Air Power Series>1:72 die-cast display model>F-102>HA3102
F-102A Delta Dagger 56-1444, 509th FIS Da Nang AFB, South Vietnam 1968
General Background
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was designed to be an interceptor aircraft and act as the core of USAF air defenses in the late 1950s. The F-102 first appeared in service in 1956 with the task to intercept Soviet bombers. The official name for the F-102 was “Delta Dagger” but the most common term used was “Deuce”. There was 889 F-102As manufactured when production ended in September 1958. The Deuce served in Vietnam on fighter patrols and bomber escort. 15 F-102s were lost while in Vietnam.
The Aircraft
On March 21, 1962 under Project “Water Glass” the first operational deployment to Vietnam of
F-102's took place and remained there under Project “Candy Machine”. In March of 1962 F-102’
s of the 509th FIS were sent on Temporary Duty (TDY) to Tan Son Nhut Air Base near Saigon
as well as from Da Nang, South Vietnam (at the time) and Don Muang (Thailand). In 1968 Da
Nang was the busiest airport in the world with just under 2,600 daily air traffic operations. The
Deuces (F-102) were used as interceptors, some escort duty, and even ground attack. In
December of 1969 the F-102’s were withdrawn from Vietnam and at that time had lost 15
aircraft to AAA, destroyed on the ground by the Viet Cong, small arms fire and operational
accidents.
Specifications :
| Role : | Supersonic All-Weather, delta wing interceptor |
| Crew: | 1 pilot |
| Number Produced : | 889 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length : | 68 ft 4 in (20.83 |
| Wingspan : | 38 ft 1 in (11.61 m) |
| Height : | 21 ft 2 in (6.45 m) |
| Weight | |
| Empty : | 19,350 lb 8,777 kg) |
| Loaded : | 24,500 lb (11,100 kg) |
| Maximum Takeoff : | 31,500 lb (14,300 kg) |
| Powerplant : | 1 x Pratt & Whitney J57-P-25 afterburning turbojet |
| Thrust | |
| Dry : | 11,700 lbf (8,777 kg) |
| With Afterburner : | 17,200 lbf (76.5 kN) |
| Fuel | |
| Internal : | 1.085 US gal (4,107 l) |
| External : | 2 x 215 US gal (815 l) drop tanks |
| Armament: | |
| Rockets : | 24 x 2.75 in (70 mm) FFAR (Folding Fin Aerial Rocket) unguided rockets in missile bay doors |
| Missiles : | AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air |
| AIM-26 Falcon with conventional or nuclear warhead | |
| Missiles were contained in 3 bays inside the aircraft belly | |
| Avionics : | MG-10 fire control system designed by Hughes Aircraft Company |