On this day in aviation history, 72 years ago (October 24, 1953), the Convair F-102 Delta Dagger made its first flight. The F-102 was an American jet-powered interceptor and a member of the famed Century Series—a group of the first successful supersonic aircraft designs to fly with the United States Air Force. The Delta Dagger was developed from the Convair XF-92 prototype in response to the USAF’s 1954 Ultimate Interceptor requirement.
Convair YF-102, serial number 52-7994, was the first Delta Dagger to take to the skies. The flight took place at Rogers Dry Lake near Edwards Air Force Base in California. Convair’s Chief Test Pilot, Richard Lowe Johnson, was at the controls. The first flight was successful, but not without issues. At subsonic speeds, the YF-102 experienced severe buffeting. Aerodynamic drag prevented the aircraft from reaching Mach 1 in level flight, as earlier predicted by NACA during the design phase. The fuel and landing gear systems exhibited minor faults, and the original J57 engine did not produce the expected power.
Eventually, these issues were resolved. The fuselage was reshaped, and a thinner, more refined wing was introduced. The aircraft entered production, and in April 1956, the F-102 was officially introduced into service with the Air Force, strengthening American air defenses against potential Soviet strategic bombers. The F-102A was powered by a Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 turbojet engine producing 11,700 pounds of thrust dry and 17,000 pounds with afterburner. The Dagger had a maximum speed of Mach 1.25 (825 miles per hour), a range of 1,170 nautical miles, and a service ceiling of 53,400 feet—ideal for intercepting enemy bombers.
The F-102A could carry twenty-four 2.75-inch FFAR (Folding Fin Aerial Rocket) unguided rockets in its missile bay doors. Additionally, it could be armed with six AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles, three AIM-4 Falcons, or a single AIM-26 Falcon, equipped with either a conventional or nuclear warhead. Convair built 1,000 F-102s during the aircraft’s production run. The Delta Dagger was later further developed into the F-106 Delta Dart, an all-weather interceptor that first flew on December 26, 1956, and entered service in June 1959. Many F-102s survive today in museums worldwide.
