How do the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter's engines take in air?

Question

I just noticed while looking at a picture of one, that the jet air intakes on either side are semicircular in shape. How do they suck in air? And is the engine itself behind it and not in the out-bulging cone?

Answer 1

To answer your latest question, turbines cannot be square, at least, not if they are to work properly.  The inlets, however, can be whatever shape that the engineers deem to be appropriate for proper airflow characteristics.  As has been previously answered, the inlets supply air to the F-104's engine which is mounted in the central body, behind the inlets.  The turbine and ram air (when at speed) will supply air to the engines.

Answer 2

I guess somewhat poorly.  The nacelle (cone) may adjust and that rams i nthe air.

Not so different from an F-18's small intakes.  Plus the jet is going to suck in air...

Answer 3

the engine is built centrally and the intakes just open to the sides

.

http://www.starfighters.nl/

Answer 4

The F104 has only 1 engine.  The air intakes on either side of the fuselage merge into the single air intake for the engine.

Answer 5

Air is a perfect fluid, so the shape of the opening doesn't matter.  Just as you can pour water through a square, round, or triangular hole, the air for the F-104's engine can come in through openings and passages of any shape.  In the F-104, the engine is all the way at the back of the fuselage, and the compressor intake attaches to a "Y" shaped passage that opens out to the two half-circular intakes.

Answer 6

Those cones you see are to decelerate the intake air to subsonic speed, as well as capture the shock wave of that supersonic air and keep it just inside the inlet. Without this, supersonic air would reach the fan face and cause surging and compressor stall. It works in much the same way as the engine on the SR-71, except the cone does not move on the F-104

Answer 7

Well, you can suck in air from any shape intake, as some jets have square intake scoops.  Are you thinking that the intake needs to be round because the turbine is round?  You can suck air from any shape intake, but they are designed to give the best turbulence free air that is around the aircraft.