Warplanes of the USA: Convair F-106 Delta Dart

F-106 Delta Dart

(USAF Photo)

An F-106A Delta Dart aircraft passes over the Mojave Desert while en route to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., where it will be used in the QF-106 drone program. The aircraft, which was the second-to-last F-106 in active service, had been used as a safety chase aircraft in the B-1B aircraft production acceptance flight test program.

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was an all-weather interceptor aircraft designed in response to the 1954 interceptor program. Envisioned as an imagined "Ultimate Interceptor", it was a development of the F-102 Delta Dagger, and commenced as the F-102B prior to being redesignated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-106 was designed without a gun or provision for carrying bombs, instead carrying its AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles within an internal weapons bay, its clean exterior was beneficial to supersonic flight. Major differences from the F-102 included the adoption of the more powerful Pratt & Whitney J75 turbojet engine, heavily redesigned air inlets along with a variable-geometry inlet duct to suit a wide range of supersonic speeds, application of the area rule to the fuselage shaping, and a general increase in size. On 26 December 1956, the first prototype performed its maiden flight. After flight testing demonstrated lesser performance gains than anticipated, the USAF ultimately only ordered 350 of the planned 1,000 F-106s.

Becoming operational in June 1959, the F-106 was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the USAF through much of the Cold War era; it ended up being the final specialist interceptor to be used by the service to date. It was never used in combat nor were any export opportunities secured. During the 1960s, a competitive evaluation between the F-106 and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II determined the latter to be marginally superior, yet the type continued to be operated for a further two decades due to extensive demand for the F-4 in other roles. Convair proposed various improved models of the F-106, typically focused on the radar, communications, and other avionics, but none of these schemes were pursued. In one high-profile incident over Montana on 2 February 1970, an unmanned F-106 recovered from a flat spin after its pilot had ejected, belly landing relatively intact in a snow-covered cornfield; it was recovered and continued to be flown for numerous years afterwards.

The F-106 was gradually withdrawn from USAF service during the 1980s as the arrival of newer air superiority fighters, particularly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, had made the role of dedicated interceptors obsolete. Numerous F-106s would be operated for a time by the Air National Guard. Many withdrawn aircraft were promptly converted into target drones and redesignated QF-106 under the Pacer Six program, which were used up in 1998. A handful of F-106s were operated by NASA for experimental purposes, such as the Eclipse Project, through to 1998. (Wikipedia)

(USAF Photo)

Convair F-106A Delta Dart from California ANG firing an AIR-2 Genie missile.

(USAF Photo)

32d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Convair F-102 Delta Daggers Four-Ship formataion.

(USAF Photo)

Two U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A-105-CO Delta Dart aircraft (s/n 59-0027, 59-0031) from the 119th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 177th Fighter Interceptor Group, New Jersey Air National Guard, during the air-to-air weapons meet "William Tell '84" in October 1984.

(Bernard Spragg Photo)

Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Serial No. 55-3366).

(USAF Photo)

F-106 Delta Dart aircraft being piloted by a squadron commander during a training mission. The aircraft are from the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota.

(USAF Photo)

101st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron Two F-106 Delta Daggers in formation, 1965.

(USAF Photo)

Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Serial No. 58-0797), California Air National Guard, 194th FIS.

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(USAF Photo)

Convair F-106 Delta Dart fighter from the 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Charleston AFB, Sout Carolina, 1982.

(USAF Photo)

Two U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A Delta Dart (s/n 58-0792, 57-0241) escorting a Lockheed C-141A Starlifter (s/n 66-0168) on 15 April 1980 in the vicinity of Charleston Air Force Base, South Carolina (USA). The F-106As were assigned to the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, based at Langley AFB, Virginia (USA), and the C-141A was assigned to the 437th Military Airlift Wing at Charleston.

(USAF Photo)

Three U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A Delta Dart fighters (s/n 58-0793, 59-0005, 59-0006) from the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota (USA), are being refueled by a Boeing KC-135A-BN Stratotanker (s/n 62-3554) on 27 July 1981.

