Phone: 303.360.5360 Online Exhibit of Aircraft
1963 F102A Delta Dagger
Fighter
Manufactured by Convair
Late in World War II, German aircraft designers were working with delta-winged
aircraft. No Delta-Winged aircraft became operational, but the design was pretty
well perfected.
Anxious to cash in on the German work, the U.S. brought German designers to the
U.S. following the war and they helped to design the F-102, Delta Dagger.
In plan, the ship looks like the Greek letter "Delta" for the flying surfaces
form a nearly perfect triangle. The wing and the horizontal member of the tail
surfaces are melded into as single surface. It worked well for the F-102 was
in the Air Force inventory from 1956 to 1978.
Note the fences on the upper surface of the wings, painted red. These directed
the airflow aft over the control surfaces instead of letting it fall off the
wing. Note the "tabs" on the tail assembly. These ships are so clean aerodynamically
that they do not slow down right away when you close the throttle. An artificial
means of slowdown is desirable. Most jets have artificial slowdown devices.
It was designed to be an interceptor and it did the job well. Germany used the
F-l02 as an interceptor as did our Air Force during the cold war. Pilots loved
the ship.
Specifications
- Role/Category: Fighter
- Powerplant: one jet engine with 17,200 pounds of thrust in afterburner
- Speed: maximum - Mach 1.6 cruise speed, climb rate of 12,000 feet per minute for the first minute
- Armament: The F-102 carried no guns. It carried Falcon missiles, which could have a nuclear or high explosive warhead, as desired. Also, 2 .75 inch folding fin rockets were carried for some reason or other. The F-102 was our first fully integrated and complete weapons system consisting of missiles, and avionics. The ship could be flown from the ground with the pilot officiating only at takeoff and landing.
More Photos:
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