Convair F-102A Delta Dagger

1/72 scale
Kit No. 00891
Price: $30.00
Decals: Two versions – Connecticut and Pennsylvania Air National Guard, both circa 1971
Comments: Raised panel lines and rivet detail, basic cockpit with instrument panel decals, single-piece canopy, pair of 230 gal. drop tanks; optional open or closed internal weapons bay with six AIM-4 Falcon missiles provided; optional position landing gear

History

Convair’s F-102 Delta Dagger took its maiden flight on October 24, 1953, and entered service with NORAD, the North American Air Defense Command, in April 1956. It was the first fighter able to reach supersonic speed in level flight, and the first manned interceptor developed as part of an integrated weapons system, comprised of two key components: The first was SAGE, or Semi-Automatic Ground Environment, a system that coordinated NORAD’s response to Soviet air attacks by providing command guidance for ground controlled interception by air defense aircraft), or by GCI (Ground Control Intercept) radars; the second component was a new on-board electronic control system, the MX-1179. The interceptor component itself was dubbed MX-1554. The main armament consisted of conventional or nuclear AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles, or a mix of the two.

The F-102 was also one of the first interceptors of the jet age, if not the very first, to roll off the assembly line without a gun of any kind, given military planners’ conviction by the mid-1950’s that aerial gunnery and dogfighting skills were obsolete. Missiles, according to the prevailing doctrine, were the only weapons modern fighters needed. While the F-102 was highly automated and linked to SAGE, with on-board radar that would search for the target, it was still up to the pilot to locate the target, select the appropriate armament (early F-102’s carried up to 24 unguided 2.75-inch folding fin aerial rockets (FFAR) in addition to Falcon missiles), lock onto the target, then press home the attack despite any radar jamming.

The F-102 originated with a January 1949 Advanced Development Objective (ADO) issued by the U.S. Air Force calling for a new fighter able to exceed the performance of Soviet jet bombers. In time the ADO was called “the 1954 interceptor,” referring to its anticipated entry into service. By June 1950 it became a formal RFP that went out the major aircraft manufacturers.

The RFP specified that the new aircraft had to be supersonic and would be designed around what would today be called an avionics suite, the MX-1179 ECS (Electronic Control System). Ultimately the MX-1179 would not be ready in time and was replaced with another system, the Hughes E-9, itself later replaced with the MG-10, the permanent avionics suite for the F-102A. The MG-10 consisted of the AN/ARR-44 data link (providing the pilot information electronically rather than by voice), the MG-1 automatic flight control system, and the AN/ARC-34 miniaturized communication set.

Industry response to the RFP was strong, with nine proposals submitted by six manufacturers: three from Republic, two from North American, and one each from Chance-Vought, Convair, Douglas and Lockheed. Of these, on July 2, 1951 Convair, Lockheed and Republic were invited to develop their proposals further, including mock-ups. Soon afterward, Lockheed dropped its submission, and Republic’s advanced but costly XF-103 design ultimately fell victim to Air Force budget cuts in 1957 (after the F-102 entered service) without ever reaching the mock-up stage. Convair’s submission, based on refinements of its XF-92A delta wing research aircraft, would be built with a Westinghouse J40 turbojet, pending the availability of the more powerful Wright J67 that was initially contemplated.

The F-102’s service in the Air Defense Command was relatively brief, but it was intended as an interim interceptor almost from the very outset. The December 1951 contract between Convair and the Air Force called for an interim version of the aircraft that would ultimately meet the MX-1554 specification, in the hope that the interceptor in its final form would quickly follow. The contract acknowledged that the Wright J67 powerplant, like the planned avionics, would not be ready by the time the interim aircraft was due to enter service. At this stage, the interim aircraft was designated F-102A, and the follow-on aircraft the F-102B. As the latter design evolved, due to extensive differences in the two airframes, the follow-on aircraft would become the F-106A. Meanwhile, by almost imperceptible steps, the interim F-102A took on greater importance, and the planned production quantities grew larger.

