Convair F-106A Delta Dart
Since the F-102A Delta Dagger’s performance was below that hoped for the US Air Force’s “1954 Interceptor,” it was put into production as a temporary design until the more advanced F-102B could enter production. The F-102B was designated the “Ultimate Interceptor” and would indeed be considered the last word in jet interceptors of the 1950s. So many design changes were made that the USAF redesignated the F-102B the F-106A Delta Dart, the sixth and last of the named Century Series designs.
The F-106 was slightly larger than its predecessor and far more aerodynamically clean, incorporating area rule from the start. It also had a larger engine, the J75, which required more airflow than the F-102’s J57: the F-106 would subsequently be the first USAF aircraft to be equipped with a variable geometry intake. By the time the prototype YF-106 was ready in December 1956, the Hughes MA-1 fire control system, which had been the original premise for both Convair deltas, was finally ready. The F-106 would share a similar armament to the F-102, with AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles, though it could also carry a single AIR-2 Genie nuclear-tipped rocket, which the F-102 could not. Flight performance was good, with a speed twice that of the F-102, and pilots reported that the “Six,” as it was rapidly nicknamed, was easier to fly than the “Deuce.” However, it suffered from teething problems with the MA-1 fire control system, along with various other avionics problems, and the USAF sliced the anticipated order of a thousand Delta Darts to only a little over 300. The first F-106A reached the USAF in October 1959. A two-seat conversion trainer, the F-106B, soon followed.
Initially, the F-106 was not well received. While it had more than adequate performance, the MA-1 proved to be a nightmare, vision from the cockpit was poor, and the ejection seat was deadly to anyone who used it. Convair responded with a plethora of changes, including a redesigned wing, a better ejection seat, the same infrared “turret” used by the F-102, inflight refuelling, and better avionics. With these improvements, the accident rate dropped and F-106 pilots found they could even compete effectively with the latest F-4E Phantom IIs entering service in the late 1960s. The Six had gone from being reviled to being loved.
With this and the Vietnam experience in mind, the USAF further upgraded the F-106 beginning in 1970 with Project Six-Shooter: this update added a General Electric M61 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon in the weapons bay, an optical gunsight, and a redesigned, frameless canopy. (Though all F-106s received the frameless canopy, not all got the full Six-Shooter package.) Even more advanced F-106 variants were considered, but production of the F-15 Eagle ended those plans. The USAF withdrew its active-duty F-106s from service in 1979, but it would soldier on admirably in Air National Guard service until 1988, while NASA chase planes would remain until 1998. It would be the last of the Century Series to be retired. 342 were built; at least 22 survive in museums. Most surviving F-106s were converted to QF-106 drones and expended as targets until the last was shot down in 2003.
Though painted as 57-2456, this is actually 58-0793, which would jump between an incredible number of units during its long career. Entering service with the 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Loring AFB, Maine in 1959, it wasn't with that unit long before it went to the legendary 94th FIS (the "Hat in the Ring"), at the time based at Selfridge AFB, Michigan. It would remain with the 94th until 1971, when it was transferred to the 2nd FIS at Wurtsmith AFB, also in Michigan, then began a short stint with two Air National Guard units--the 191st FIG (Michigan ANG), back at Selfridge, and the 177th FIG (New Jersey ANG) at Atlantic City. 1978 saw 58-0793 back in the active duty force, with the 84th FIS at Castle AFB, California, then finally finished up with the 5th FIS at Minot AFB, North Dakota from 1981 to 1985. (Whew!)
58-0793 was then converted to a QF-106 drone, but survived the drone program to be finally grounded in 2002. The USAF heard that Castle was interested in obtaining a Six, so the aircraft was donated to the Castle Air Museum. It was painted in the colors of the 456th FIS, also based at Castle; as 58-0793 had never served with that unit, it was displayed as 57-2456, which had been expended as a drone in 1994.
Whatever its identity, 58-0793 looks great in the colors of the 456th FIS, which were gaudy even by F-106 standards. The tail badge on this side of the aircraft is an Air Defense Command badge; the squadron badge is carried on the opposite side. It is displayed with the infrared sensor in the nose open and an AIM-4 Falcon beneath the fuselage. It's always a pleasure to see a Six, and this marked the fourth I had seen on my May 2021 trip.
