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86-620: The F-106 was designed in response to the 1954 interceptor program. Envisioned as an imagined "Ultimate Interceptor", it was a development of the F-102 Delta Dagger , and commenced as the F-102B prior to being redesignated by the United States Air Force (USAF). The F-106 was designed without a gun or provision for carrying bombs, instead carrying its AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles within an internal weapons bay, its clean exterior

172-509: A flat spin after its pilot had ejected, belly landing relatively intact in a snow-covered field; it was recovered and continued to be flown for numerous years afterwards. The F-106 was gradually withdrawn from USAF service during the 1980s as the arrival of newer air superiority fighters , particularly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle , had made the role of dedicated interceptors obsolete. Numerous F-106s would be operated for

258-564: A French license were not to be exported to other foreign nations without its express approval. Yet another form of common licensing restriction related solely to the licensing activity, regulating whether the specified product was fully produced or partly assembled, and whether entire products or their individual components were manufactured. The governments of Germany and Switzerland imposed similar restrictions on military vehicles manufactured in Argentina and Chile under license. In some cases,

344-499: A gun, or provision for carrying bombs, but it carried its missiles in an internal weapons bay for clean supersonic flight. It was armed with four Hughes AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles (either AIM-4G infra-red guided missiles or semi-active radar homing (SARH)-guided (which detected reflected radar signals) AIM-4E/F missiles), along with a single 1.5 kiloton -warhead AIR-2 (MB-2) Genie unguided air-to-air rocket intended to be fired into enemy bomber formations. Like its predecessor,

430-413: A licensee who is authorized to use such rights under certain conditions. The licensee is manufacturing a product for which it has been granted production rights under specific conditions, while the licensor retains ownership of the intellectual property thereof. In some cases the licensor will supply the necessary technical data, prototypes, and/or machine tools to the licensee. While licensed production

516-652: A longer-range counterpart for use in areas not widely covered by radar. It appears this suggestion was also rejected. In August 1953 the Soviets detonated their first hydrogen bomb , and ADC's concerns became more urgent. The Air Force Council issued proposals to industry for a new design to work alongside the F-102 that would help fill the gap between the F-89 and F-106. After short consideration of alternatives—an updated F-89 and an interceptor version of F-100—the two-seat modification of F-101

602-595: A mock-up with the expected layout of the MX-1179, now known as the MA-1, was inspected and approved. On 18 April 1956, an extended production contract for 17 F-102Bs was issued to Convair, representing substantially fewer aircraft than had been originally anticipated at this stage. On 17 June of that year, the aircraft was officially re-designated as the F-106A. On 18 August 1956, the USAF issued

688-469: A performance gain over the F-102 than had been anticipated. Specifically, both the acceleration and maximum speed were beneath Convair's own estimates. Furthermore, both the engine and avionics proved to be somewhat unreliable. These combined problems, and the delays associated with them, were nearly responsible for the termination of the program. However, the service decided to persist with the F-106 program after

774-438: A poor quality licensed product may damage the reputation of the original licensor. However, this is not considered a form of consumer fraud unless the product is unlicensed or counterfeit . Unlicensed production is the utilization of foreign manufacturing technology without a license, achieved through industrial espionage or reverse engineering . Products in high demand on the international market can be reproduced, based on

860-511: A redesigned vertical tail surface was used. The engine's two-position afterburner exhaust nozzle was also used for idle thrust control, held open to decrease thrust by 40%, resulting in slower taxiing and less brake wear. Throughout its early development, the F-102B had to compete for attention and resources with the F-102A; the aviation author Marcelle Knaack observed that there were fewer funds to develop

946-568: A slightly upgraded version of the MX-1 already in use on subsonic designs. The resulting aircraft became the F-102A, and in spite of being considered barely suitable for its mission, the Air Force sent out a production contract in March 1954, under which the first deliveries were expected during the following year. By December 1951, the Air Force had already turned its attention to a further improved version, which

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1032-440: A starting point for indigenous industrial development. While licensed production in developing nations provides stimulus to the production and technical capabilities of local industry, in many cases it remains at least partly dependent on foreign support. The four most common applications of licensed production have historically been automotive engines and parts, weaponry, aircraft, and pharmaceuticals. During World War I , it

