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Join this channel to get access to perks: Want to learn more about Periscope Film and get access to exclusive swag? Join us on Patreon. Visit Visit our website In the 1950s, at the height of the Cold War, NATO developed ZELL – the Zero-Length Launch system, using rocket-assisted F-104 Starfighters and other primary attack aircraft. This program would have allowed dispersal of aircraft to remote areas, protecting them during a first strike while simultaneously allowing them to respond quickly to an enemy threat. This silent film from the test program shows a JATO launch of a dummy sled, and then a JATO launch of an actual Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. The idea behind ZELL was similar to a sister program, the Short Air Field for Tactical Support or SATS program. SATS was a test program to allow the F-104 to take-off and land on short runways. SATS featured a runway with an aluminum surface of interlocking lightweight metal alloy planking, a catapult and a carrier deck-type arresting gear. The SATS tests were carried out at the Naval Air Test Facility in Lakehurst, U.S. where a few hundred take-offs and landings were successfully completed. The ZELL tests were probably conducted at the same locale. Airstrike From Anywhere is a short film about the new portable, temporary airstrip capabilities of the U.S. Navy. The film opens with a Lockheed F-104 Starfighter taxing for take-off. The F-104 flies through the air. The film shows the plane’s tail hook. The F-104 lands (00:51) on a temporary runway constructed of interlocking mats manufactured by Harvey Aluminum, Inc. At the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in El Toro, CA (01:26), F-104s are tested on the short 2,000-foot runway. An aerial view shows the construction of the runway at the test site (02:00). Mats for the runway are laid in a brick-like pattern (02:40). Men adapt an F-104, giving it a tail hook. The F-104 flies through several touch-and-go passes on the newly built runway, then lands (03:50). Men film the test landings (04:08) with high speed cameras. A closeup view of the mats show the minimal damage caused by the landing of an aircraft even heavier than the F-104 (04:45). Men lay the mats down on a muddy surface. The film concludes with more footage of an F-104 landing on the portable airstrip. The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter is a single-engine, supersonic interceptor aircraft which later became widely used as an attack aircraft. It was originally developed by Lockheed for the United States Air Force (USAF), but was later produced by several other nations, seeing widespread service outside the United States. One of the Century Series of fighter aircraft, it was operated by the air forces of more than a dozen nations from 1958 to 2004. Its design team was led by Kelly Johnson, who contributed to the development of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Lockheed U-2, Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird, and other Lockheed aircraft. Motion picture films don't last forever; many have already been lost or destroyed. For almost two decades, we've worked to collect, scan and preserve the world as it was captured on 35mm, 16mm and 8mm movies -- including home movies, industrial films, and other non-fiction. If you have endangered films you'd like to have scanned, or wish to donate celluloid to Periscope Film so that we can share them with the world, we'd love to hear from you. Contact us via the weblink below. This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit
