Convair F-102 Delta Dagger

Summary

Description

The genesis of the program that led to the F-102 Delta Dagger dates back to the appearance of the first Tupolev Tu-4 heavy bombers (copies of the B-29) in the skies of Moscow during the annual air parade in October 1947. The previously nonexistent Soviet strategic threat became a palpable concern for the United States. The existing or under development interceptors, namely the North American F-86 Sabre, Northrop F-89 Scorpion, and Lockheed F-94, all being subsonic, did not have the necessary potential to be effective aircraft against this new threat.

In May 1949, a competition was therefore launched between six aerospace manufacturers for an all-weather interceptor. Convair ultimately won the contract against the other finalist, the Republic XF-103. The first examples of the Convair F-102 were supposed to be equipped with a Westinghouse J40 turbojet engine, while the subsequent examples would be powered by a more powerful Wright J67. But by December 1951, neither the J67 engine nor the MA-1 fire control system seemed to be ready on time. In the meantime, a interim version designated as F-102A was put into service while awaiting the final version, the F-102B. However, the F-102B eventually became so different from the original version that it was redesignated as the F-106 Delta Dart in 1956.

Like any combat aircraft program, the increase in weight of the F-102A became a problem, and the originally planned J40 thrust - which was the most powerful turbojet engine at the time - quickly became insufficient to provide the desired performance. The USAF then preferred the Pratt & Whitney J57, which was expected to enter production in 1953, and the J40 was also abandoned due to reliability issues.

The production of the first flying prototype YF-102 was completed in the fall of 1953. Powered by a J57-P-11 engine, it took off on October 24, 1954. Unfortunately, it encountered serious vibrations at Mach 0.9 that prevented it from exceeding the speed of sound: this problem proved potentially fatal for the entire project. Other issues arose, related to the landing gear, the fuel system, and even the J57 engine, which proved incapable of delivering its full power. This first YF-102 was lost on November 2 following an engine problem.

The F-102 program was in great difficulty, and its performance was barely better than that of the already in-production F-86D. The solution was found through modification and elongation of the fuselage design. A new designation was given to these prototypes: YF-102A. The first YF-102A took off on December 20, 1954, and reached Mach 1.2.

The first 40 production examples of the F-102A Delta Dagger delivered to the USAF were used for research and development, with none entering active service. The first operational delivery to a unit of the Air Defense Command (327th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at George AFB in California) arrived on May 1, 1956, three years after the expected date.

The name "Delta Dagger" was chosen in 1957, and between 1952 and 1957, five production contracts were signed for a total of 875 F-102A aircraft. By the end of 1958, 26 squadrons were equipped with the F-102A Delta Dagger, which became the most produced interceptor at the expense of the North American F-86 Sabre. 627 examples were in service, accounting for half of all interceptors in the Air Defense Command (ADC). At the peak of its active duty, 32 Fighter Interceptor Squadrons (FIS) of the ADC flew the Delta Dagger, with the last of the 873 F-102A aircraft produced being delivered in September 1958.

In March 1962, aircraft from the 590th Fighter Interceptor Squadron were transferred to the base at Tan Son Nhut, near Saigon, in South Vietnam: it was in this theater of operations that the F-102A took part in its first operational sorties in a real combat environment. In December 1969, the Delta Dagger was finally phased out, having performed remarkably well, with only 15 aircraft lost during missions. None of these aircraft were officially engaged in air-to-air combat; however, it appears that one F-102A was shot down on February 3, 1968, by a missile fired by a MiG-21 Fishbed, two others were downed by anti-aircraft fire, four were destroyed on the ground by the Viet Cong, and eight were lost in accidents.

In the early 1960s, the F-102A was gradually replaced within the Air Defense Command by the McDonnell F-101B Voodoo and the Convair F-106 Delta Dart. The only F-102A aircraft still in service with the USAF in the early 1970s were all based outside the United States. Some squadrons were maintained in Germany and the Netherlands. These were gradually replaced by McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom aircraft, with the last aircraft being retired from service in October 1976.

Technical specifications

Current operating countries

No country is operating the F-102 Delta Dagger in 2024.

All operators

Greece • Turkey • United States

Armament

Missiles payload:

• Air-to-Air Short-Range AIM-4 Falcon
• Air-to-Air Short-Range AIM-26 Falcon

Photo of F-102 Delta Dagger

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