originally operated with the Royal Canadian Air Force and all later served with the Royal Norwegian Air Force before being imported into the U.S. in the early 1990s.[5]

In the 2010s, the company cut back on air show appearances and taken more government and private contract work—for example, providing high-performance photo chase planes for flight tests, simulating enemy aircraft in military exercises, and modelling ballistic missiles for detection system evaluation.[6] In summer 2011 the company acquired five more aircraft. The estimated cost of restoration of each of the five aircraft is $1 million.[7] In winter 2025, the organization created Starfighters Space, focused on air-to-orbit launches of small satellite and payloads. The IPO raised $40 million from 11 million shares of common stock.[8]

CEO and President of Starfighters was formerly Rick Svetkoff, who founded the organization. In February 2026, he stepped down and Tim Franta was appointed CEO; he had served as VP of Development since October 2022.[9]

Lawsuits

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In April 2026, former CEO Richard (Rick) Svetkoff sued Starfighters Space and its leadership, alleging breach of fiduciary duty, self-dealing, and mismanagement of corporate assets and seeking damages of more than $26 million and other relief.[10] Starfighters Space denies the allegations and says it plans to defend the suit, countering that internal investigations show questionable actions on Svetkoff's part.

In May 2026, Starfighters Space filed suit in the Southern District of Florida against suspected short sellers and a short and distort scheme.[11] The case (Starfighters Space Inc. et al. v. Does 1 Through 10)[12] is notable for charging anonymous actors, in hopes that the discovery portion of the trial would reveal their identities. The "Does" are accused of taking a short position in Starflighter stock and pseudonymously publishing a defamatory and inaccurate report about the company's management and finances, leading to stock declines.[11]

Fleet

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  • CF-104D, ex-Canadian Armed Forces serial number 104632, registered as N104RB[13]
  • CF-104G, ex-Canadian Armed Forces serial number 104759, registered as N104RN[14]
  • CF-104G, ex-Canadian Armed Forces serial number 104850, registered as N104RD[15]
  • F-104B, ex-USAF serial number 56-1296, registered as N65354[16]
  • F-104S, ex-Italian Air Forces serial number MM6734, registered as N993SF[17]
  • TF-104G-M serial number 54251, registered as N990SF[18]
  • TF-104G-M serial number 54258, registered as N991SF[19]
  • TF-104G-M serial number 54261, registered as N992SF[20]

References

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  1. ↑ "F-104 Starfighter – Fly a Starfighter". Archived from the original on 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-05-30.
  2. ↑ "FAA Registry (N104RB)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  3. ↑ "FAA Registry (N104RD)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  4. ↑ "FAA Registry (N104RN)". Federal Aviation Administration.
  5. ↑ Starfighters F-104 Demo Team Archived 2013-09-06 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 6 February 2008
  6. ↑ March, Peter R. "Starfighters Inc Receives Italian F-104s." Aircraft, August 2011
  7. ↑ March, Peter R. "Starfighters Inc Receives Italian F-104s." Aircraft, August 2011
  8. ↑ "Starfighters Space Completes $40 Million Regulation A IPO - Vintage Aviation News". 2025-12-30. Archived from the original on 2026-01-01. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  9. ↑ Murray, Ian (2026-02-23). "Starfighters Space Founder Rick Svetkoff Steps Down after Listing on NYSE; Tim Franta Appointed as CEO". Starfighters Space. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  10. ↑ "Starfighters Space Faces Legal Dispute With Former CEO | FJET News & Analysis". Panabee. 2026-04-13. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  11. 1 2 Abrams, Sarah (2026-06-08). "Affirmative Litigation and "Short-and-Distort" Campaigns". The D&O Diary. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  12. ↑ "Starfighters Space, Inc. et al v. Does 1 through 10". Justia Dockets & Filings. Retrieved 2026-06-10.
  13. ↑ "N-Number Inquiry Results Registration N104RB Serial number 104632." Federal Aviation Administration, Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  14. ↑ "N-Number Inquiry Results Registration N104RN Serial number 104759." Archived 2021-07-27 at the Wayback Machine Federal Aviation Administration, Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  15. ↑ "N-Number Inquiry Results Registration N104RD Serial number 104780." Federal Aviation Administration, Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  16. ↑ "FAA Registry: N65354." Archived 2021-07-27 at the Wayback Machine faa.gov Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  17. ↑ "N-Number Inquiry Results Registration N993SF Serial number MM6734." Federal Aviation Administration, Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  18. ↑ "FAA Registry: N990SF." Archived 2021-07-27 at the Wayback Machine faa.gov Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  19. ↑ "FAA Registry: N991SF." Archived 2021-07-27 at the Wayback Machine faa.gov Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
  20. ↑ "FAA Registry: N992SF." Archived 2021-07-27 at the Wayback Machine faa.gov Retrieved: 27 July 2021.
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