_on_ramp_E-2551.jpg)
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. CLT F102 BackSideView: Shawn A Dorsch· Public domain
- 2. Convair F-102A-30-CO Delta Dagger 54-1374 (JF-102A) on ramp E-2551: NASA· Public domain
- 3. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger 56-1264 - Air Force Armament Museum, Eglin AFB, Florida: Elwikieditor· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 4. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger at Istanbul 5390: User:Darwinek· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 5. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger at the MAPS Air Museum at the Akron-Canton Airport in Ohio: Aaron Headly· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 6. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger at the National Museum of the US Air Force: Aaron Headly· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7. Convair F-102 Delta Dagger at the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum: Aaron Headly· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8. F-102A 57th FIS intercepting Bear 1970: USAF· Public domain
- 9. F-102A head on: Thornfield Hall· CC BY-SA 4.0
- 10. F-102As 509FIS over Vietnam Nov1966: USAF· Public domain
what is it?
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger is an interceptor aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Convair. A member of the Century Series, the F-102 was the first operational supersonic interceptor and delta-wing fighter operated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-102 was designed in response to a requirement, known as the 1954 Ultimate Interceptor, produced by USAF officials during the late 1940s.
How to recognise it: 1 jet engine · 11.6 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 73 years ago, in 1953.
- Top speed is 10.2× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Faster than sound: up to Mach 1.1 (sea-level speed of sound ≈ 1,235 km/h).
- Wingspan of 11.6 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
- Can fly 1.8× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1953-10-24
- introduced
- 1956
- retired
- 1979
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1,000
- role
- interceptor aircraft
- origin
- 🇺🇸 United States
- makers
- Convair
- engines
- 1× Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 / J57
- crew
- 1
- length
- 20.8 m
- wingspan
- 11.6 m
- height
- 6.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 14.3 t
- top speed
- 1,327 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 16,276 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q657597, Wikipedia: Convair F-102 Delta Dagger (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.