1118-478: A systems development directive that called for development and production of the F-106 to occur simultaneously; Knaack attributed this policy as being responsible for several later problems in the program. During April 1957, the USAF formally rejected Convair's F-102C proposal (essentially a reengined model of the F-102) to concentrate on the more advanced F-106 program, which it had then anticipated to enter service during

1204-624: A time by the Air National Guard . Many withdrawn aircraft were promptly converted into target drones and redesignated QF-106 under the Pacer Six program, which were used up in 1998. A handful of F-106s were operated by NASA for experimental purposes, such as the Eclipse Project , through to 1998. The F-106 was the ultimate development of the USAF's 1954 interceptor program of the early 1950s. The initial winner of this competition had been

1290-559: A whole. The only design with the needed performance at that time was the McDonnell F-88. This design had originally been ordered by Strategic Air Command (SAC) as a long-range "penetration fighter" to escort their heavy bombers. When newer bomber designs offered performance so great that the F-88 could not hope to keep up with them, TAC then took over the work and started modifying it as a low-level nuclear-armed fighter-bomber , renaming it as

1376-453: A world speed record of 1,525.96 mph (2,455.79 km/h) in a Delta Dart at 40,500 ft (12,300 m). That year, Charles E. Myers flew the same model aircraft at 1,544 mph (2,484 km/h). The F-106 was envisaged as a specialized all-weather missile-armed interceptor to shoot down bombers. It was complemented by other Century Series fighters for other roles such as daylight air superiority or fighter-bombing. To support its role,

1462-510: Is defined as an overseas production arrangement, usually as a direct result of inter-state trade agreements, that permits a foreign government or entity to acquire the technical information to manufacture all or part of an equipment or component patented in the exporting country. According to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), it must constitute a partnership between an intellectual property owner and

1548-410: Is often dependent on the appropriate technology transfers , it does not necessarily entail ownership and management of the overseas production by the technology supplier. However, the licensor does retain the right to continue to use the licensed property, and to attribute further licenses to third parties. Occasionally, licensees may themselves sub-license a third party with or without the agreement of

1634-522: The AIM-4 Falcon missile and a variety of Hughes Aircraft –supplied radar and fire control systems. The project also led, eventually, to the upgrading of the SAGE battle control computers to directly control the interceptors for much of their flight. Although greatly delayed, the resulting systems operated for approximately 20 years, into the 1980s. The "1954 interceptor" concept first appeared shortly after

1720-603: The F-101 Voodoo on 26 November 1951. ADC also became interested in the Voodoo in October 1952, but funding from higher headquarters was difficult to obtain. They rejected modifying the F-101, mainly due to its high cost, and suggested solving the problem by increasing the numbers of F-86Ds and speeding up work on the F-102. In April ADC once again asked for the F-101, this time justifying it as

1806-450: The F-102 Delta Dagger , but early versions of this aircraft had demonstrated extremely poor performance, being limited to flying at subsonic speeds and relatively low altitudes. During the testing program the F-102 underwent numerous changes to improve its performance, notably the application of the area rule to the fuselage shaping and a change of engine, and the dropping of the advanced MX-1179 fire control system and its replacement with

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1892-831: The F-86 Sabre ( the F-86D Sabre Dog ), the F-94 Starfire (adapted from the P-80 Shooting Star ), with the exception being the all-new F-89 Scorpion . These were all subsonic aircraft, and it was felt they would have insufficient performance to effectively intercept high-speed jet bombers known to be under development in the Soviet Union . To counter these threats, ADC prepared a request for an entirely new aircraft expected to perform "hot war" interceptions at supersonic speeds. For reasons that are not clear, they also demanded that

1978-475: The MX-904 contract for the missile GAR-1 Falcon . This was selected for 201A mainly because it seemed to be the only one that could meet the 1954 operational date. The airframe and engine contract was issued as MX-1554 on 18 June 1950, with a January 1951 deadline for submissions. MX-1554 also stated that the winner of the airframe contract would also be named the lead "integrator" of the overall Weapon System. When

2064-501: The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has noted that while licensing companies often provide quality control measures, and there is some incentive for licensees to comply or risk legal action and the ensuing damage to their own profit, manufacturers who engage in unlicensed production are under no such obligations. Another method of circumventing the need for a license involves a manufacturer making slight modifications in