(USAF Photo)

A U.S. Air Force Convair F-106B-31-CO Delta Dart aircraft (s/n 57-2514) from the 119th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 177th Fighter Interceptor Group, New Jersey Air National Guard, during exercise "Amalgham Chief '87-1" on 18 November 1986.

(USAF Photo)

U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A Delta Dart (s/n 57-2494) of the 102nd Fighter Interceptor Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard based at Otis Air Force Base, Massachusetts (USA), intercepting a Soviet Tu-95 Bear D bomber aircraft off Cape Cod on 15 April 1982. The F-106A 57-2494 (c/n 8-24-77) was retired to the AMARC as FN0163 on 29 December 1987. It was converted to an unmanned QF-106A drone and shot down with a FIM-92 Stinger hand-held surface-to-air missile on 27 August 1996.

(USAF Photo)

A U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A-80-CO Delta Dart (s/n 57-2467) aircraft from 101st Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 102nd Fighter Interceptor Wing, Massachusetts Air National Guard, arrives at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida (USA), to compete in the air-to-air weapons meet WILLIAM TELL '84 on 1 October 1984. The F-106A 57-2467 was retired to the AMARC as FN0167 on 29 December 1987. It was later converted to an QF-106 (AD209) and expended as a target on 9 August 1996.

(USAF Photo)

Four U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A Delta Dart fighters (s/n 58-0793, 59-0002, 59-0005, 59-0006) from the 5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota, fly over Mount Rushmore, South Dakota (USA), on 27 July 1981.

(NASA Photo)

clipse program QF-106 Delta Dart.

(NASA Photo)

Eclipse program QF-106 Delta Dart taking off from Mojave Airport in California. In 1997 and 1998, the Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, California, supported and hosted a Kelly Space & Technology, Inc. project called Eclipse, which sought to demonstrate the feasibility of a reusable tow-launch vehicle concept. The project goal was to successfully tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 delta-wing aircraft with an Air Force C-141A transport aircraft. This would demonstrate the possibility of towing and launching an actual launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. Dryden was the responsible test organization and had flight safety responsibility for the Eclipse project. Dryden provided engineering, instrumentation, simulation, modification, maintenance, range support, and research pilots for the test program. The Air Force Flight Test Center (AFFTC), Edwards, California, supplied the C-141A transport aircraft and crew and configured the aircraft as needed for the tests. The AFFTC also provided the concept and detail design and analysis as well as hardware for the tow system and QF-106 modifications. Dryden performed the modifications to convert the QF-106 drone into the piloted EXD-01 (Eclipse eXperimental Demonstrator–01) experimental aircraft. Kelly Space & Technology hoped to use the results gleaned from the tow test in developing a series of low-cost, reusable launch vehicles. These tests demonstrated the validity of towing a delta-wing aircraft having high wing loading, validated the tow simulation model, and demonstrated various operational procedures, such as ground processing of in-flight maneuvers and emergency abort scenarios.

(Bob Schlieffert Photo)

Montana ANG F-106B is landing at Davis Monthan AFB in January 1987.

(Bob Schlieffert Photo)

In June 1988 the F-106s were still arriving at AMARC for storage. 56-0453 of 49th Fighter Interceptor Squadron (Griffiss, NY) was not completely ready for storage in the desert yet. In February 1990 it left AMARC to be converted to unmanned aerial target and in January 1995 it crashed at White Sands, NM. 56-0453 was the third Delta Dart produced by Convair in San Diego.

(SDASM Photo)

Convair F-106 Delta Dart (Serial No. 53-1809).

(USAF Photo)

32d Fighter-Interceptor Squadron TF-102 Delta Dagger 54-0375.

(USAF Photo)

A U.S. Air Force Convair TF-102A-41-CO Delta Dart (s/n 56-2339) of the 182nd Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 149th Fighter Interceptor Group, Texas Air National Guard, at Kelly Air Force Base, Texas (USA) on 1 May 1965. The 182nd FIS flew the F-102 from 1960 to 1968. F-102A (s/n 56-1481) is visible in the background.