Development Challenges: Powerplant
The F-102A’s development problems first centered on its weight, which was increasing continuously during 1952-53 as the design took on more detail. The Westinghouse J-40 (the most powerful American turbojet engine qualified for production as of 1951) lacked the thrust to give the F-102A the specified speed and altitude. Its replacement, the Pratt and Whitney J-57P-11 (soon to be the powerplant for the superb Vought F-8 Crusader), officially rated as being in the 10,000 lb. class and due to enter production in February 1953, was heavier. But the J-57 would prove capable of delivering superior power; it would deliver up to 12,000 lbs. of thrust, while the J-40 could at most deliver 10,000 lbs., and then only on afterburner.

Development Challenges: Aerodynamic Drag
Even more serious difficulties loomed. Wind tunnel tests conducted by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA) in early 1953 proved that the maximum altitude of 57,000 feet and combat radius of 350 miles (304.3 nm) predicted by Convair were too optimistic. The data also showed the plane would not and could not go supersonic — the Convair designers had failed to make proper allowance for a delta wing aircraft’s aerodynamic drag.  Convair were initially reluctant to admit a problem, but the YF-102’s maiden flight from Edwards AFB in October 1953 verified that the prototype ran afoul of the area rule concept of aircraft design — that drag interference at transonic speeds depends almost entirely on the distribution of the aircraft’s total cross-sectional area along the direction of flight. In plain English, there was a point at which the fuselage cross-section was too thick for the plane to achieve supersonic speed.

The first prototype would be destroyed in a take-off accident less than two weeks later, but not before it proved conclusively that in its current form, the YF-102A was aerodynamically incapable of supersonic flight — an embarrassing development given that this was an explicit Air Force requirement. The solution, implemented with a re-design during the first half of 1954, was to indent the fuselage in the middle to create a “coke-bottle” or “wasp waist” configuration. This delayed the air flow breakaway and reduced the associated increase in drag. In addition, the fuselage was lengthened by four feet and the air intakes were enlarged. Modifications were also made to the wing camber, the vertical tail was enlarged, and a more powerful J57 engine was installed. On December 19, 1954, the re-designed YF-102A resumed flight testing, going supersonic on its second flight — reaching Mach 1.22 and an altitude of 53,000 feet.

Service Record
The F-102A finally entered service with the Air Defense Command’s 327th Fighter Squadron at George Air Force Base, California in April 1956. It still was not out of the woods, as it was plagued by several bugs early in its operational career. Modernization of the F-102A, undertaken almost concurrently with the aircraft’s final production change, lasted from 1957 to 1963. It was still being modernized long after some of the aircraft had been retired from the ADC. This addressed U.S. air defense needs, increasingly provided by the Air National Guard, and those of operational squadrons fulfilling U.S. commitments overseas under NATO and SEATO. From May 1957 on, the F-102 fleet was retrofitted with a new wing allowing it to reach 55,000 feet.

Once it entered service, the force of F-102A’s was quickly built up, with five squadrons being fully equipped or in transition by the end of 1956. Fourteen additional squadrons became operational in 1957, and at the peak of its career, the F-102A was in service with 26 Air Defense Command squadrons. No less stunning was the rapid decline in F-102 strength as newer, more capable aircraft entered service, notably Convair’s F-106 in June 1959 and McDonnell’s F-4 Phantom II two years later. Nineteen of the ADC’s 26 F-102A squadrons either disbanded or re-equipped by October 1960, leaving only a handful of operational squadrons until the mid-1960’s when they were either deactivated or transferred to the Pacific Air Forces. In the interim, the F-102A remained on strength as a front-line interceptor in key strategic areas, chief among them the squadrons fulfilling America’s commitment to its allies in Europe and Asia.

