F-102 Delta Dagger
The F-102 Delta Dagger manufactured by Convair was built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force defense in the late 50s. The aircraft entered service in 1956 with the USAF, ad later to Greece and Turkey. Its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleet in the United States.
Delta Dagger was developed from the XF-92A delta wing research aircraft of the late 1940s. The Air Force took a new approach on weapon systems and operational interceptor. The production F-102A had the Hughes MG-3 fire control system, later upgraded in service to the MG-10. The TF-103A trainer was developed to train F-102A pilots with 111 eventually built. The F-102’s direct successor was the F-106 Delta Dart.
The USAF Air Defense Command had F-102 Delta Daggers in service in 1960 and the type continued to serve in large numbers with Air Force and Air National Guards units well into the 1970s. Some of the Delta Daggers were configured to accommodate a single AIM-26 Super Falcon in each side bay of the conventional 2 x AIM-4 Falcons.
Specifications (F-102A)
Crew: 1
Powerplant: 1 x Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 afterburning turbojet
Maximum speed: Mach 1.25 (825 mph, 1, 304 km/h) at 40,000 ft (12,190 m)
Range: 1,350 mi (1,170 nm, 2, 175 km)
Service ceiling 53,400 ft (16,300 m)
Rate of climb: 13,000 ft/min (66m/s)
Armament:
Rockets: 24 x 2.75 in (70 nm) unguided rockets in missile bay doors
Missiles: 6 x AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles
3 x AIM-4 Falcon
1 x AIM-26 Falcon with conventional or nuclear warhead
Filed Under History
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