F-102 Delta Dagger

Description

F-102 Delta Dagger

The Convair F-102A Delta Dagger was developed for the US Air Force as a supersonic interceptor at the onset of the Cold War. It featured a 60-degree swept delta wing to lessen drag coefficient and yield stability at very high altitudes. True to its design, the F-102A made more than 1,000 intercepts of Soviet bombers in defense of Western airspace. Within the US, 22 Air National Guard squadrons were equipped with the Dagger from 1960 until its retirement in 1976. The 102 was also deployed to Vietnam during the war in Indochina, initially to protect