Convair F-106 Delta Dart
Convair · United States · first flew 1956 · fighter
Convair's ultimate interceptor, the F-106 Delta Dart was the USAF's last dedicated interceptor and one of the fastest single-engine fighters ever flown.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, delta |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × turbojet, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Intakes set well back along the fuselage feeding one engine |
| T — Tail | No tailplane |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Pure tailless delta wing with no horizontal tailplane
- Single large swept fin and a long pointed nose
- Intakes set well back along the fuselage feeding one engine
Identify it by the clean tailless delta and the single swept fin, with a long sharp nose and rearward intakes. The absence of a tailplane separates it from swept-wing contemporaries.
Specifications
- The Convair F-106 Delta Dart has a length of 21.55 m (71 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.67 m (38 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 2454 km/h (1525 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Developed from the F-102 and first flying in 1956, the Delta Dart entered USAF service in 1959 with a tailless delta wing, a powerful J75 turbojet and an internal weapons bay tied into the SAGE air-defence network. It was built specifically to catch high-flying Soviet bombers over North America.
Variants
The single-seat F-106A was the main production version, with the two-seat F-106B as a combat-capable trainer. Many airframes were later converted into QF-106A target drones under the Pacer Six programme.
Where you'll see it
The F-106 was exclusively a US Air Force and Air National Guard aircraft, never exported and never used in combat, serving as a continental interceptor into the late 1980s. It is not a British type and surviving examples are preserved in the United States.
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