2150-551: The "ultimate interceptor" that the USAF had originally sought. However, while initial work on the Olympus design appeared to go well, by August 1953 Wright was already a full year behind schedule in development. Continued development did not resolve problems with the engine, and in early 1955 the Air Force approved the switch to the Pratt & Whitney J75 . The J75 was somewhat larger than the J57 in

2236-489: The 1954 Interceptor , was a United States Air Force project to develop a dedicated interceptor aircraft that would enter service in 1954. Several aircraft were developed as part of the project, leading to the F-102 Delta Dagger , F-106 Delta Dart , Republic XF-103 and, indirectly, the F-101B Voodoo and F-104 Starfighter . The electronics and weapons developed for the program would become common on US designs, including

2322-596: The Air Defense Command had heavily advocated for it. Based upon the test data submitted, USAF officials had determined that modifications to the inlet duct cowling and charging ejectors were likely to increase both acceleration and speed; modifications would be made following the completion of Category II testing and were evaluated during Category III testing. At this stage, the service enacted several measures to hasten development towards production; in April 1957, it authorized

2408-545: The Air Force decided that it also needed a day fighter to combat the new MiG-15s that were being encountered over Korea . Existing designs like the P-80 Shooting Star and F-84 Thunderjet were outperformed by the MiG, and while the newer F-86 Sabre was more than capable of holding its own, it was not clear that would be the case in a war situation in Europe against "front line" Soviet pilots. A plane of considerably greater performance

2494-455: The Air Force introduced the "Weapons Systems" concept, where an entire aircraft (or other system) would be ordered as a complete working assembly. Although the parts going into it would be ordered under separate contracts, the requirements of the system as a whole would be known to all of the participants in advance, and one of the companies would be considered "prime" on ensuring all the parts would fit when they were delivered. The 1954 interceptor

2580-547: The F-102 Delta Dagger, it could carry a drop tank under each wing. Later fighters such as the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II and McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle carried missiles recessed in the fuselage or externally, but stealth aircraft would re-adopt the idea of carrying missiles or bombs internally for reduced radar signature . The first ejection seat fitted to early F-106s was a variation of

2666-414: The F-102A, and had greater mass flow. This demanded changes to the inlets to allow more airflow, and led to the further refinement of using a somewhat shorter variable-geometry inlet duct to allow the intakes to be tuned to best performance across a wide range of supersonic speeds. The fuselage grew slightly longer, and was cleaned up and simplified in many ways. The wing was slightly enlarged in area, and

Convair F-106 Delta Dart - Misplaced Pages Continue

2752-527: The F-106 and the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II determined the latter to be marginally superior, yet the type continued to be operated for a further two decades due to extensive demand for the F-4 in other roles. Convair proposed various improved models of the F-106, typically focused on the radar , communications, and other avionics, but none of these schemes were pursued. In one high-profile incident over Montana on 2 February 1970, an unmanned F-106 recovered from

2838-634: The F-106 in 1981, with "The Sixes" typically passed on to Air National Guard units. The F-106 remained in service in various USAF and ANG units until 1988. Between 1 June 1983 and 1 August 1988 the Delta Darts were incrementally retired and sent to the Military Storage and Disposition Center in Arizona. When the need for a high performance Full Scaled Aerial Target Drone was required, the USAF began withdrawing Delta Darts from storage. Starting in 1986, 194 of

2924-531: The F-106 proved a disappointment for dogfighting over Vietnam. The F-4 had a higher thrust/weight ratio with superior climb, better high speed/low-altitude maneuverability and could be used as a fighter-bomber. Air combat experience over Vietnam showed the need for increased pilot visibility and the utility of a built-in gun, which had been added to the "E" variant of USAF Phantoms. In 1972, some F-106As were upgraded in Project Six Shooter that involved fitting

3010-570: The F-106 was Mach 2.3, during the lightning experiments it was flown at subsonic speeds into clouds at 300 knots (350 miles per hour; 560 kilometres per hour) from 5,000 to 40,000 feet (1,500 to 12,200 metres). The aircraft was equipped with optical sensors which consisted of a video camera and a light detector. Data acquisition was performed with 1980s state of the art digital waveform recorders . NASA used six drones in its Eclipse Project which ran from 1997 to 1998. The Dryden Flight Research Center supported project Eclipse which sought to demonstrate

