The studies and experiments carried out by Convair from 1948 to produce a supersonic aircraft equipped with a delta wing gave birth to an exceptional family of combat machines (F-102, F-106), sophisticated to the point of remaining in service until in the second half of the seventies. In particular, the F-102 Delta Dagger were the first USAF interceptors equipped with a delta wing and the first armed exclusively with air-to-air missiles.
The Convair launched the F- 102 in operation in 1950 after two years of experiments carried out by technicians from the Californian factory in the field of supersonic flight. Indeed, in 1948, the Convair had built a prototype (XF-92A), carried out in order to study the possibility of developing the supersonic fighter F-92 initially planned. This experimental aircraft had flown successfully and the results obtained had proved very useful in shortening the delays of the new program:the first prototype YF-102, which flew on October 24, 1953, appeared in the form of an enlarged version but, essentially identical to the XF-92A which had seen the light of day five years earlier.
Winner of the competition organized by the USAF, the new device began immediately attempts. These brought to light a long series of problems, especially of an aerodynamic nature, to the point that the original project had to be revised and modified to a large extent. The first YF-102A flew on December 20, 1954, this time with full success:during the second test, it easily managed to reach supersonic speeds. From then on, production maintained a high pace:the initial order was constantly being added to by others, bringing the total number of F-102As manufactured up to April 1958 to 975. Deliveries to detachments began in the middle of from 1956.
Then it was necessary to add an instructional model to the basic version, and on November 8, 1955, the first of 111 TF-102A appeared, largely similar to fighters, but characterized by the widening of the frontal part of the fuselage and of the cockpit, so as to allow the installation side by side of the two crewmen. The training Delta Daggers retained the sophisticated weapon system placed on the F-102A. In 1957, when Convair began a production modernization program to equip all F-102s with the same standard operational equipment, the on-board equipment became even more complex and modern. Delta Daggers saw heavy use until 1974, when the first of these began to be withdrawn from the front line for delivery to Air National Guard detachments. The Americans also ceded several copies to Turkey and Greece, as part of aid programs for NATO countries.
Aircraft:Convair F-102A Delta Dagger.
Constructor :Convair Division of General Dynamics.
Type :hunting.
Year :1954. withdrawal 1979
Engine:turbojet Pratt &Whitney J57-P-23 with 7,711 kg thrust.
Wingspan :11.61 m.
Length :20.83 m.
Height :6.45 m.
Take-off weight :14,288 kg.
Maximum speed speed:1,327 km/h at 10,975 m altitude.
Maximum operating altitude :16,460 m.
Range :2,170 km.
Armament :6 AA missiles.
Crew :1 person.