The sole exception to the withdrawal from front-line service in the ADC was the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at Keflavik, Iceland, which flew the F-102A until April 1973 when it converted to the F-4C Phantom. In the U.S. the Air National Guard, tasked with maintaining permanent combat readiness and shouldering a large proportion of American air defense needs, operated the F-102 until at last retiring it in 1975. After nearly two decades of being entrusted with the nation’s defense, it was a fitting end to the lengthy career of a distinguished interceptor that has been called “the Cadillac of fighters.”

The Kit

This kit is a 2008 re-issue of Hasegawa’s 1969 release of the F-102A, identical to the original in all details except decals. The kit is injection molded in grey plastic, and consists of 67 parts on four sprues, with the canopy separately sealed in the same bag containing the decals. It features raised panel lines and rivet detail, an invitation to the more intrepid modelers out there to re-scribe their own.

The instructions feature a version of the decals not included in the kit, that are likely relevant to an earlier release. The pilot figure is a soft and rather amorphous representation, best discarded or replaced, and the cockpit itself is unremarkable, consisting of an unmarked tub, no control yoke, a plain seat with little similarity to the original, and an unmarked main instrument panel, with decals providing the only detail for the main and side panels. While an aftermarket F-102 cockpit set is available in 1/72 scale from Pavla, it is designed for the newer Meng kit and will probably require modification to the interior of the Hasegawa kit’s fuselage to ensure a proper fit (besides, at about $20.00, combined with the cost of the Hasegawa kit, it makes better economic sense to just buy the newer F-102A kit by Meng).

The weapons bay in the belly, if depicted in the open position, features six individually mounted “trapeze” rails for each of the AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles provided. These rails lowered the missiles into position for firing automatically once the bay doors opened. Other than the rails, the weapons bay is devoid of detail (surprisingly, this innovative feature of an internal weapons bay would not be seen on an American fighter again until the 1990’s with the appearance of the F-22 Raptor, when it was dictated by the need to maximize stealth). The missiles themselves bear ejector pin marks and will require clean-up. Aftermarket missiles are an option for those modelers so inclined.

The landing gear are rather plain but there is fairly good detail on the main gear door interiors. In a nod to accuracy, a pair of under wing 230 gallon drop tanks are provided; these were often fitted to aircraft of ADC/Air National Guard as well as USAF Europe squadrons. The one-piece canopy is quite clear and bears nicely delineated frame lines, which will facilitate masking and painting. Finally, the kit features a snappy display sign bearing the legend “GD/Convair F-102A Delta Dagger.”

Markings

The single-page insert containing the illustrations to assist with decal placement for the 2008 re-issue references generic paint numbers (“4” for the canopy frame, for example) with no legend to associate them with a particular manufacturer, so in some cases modelers will have to make an educated guess on the colors, based on the box art or reference photos — the main kit instructions call out Gunze Sangyo paint numbers only, and do not address the paint schemes of the aircraft for which decals are provided.

Decals are provided for one of two Air National Guard aircraft serving during 1971. The first is a machine of the 146th Fighter Interceptor Squadron serving with the Pennsylvania Air National Guard as of July 1971, in a scheme of overall ADC (Air Defense Command) gray (incorrectly identified by the instructions as “Aircraft Gray”) and featuring a navy blue or black tail and navy blue or black spine. The second aircraft is a machine of the 118th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Connecticut Air National Guard, circa 1971. It is painted a scheme of overall ADC gray. Both aircraft feature black or navy blue wing tips and drop tanks, and black radomes.

Conclusion

While it shows its age, the Hasegawa kit will remain attractive to some modelers for its simplicity of construction if not its price; since the release of Meng’s 1/72 scale”Case X” series of the F-102A in 2012, the Hasegawa kits available from aftermarket sources (they were last re-issued in 2013) all seem to be inexplicably priced at the same level – around $30.00 – as the newer, more detailed Chinese offering. In this modeler’s opinion, given the age of the mold and level of detail, Hasegawa’s kit should be going for about half that amount.

References

• “Convair F-102: The Deadly Deuce,” Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft, Volume 16, Issue 191, pp. 3805-3809.
• www.fighter-planes.com
• www.theaviationist.com
• www.globalsecurity.org