Editing Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (section)

{{Short description|Cold War interceptor of the US Air Force}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = F-102 Delta Dagger
| image = File:Convair YF-102 FC-782.jpg
| caption = YF-102 prototype
| type = [[Interceptor aircraft]]
| manufacturer = [[Convair]]
| designer =
| first_flight = 24 October 1953
| introduction = April 1956
| retired = 1979{{refn|The USAF retired its F-102s from service in 1976, followed by both Greece and Turkey in 1979. The USAF F-102s remained as target drones until 1986.|group=N}}
| number_built = 1,000
| primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
| more_users = [[Hellenic Air Force]]<br />[[Turkish Air Force]]
| status =
| unit cost = US$1.2&nbsp;million<ref name="knaack p169">Knaack 1978, p. 169.</ref>
| developed_from = [[Convair XF-92]]
| variants =
| developed_into = [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart]]
}}

The '''Convair F-102 Delta Dagger'''{{refn|It appears that the aircraft was originally intended to be named '''Machete''';<ref>''Aircraft Recognition Manual, Supplement No. 5 (Army Field Manual), Volume FM 30-30, June 1954, p. 11.'' Washington, D.C.: United States Department of Defense.</ref> it is unclear when the Delta Dagger name was adopted.|group=N}} is an [[interceptor aircraft]] designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer [[Convair]]. A member of the [[Century Series]], the F-102 was the first operational [[supersonic]] interceptor and [[Delta wing|delta-wing]] fighter operated by the [[United States Air Force]] (USAF).

The F-102 was designed in response to a requirement, known as the ''1954 Ultimate Interceptor'', produced by USAF officials during the late 1940s. Its main purpose was to be the backbone of American air defences and to intercept approaching [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[strategic bomber]] fleets (primarily the [[Tupolev Tu-95]]) during the [[Cold War]]. The aircraft was designed alongside a sophisticated [[fire-control system]] (FCS); however, a simplified unit had to be adopted due to development difficulties. It used an internal weapons bay to carry both guided missiles and rockets. On 23 October 1953, the prototype YF-102 performed its [[maiden flight]]; however, it was destroyed in an accident only nine days later. The second prototype allowed flight testing to resume three months later, but results were disappointing: as originally designed, the aircraft could not achieve [[Mach number|Mach]]&nbsp;1 [[Supersonic speed#Supersonic flight|supersonic flight]].

To improve its performance prior to quantity production commencing, the F-102 was redesigned, its fuselage was reshaped in accordance with the [[area rule]] while a thinner and wider wing was also adopted. Flight testing demonstrated sufficient performance improvements for the USAF to be persuaded to permit its production; a new production contract was signed during March 1954. Following its entry to USAF service in 1956, the F-102 promptly replaced various [[Subsonic aircraft|subsonic]] fighter types, such as the [[Northrop F-89 Scorpion]], in the interceptor role. The ''F-102C'' tactical attack model, equipped with several improvements, including a more powerful engine and Gatling gun, was proposed but not ultimately pursued. A total of 1,000 F-102s were built, both for the USAF and a handful of export customers, including the [[Hellenic Air Force]] and the [[Turkish Air Force]].

By the 1960s, USAF F-102s had participated in a limited capacity in the [[Vietnam War]] as a [[Escort fighter|bomber escort]] and even in the [[Close air support|ground-attack]] role. The aircraft was supplemented by [[McDonnell F-101 Voodoo]]s and, later on, by [[McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II]]s. Over time, many F-102s were retrofitted with [[Infra-red search and track|infrared search/tracking systems]], [[radar warning receiver]]s, transponders, backup [[artificial horizon]]s, and modified fire-control systems. Throughout the mid-to-late 1960s, many USAF F-102s were transferred from the active duty Air Force to the [[United States Air National Guard|Air National Guard]], and, with the exception of those examples converted to unmanned ''QF-102'' Full Scale Aerial Target (FSAT) drones, the type was totally retired from operational service in 1976. Its principal successor in the interceptor role was the Mach 2-capable [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart]], which was an extensive redesign of the F-102.