Convair F-102A "Delta Dagger"

The Convair F-102A "Delta Dagger" was a supersonic interceptor weighing 31,559 pounds loaded, armed with twenty-four unguided 2.75-inch rockets and six Hughes "Falcon" missiles, and powered by a Pratt and Whitney J57-P23 axial flow gas turbine with 16,000 pounds of thrust with afterburner. It reached a maximum speed of 810 miles per hour at 54,000 feet, had a range of 1,000 miles, a service ceiling of 55,000 feet, a crew of one, and was one of 875 built. The F-102 was the world's first supersonic all-weather jet interceptor, using onboard electronic equipment to locate enemy aircraft and signal the radar to guide the jet into attack position, where an electronic fire control system could automatically fire its air-to-air rockets and missiles. The Louisiana Air National Guard flew the F-102 from 1 July 1960 to 5 December 1970, when it was replaced by the F-100D Super Sabre.

Arabi, Louisiana · United States