The Convair F-102 Jet Fighter "Delta Dagger" formed part of the backbone of the United States Air Defense System in the late 1950's after entering service in 1956, with the main purpose of intercepting enemy aircraft in U.S. air space, chiefly potential Soviet bomber fleets during the Cold War. Because the project was troubled, it was soon replaced by the F-101 and the F-4, and many aircraft were transferred to the United States National Guard for duty by the mid to late 1960s. As the Delta Dagger fell short of its goals, improvements for the F-102B eventually produced an entirely new aircraft, the F-106 "Delta Dart." The aircraft left service altogether in 1976. A total of 899 F-102As were built, and 375 were transferred to Air Guard units. This plane was assigned to the 112th Fighter Interceptor Group, which included the 146th and 147th Fighter-Interceptor Squadrons stationed at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport from the 1960s until 1975. In 1976, this jet was disassembled in Pittsburgh and moved to Ft. Indiantown Gap. Its basic statistics were a crew of 1 and an interceptor role, a maximum speed of 810 mph, a cruising range of 1,360 miles, a combat range of 1,000 miles, a ceiling of 55,000 feet, 1 Pratt and Whitney J57 engine with afterburner, a length of 68.33 feet, a height of 21.17 feet, a wingspan of 38.08 feet, a wing area of 661.5 square feet, aircraft number 62346, and armament of 24 unguided 2.75 in FFAR rockets, six AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles, or two AIM-26B guided missiles.