On this day in aviation history, 71 years ago (December 20, 1954), the Convair YF-102A Delta Dagger took flight for the first time, from Edwards Air Force Base. The F-102 was an interceptor aircraft designed and built by Convair, originally known as Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation. The Delta Dagger was a member of the Century Series, a line of successful fighter aircraft that ranged from the F-100 to the F-106. F-102s were both the first operational supersonic interceptors and the first delta-wing fighter to be flown by the United States Air Force.
Development of the F-102 began in response to a 1954 US Government requirement for the Ultimate Interceptor. The intent of the requirement was to produce an interceptor capable of catching Soviet strategic bombers as they approached. After the original flight of the YF-102 encountered developmental problems in testing, the 1954 flight at Edwards AFB would be the first to establish the aircraft on a track record towards success. In April of 1956, the F-102 was introduced into service.
Delta Daggers saw combat service during the Vietnam War, primarily as bomber-escorts and ground-attack aircraft. F-102s were frequently joined by F-101 Voodoos and eventually F-4 Phantom IIs on their sorties. After service in Vietnam, the F-102 was flown mostly by Air National Guard Units. The Delta Dagger would be further developed by Convair into the F-106 Delta Dart, an extensive redesign that was capable of attaining Mach 2. Convair built a total of 1,000 F-102s during the aircraft’s manufacturing run.
The Convair F-102A was powered by a Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 afterburning turbojet engine that produced 11,700 pounds of thrust dry, and 17,000 pounds with afterburner engaged. The F-102 could attain a maximum airspeed of Mach 1.25, or 825 mph. Delta Daggers had a combat range of 1,170 nautical miles, a service ceiling of 53.400 feet, and a 13,000 feet per minute rate of climb. The F-102 was armed with twenty-four 2.75-inch FFAR (Folding Fin Aerial Rocket) unguided rockets within its missile bay doors. Additionally, the aircraft could be fitted with either six AIM-4 Falcons, three AIM-4 Falcon 1s, or one AIM-26 Falcon air-to-air missile(s) (with a standard or nuclear warhead).
