The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was a US interceptor aircraft built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force's air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet bomber fleets.

The F-102 was the first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter of the USAF. It used an internal weapons bay to carry both guided missiles and rockets. As originally designed, it could not achieve Mach 1 supersonic flight until redesigned with area ruling. The F-102 replaced subsonic types such as the F-89 Scorpion, and by the 1960s, it saw limited service in Vietnam in bomber escort and ground attack roles. It was supplemented by F-101 Voodoos and, later, by F-4 Phantom IIs. Many of the F-102s were transferred to United States Air National Guard duty by the mid-to-late 1960s, and the type was retired from operational service in 1976. The follow-on replacement was the Mach 2 class F-106 Delta Dart which was an extensive redesign of the F-102.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale rendition of a Convair F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor that was attached to the 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron, then deployed to Ramstein AB, Germany, during 1963. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 6-1/4-inches
Length: 11-1/4-inches

Release Date: March 2020

Historcial Account: "For the Defense" - Reassigned to the 86th Air Division and oriented for Air Defense of western Europe in 1960, the 526th Fighter Interceptor Squadron was re-equipped with the F-102 Delta Dagger. On November 14th, 1968, the 86th Air Division was inactivated. The 526th was assigned to the new 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Ramstein which replaced the 86th AD. With the phaseout of the F-102 from Europe, the 526 FIS was redesignated the 526th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) and began converting to the F-4E fighter aircraft.

As part of operation "Creek Action", a command-wide effort to realign functions and streamline operations, HQ USAFE transferred the 26th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing from Ramstein Air Base to Zweibrucken Air Base, and the 526th was assigned to the incoming 86th Tactical Fighter Wing from Zweibrucken to Ramstein on January 31st, 1973.