Convair F-106A Delta Dart
Since the F-102A Delta Dagger’s performance was below that hoped for the US Air Force’s “1954 Interceptor,” it was put into production as a temporary design until the more advanced F-102B could enter production. The F-102B was designated the “Ultimate Interceptor” and would indeed be considered the last word in jet interceptors of the 1950s. So many design changes were made that the USAF redesignated the F-102B the F-106A Delta Dart, the sixth and last of the named Century Series designs.
The F-106 was slightly larger than its predecessor and far more aerodynamically clean, incorporating area rule from the start. It also had a larger engine, the J75, which required more airflow than the F-102’s J57: the F-106 would subsequently be the first USAF aircraft to be equipped with a variable geometry intake. By the time the prototype YF-106 was ready in December 1956, the Hughes MA-1 fire control system, which had been the original premise for both Convair deltas, was finally ready. The F-106 would share a similar armament to the F-102, with AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles, though it could also carry a single AIR-2 Genie nuclear-tipped rocket, which the F-102 could not. Flight performance was good, with a speed twice that of the F-102, and pilots reported that the “Six,” as it was rapidly nicknamed, was easier to fly than the “Deuce.” However, it suffered from teething problems with the MA-1 fire control system, along with various other avionics problems, and the USAF sliced the anticipated order of a thousand Delta Darts to only a little over 300. The first F-106A reached the USAF in October 1959. A two-seat conversion trainer, the F-106B, soon followed.
Initially, the F-106 was not well received. While it had more than adequate performance, the MA-1 proved to be a nightmare, vision from the cockpit was poor, and the ejection seat was deadly to anyone who used it. Convair responded with a plethora of changes, including a redesigned wing, a better ejection seat, the same infrared “turret” used by the F-102, inflight refuelling, and better avionics. With these improvements, the accident rate dropped and F-106 pilots found they could even compete effectively with the latest F-4E Phantom IIs entering service in the late 1960s. The Six had gone from being reviled to being loved.
With this and the Vietnam experience in mind, the USAF further upgraded the F-106 beginning in 1970 with Project Six-Shooter: this update added a General Electric M61 Vulcan 20mm gatling cannon in the weapons bay, an optical gunsight, and a redesigned, frameless canopy. (Though all F-106s received the frameless canopy, not all got the full Six-Shooter package.) Even more advanced F-106 variants were considered, but production of the F-15 Eagle ended those plans. The USAF withdrew its active-duty F-106s from service in 1979, but it would soldier on admirably in Air National Guard service until 1988, while NASA chase planes would remain until 1998. It would be the last of the Century Series to be retired. 342 were built; at least 22 survive in museums. Most surviving F-106s were converted to QF-106 drones and expended as targets until the last was shot down in 2003.
Though painted as 57-2456, this is actually 58-0793, which would jump between an incredible number of units during its long career. Entering service with the 27th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Loring AFB, Maine in 1959, it wasn't with that unit long before it went to the legendary 94th FIS (the "Hat in the Ring"), at the time based at Selfridge AFB, Michigan. It would remain with the 94th until 1971, when it was transferred to the 2nd FIS at Wurtsmith AFB, also in Michigan, then began a short stint with two Air National Guard units--the 191st FIG (Michigan ANG), back at Selfridge, and the 177th FIG (New Jersey ANG) at Atlantic City. 1978 saw 58-0793 back in the active duty force, with the 84th FIS at Castle AFB, California, then finally finished up with the 5th FIS at Minot AFB, North Dakota from 1981 to 1985. (Whew!)
58-0793 was then converted to a QF-106 drone, but survived the drone program to be finally grounded in 2002. The USAF heard that Castle was interested in obtaining a Six, so the aircraft was donated to the Castle Air Museum. It was painted in the colors of the 456th FIS, also based at Castle; as 58-0793 had never served with that unit, it was displayed as 57-2456, which had been expended as a drone in 1994.
Whatever its identity, 58-0793 looks great in the colors of the 456th FIS, which were gaudy even by F-106 standards. The tail badge on this side of the aircraft is an Air Defense Command badge; the squadron badge is carried on the opposite side. It is displayed with the infrared sensor in the nose open and an AIM-4 Falcon beneath the fuselage. It's always a pleasure to see a Six, and this marked the fourth I had seen on my May 2021 trip.