Convair F-102 Dagger Delta

The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (called Deuce ) is a interceptor designed by the the United States in the Années 1950. It is the first plane with Delta wing brought into service at the world, and the first plane designed as a part of an integrated system. It carried its armament of air-to-air missiles in a ventral compartment. The development of this plane was long and problematic but it was finally built with more than 900 specimens, which remained in service until the end of the Années 1970 with the the United States, in Greece and Turkey.

Design

At the end of the years 1940, the appearance of the first Soviet strategic bombers as the Tupolev You-4 pushed the American Staff with launching the development of a series of interceptors to protect the territory from the the United States against this threat. Initially, the development of the Lockheed F-94 Starfire and the Northrop F-89 Scorpion was accelerated to meet this need, but it was obvious that it was not that about a solution of waiting.

In 1950, USAF launched a project intended required by 1954 an interceptor supersonic all-time, with all its armament and its electronics of edge. The development of the various elements (plane, missiles, radar) was to be done in parallel, in order to anticipate the integration of the components as soon as possible. This new approach thus aimed at developing a complete Système of weapon and not only one fighter. The complete program was indicated WS-201A (WS for Weapons System ) and included/understood two sub-projects:

MX-1179 for all the armament and the electronics of edge, allotted in July 1950 to Hughes Aircraft Company
MX-1554 for the plane, allotted at the end of 1951 to Convair after rejection of project XF-103 suggested by Republic Aircraft Corporation

The Convair company had proposed a derivative of the experimental plane Convair XF-92A with Delta wing, which had made its first flight in September 1948. The first specimens were to be propelled by an engine Westinghouse J40 while waiting for the availability of most powerful Wright J67 but, even with J40, an high speed to 1400 km/h was awaited. However, as of December 1951, the delays of development of J67 and the system of shooting MA-1 led USAF to consider a first intermediate version F-102A with temporary equipment, while waiting for version F-102B equipped with the final systems.

In front of the increase in weight of the future F-102A, it was decided to adapt the new engine Pratt & Whitney J57 to the place of J40 which was not sufficient any more. The construction of the first 10 planes began at the beginning of 1952, and 32 specimens were officially ordered at the end of 1952 with a startup envisaged at the end of 1955, that is to say approximately 2 years of delay. In 1953, the first wind tunnel tests showed that the Traînée was such as the F-102 future was not likely any to exceed the Mur of the sound, which was proven when the first prototype was available.

The first YF-102 made its inaugural flight on October 24th 1953, but was lost in an accident nine days later. The second plane stole on January 11th 1954, confirming poor performances, well below the specified requirements: speed did not exceed Mach 0,99 in level flight (Mach 1,24 in piqué) and the ceiling was limited to 12 000 meters. Moreover, the J57 engine did not provide the awaited push and the feeding system while carburizing was defective.

Whereas the program was now threatened of pure and simple abandonment, engineers de Convair found a solution in the Loi of the surfaces which had just been formulated. The fuselage of F-102 then completely was redrawn, lengthened of 3 meters, refined in the medium and equipped with 2 bumps on the level of the conduit. An engine J57P-23 offering 20% of additional power was installed. Indicated YF-102A, the first plane thus modified made its inaugural flight on December 20th, 1954. Some time later, the speed of Mach 1,2 was reached and the exceeded altitude of 15.700 meters.

In June 1954, USAF ordered 20 specimens of a two-seater version of drive TF-102A. The pilots were installed side by side in a fuselage before widened. The planes preserved their operational capacities, even if they kept the system of less powerful shooting MG-3 throughout their career. The first TF-102A made its inaugural flight on October 31st, 1955. In-flight tests involved some minor aerodynamic modifications. In spite of orders of 150 then 111 planes, only 63 specimens were finally built.

In 1956 work started on version F-102B, equipped with the system of shooting MA-1 initially planned for the F-102A. This version was however quickly redésignée F-106 Delta Dart.

The F-102A in service

The first F-102A of series was delivered to USAF at the end of June 1955, with some modifications compared to the YF-102A. The first specimens were only used for the various tests and never entered in active service. The first squadron was declared operational on May 1st, 1956. Several defects last being a little later corrected like the enlarging of the drift to solve problems of horizontal stability, and a weakness of the landing gear. The system of shooting MG-3 was replaced by the most powerful MG-10. At the end of 1957, a new wing was installed, making it possible to increase the ceiling, speed in altitude, and maneuverability.

At the beginning of their career, the F-102A were armed with six missiles Falcon to semi-active guidance (AIM-4A) or infra-red (AIM-4C). Thereafter, they were equipped with the AIM-26A Super Falcon to nuclear warhead and with versions improved of Falcon (AIM-4E or AIM-4F). In this case, the standard armament was a AIM-26A and three AIM-4. The rockets placed in the doors of the ventral compartment were removed, and a system of detection and infra-red guidance assembled in front of the windshield.

As of the middle of the years 1960, the F-102A started to be transferred in the units from reserve from the National Air Guard. With the beginning of the year 1970, plus any unit of active did not use this plane and the first F-102A were definitively reformed. The last of them were withdrawn from the service in October 1976.

As from 1968, about fifty F-102A and TF-102A of USAF were transferred to the Turkey which used them until 1979. The year according to, the Greece bought in its turn 19 F-102A and 5 TF-102A of occasion, which were withdrawn from the service in 1978.

In the middle of the years 1970, a certain number of F-102A were déstockés and transformed into remote-controlled drones. They were used at the time of exercises to simulate enemy planes while allowing a real weapon shooting. Certain planes were used during tests of the systems of F-15 or the missile Stinger.

The F-102A was controlled by George Walker Bush during her military service in the National guard.

Engagements

In 1962, a squadron of F-102A was deployed in the South Vietnam and others in Thailand. During the War of Vietnam, these planes carried out some missions of escort of the bombers B-52. In 1965, some F-102A were used for missions of attack, although the plane is absolutely not adapted to this mission: it acted more harassing while drawing from the air-to-air missiles with infra-red guidance on sources of heat at the time of missions of night, or by firing the 12 rockets not guided at the time of missions of day. On the whole, 15 F-102A were lost at the time of these operations, including 8 following accidents.

Alternatives

YF-102 - prototypes (2 specimens)
YF-102A - planes of preproduction with new fuselage and new engine (4 specimens)
F-102A - first version of series (873 specimens)
TF-102A - two-seater version of drive (63 specimens)
QF-102A - drones used within the framework of the tests of F-15 (6 modified F-102A)
PQM-102A - only remote-controlled drones (65 modified F-102A)
PQM-102B - drones still being able to be controlled (84 modified F-102A)

Country users

the United States
Greece
Turkey

See too

Related developments

Convair F-106 Delta Dart

Similar planes

Dassault Mirage III
Soukhoï Known-9

Successive designations

F-100 - F-101 - F-102 - XF-103 - F-104 - F-105 - F-106 - F-107 - F-108

External bonds

F-102 Dagger Delta on the site of Joseph F. Baugher

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