(RuthAS Photo)

Convair TF-102A Delta Dagger 0-62379 of 111 Fighter Interceptor Squadron, 147 Fighter Group, Texas Air National Guard in 1971.

(NMUSAF Photo)

A two-seat Convair F-106B-80-CO Delta Dart (S/N 59-0163, third to last -B model produced).

(NASA Photo)

Convair F-106, N616NA, NASA.

(USAF Photo)

Two U.S. Air Force Convair F-106A-110-CO (S/N 59-0051) and F-106A-1-CO (S/N 57-0234) Delat Darts of the 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, based at McChord Air Force Base, Washington (USA), over Alaska in July 1963.

(USAF Photo)

460th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-106 Delta Darts Two Ship Formation.

(USAF Photo)

318th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-106 Delta Dart 58-0776, 1970.

(USAF Photo)

119th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron F-106 Delta Dart two-ship formation

(USAF Photo)

Last F-106 with an F-16A of the New Jersey Air National Guard 119th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 1988.

Convair F-106 Delta Dart fighters preserved in the USA

F-106A

(USAF Photo)
56-0451 – Selfridge Military Air Museum, Selfridge Air National Guard Base, Michigan. Painted as 59-0082.
56-0454 – Holloman AFB, New Mexico.

(Articseahorse Photo)
56-0459 – McChord Air Museum, McChord AFB, Washington.
56-0460 – Minot AFB, North Dakota.

(TheCatalyst131 Photo)
56-0461 – K. I. Sawyer AFB Heritage Air Museum at the former K. I. Sawyer AFB /now Sawyer International Airport, Marquette, Michigan. Painted as 57-0231.
57-0230 – 125th Fighter Wing, Jacksonville Air National Guard Base at JacksonvilleInternational Airport, Florida.
58-0774 – Hill Aerospace Museum, Hill AFB, Utah.

(ZLEA Photo)
58-0787 – National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson AFB,Dayton, Ohio. Nicknamed the "Cornfield Bomber", this F-106 landed itself with relatively minor damage in a farmer's field after its pilot lostcontrol and ejected. It last served with the 49th Fighter Squadron before beingbrought to the museum in August 1986.

(Clemens Vasters Photo)

(Alan Wilson Photo)
58-0793 – Castle Air Museum at the former Castle AFB, Atwater, California.

(Eric Salard Photo)
59-0003 – Pima Air & Space Museum, adjacent to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson,Arizona.

(Alan Wilson Photo)

(Greg Goebel Photo)
59-0010 – Aerospace Museum of California, McClellan Airfield (former McClellan AFB), Sacramento, California. This is actually a QF-106A, having later been converted into an unmanned drone. She wears the markings of the 5th Fighter-Interceptor Sqn, based at Minot AFB, ND, who operated the type from 1960 to 1985.

(Balon Greyjoy Photo)

(Clemens Vasters Photos)
59-0023 – Air Mobility Command Museum, Dover AFB, Delaware.
59-0043 – 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group, Davis-MonthanAFB, Arizona.
59-0069 – Great Falls Air National Guard Base, Great Falls Airport, Montana.
59-0086 – Pacific Coast Air Museum, Santa Rosa, California.
59-0105 – Camp Blanding Museum, Camp Blanding Florida National Guard JointTraining Center, Middleburg, Florida.

(Alan Wilson Photo)
59-0123 – Museum of Aviation, Robins AFB, Warner Robins, Georgia.
59-0134 – Peterson Air and Space Museum, Peterson AFB, Colorado Springs,Colorado.

(Daderot Photo)
59-0137 – Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon.
59-0145 – Tyndall Air Park, Tyndall AFB, Florida.
59-0146 – 144th Fighter Wing, Fresno Air National Guard Base, Fresno,California.

F-106B
57-2509 – Palm Springs Air Museum, Palm Springs, California.