3096-543: The F-106 was equipped with the Hughes MA-1 integrated fire-control system , which could be linked to the Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) network for ground control interception (GCI) missions, allowing the aircraft to be steered by controllers. The MA-1 proved extremely troublesome and was eventually upgraded more than 60 times in service. Similarly to the F-102, the F-106 was designed without

3182-474: The F-106 with a new canopy without metal bracing which greatly improved pilot visibility. Also added was an optical gunsight and provision for a M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon . The M61 Vulcan had 650 rounds of ammunition in the center of the weapons bay, being used in place of the AIR-2 Genie. Many F-106 units opted to fly without the gun, retaining their nuclear payload instead. The F-15A Eagle started replacing

3268-541: The F-86D it was supposed to replace. Licensed production Licensed production is the production under license of technology developed elsewhere. The licensee provides the licensor of a specific product with legal production rights, technical information, process technology, and any other proprietary components that cannot be sourced by the licensor. This is an especially prominent commercial practice in developing nations , which often approach licensed production as

3354-673: The QF-100 Super Sabre drone; the last shoot down of a QF-106 (57-2524) took place at Holloman AFB on 20 February 1997 after which the QF-106 was superseded by the QF-4S and QF-4E Phantom II drone. Six F-106s were retained by NASA for test purposes through 1998. An F-106B two-seat trainer was operated by NASA Langley Research Center between 1979 and 1991. This Delta Dart was used in research programs ranging from testing supersonic engines to improving maneuverability of fighters. Between 1980 and 1986

3440-516: The USAF ultimately only ordered 350 of the planned 1,000 F-106s. Becoming operational in June 1959, the F-106 was the primary all-weather interceptor aircraft of the USAF through much of the Cold War era; it ended up being the final specialist interceptor to be used by the service to date. It was never used in combat nor were any export opportunities secured. During the 1960s, a competitive evaluation between

3526-580: The USAF was directed to conduct Operation Highspeed, a flyoff competition between the USAF F-106A and the U.S. Navy F4H-1 (F-4B) Phantom, which was not only as capable as the F-106 as a missile-armed interceptor but could carry as large a bomb load as the Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber. The Phantom was the winner but would first be used to escort and later replace the F-105 fighter-bomber in

Convair F-106 Delta Dart - Misplaced Pages Continue

3612-529: The Weber interim seat was the Convair/ICESC (Industry Crew Escape System Committee) Supersonic Rotational B-seat, called the supersonic "bobsled", hence the B designation. It was designed with supersonic ejection as the primary criterion since the F-106 was capable of Mach -2 performance. Fighter pilots viewed high speed ejections as the most important. Seat designers viewed an ejection at low altitude and slow speed as

3698-467: The aircraft was modified for the purpose of lightning strike research and became known as the Lightning Strike Plane and was struck 714 times without damage. On one hour-long flight at 38,000 feet (12,000 metres) in 1984, lightning struck the research aircraft 72 times. One significant modification was the replacement of the composite nose radome by a metallic radome. Although the maximum speed of

3784-790: The aircraft. The resulting change of balance caused the aircraft to stabilize and later belly land in a snow-covered field, suffering only minor damage. The aircraft, promptly nicknamed "The Cornfield Bomber", was then sent back to base by rail, repaired and returned to service, and is now on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force . Data from Quest for Performance , Convair Deltas General characteristics Performance Armament Avionics Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Related lists 1954 interceptor WS-201A , informally known as

3870-540: The conditional acceptance of several F-106s being used by Convair for flight testing; it also took several quick decisions to settle outstanding development questions. By mid-1957, funding for 120 F-106As had been allocated. The USAF ultimately opted to order 350 F-106s, substantially fewer than the planned fleet of 1,000 aircraft. Deliveries of the single-seat F-106A and the twin-seat F-106B combat-capable trainer variant commenced to 15 fighter interceptor squadrons in October 1959. On 15 December 1959, Major Joseph W. Rogers set

3956-433: The creation of the Air Force from the former US Army Air Force in the post- World War II era. With the re-arrangement of command, several new organizations within the Air Force were created, including Tactical Air Command (TAC) and Air Defense Command (ADC), who shared an interest in fighter aircraft . TAC was primarily tasked with offensive duties, but required capable fighters to protect their offensive capability. ADC

4042-426: The deadline was reached, nine different proposals were submitted; Republic Aircraft entered three designs, North American two, and Chance-Vought , Convair , Douglas , and Lockheed each submitted a single design. On 2 July 1951 the Air Force announced that Convair, Lockheed, and Republic had been selected to continue development through the mockup stage, and a winner would be selected at that point. Shortly after,

4128-422: The domestic manufacture of preexisting overseas designs. This allowed for a much higher rate of production, and was considerably cheaper than national sourcing and off-the-shelf acquisition. European automobile manufacturers were the first to adopt this practice, producing a number of specialized American components for their passenger cars under license. The United States not only supplied European factories with

4214-403: The economic life of the product. Developing nations began accounting for a significant percentage of licensed production during the late twentieth century. Governments of developing nations often sought to encourage rapid industrialization, reduce dependence on foreign imports, and combat high levels of unemployment by creating and retaining local jobs. However, in many of these nations there

4300-443: The entire system be flown and operated by a single pilot. Given the complexity of the radar systems and the aircraft themselves, this would require an advanced autopilot system that was integrated with the fire control system to reduce pilot workload. Given the perceived threat, the new designs were expected to enter service in 1954. The Air Force realized that the complexity of these newer systems would make integration difficult. In

4386-402: The explicit licensing of technological information. Knock-down kits are regarded as a prerequisite to licensed production; they consist of products assembled locally from imported, pre-manufactured parts. Some licensors find it difficult to regulate the quality of their products manufactured under license. It is not always made clear to consumers where exactly a particular good originated, and

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4472-506: The feasibility of a reusable Aerotow- launch vehicle . The objective was to tow, inflight, a modified QF-106 aircraft with a C-141A transport aircraft. The test demonstrated the possibility of towing and launching a space launch vehicle from behind a tow plane. On 2 February 1970, an F-106 of the 71st Fighter-Interceptor Squadron , piloted by Captain Gary Foust, entered a flat spin over Montana . Foust followed procedures and ejected from

4558-408: The following year. On 26 December 1956, the first prototype F-106, an aerodynamic test bed, performed its maiden flight from Edwards Air Force Base . On 26 February 1957, the second prototype, which was outfitted with a fuller set of equipment, made its first flight. Early flight testing around the end of 1956 and beginning of 1957 demonstrated somewhat disappointing results, having achieved less of

4644-536: The high heat load of extended Mach 3+ operation. This proved more difficult to fabricate than expected. The engine, a combination of a Wright-modified version of the Bristol Olympus and a "combined cycle" ramjet from Marquardt , also encountered extensive problems and the J67 eventually ended in failure. Nevertheless, the expected performance was so high that the program was allowed to continue. The delays seriously upset

4730-443: The intellectual property owner. Licensing agreements determine the form and scope of compensation to the intellectual property owner, which usually takes the form of a flat licensing fee or a running royalty payment derived from a share of the licensee's revenue. The licenses can be terminated by the licensor, or may expire after a set date; however, the technology and knowledge, once transferred, cannot be rescinded, so even if

4816-537: The late 1960s before replacing older interceptors in Air Defense Command in the 1970s. The F-106 was progressively updated in service, with improved avionics , a modified wing featuring a noticeable conical camber, an infrared search and track system, streamlined supersonic wing tanks which provided virtually no degradation to overall aircraft performance, better instrumentation and features like an inflight refuelling receptacle and an arrestor hook for landing emergencies. Air-to-air combat testing suggested "The Six"

4902-485: The licensee. The United States began inserting pro forma statements into licensing agreements known as "side letters" , which required the free sharing of any improvements made to American technology. Other attempts were also made to control the destination of licensed products, particularly with regards to the arms industry . For instance, France stipulated that military vehicles manufactured in South Africa under

4988-449: The licensing agreement expires they remain in the licensee's possession. Two related commercial practices are foreign subcontractor production and the proliferation of knock-down kits . Foreign subcontracting occurs when a product's original manufacturer contracts the production of its individual parts and components to a second party overseas. Such arrangements are not considered examples of licensed production because they do not involve

5074-427: The more capable systems of the F-102B, which would have been useful in more quickly overcoming some of the technical difficulties that arose. The number of F-102As on order grew substantially beyond that which had been originally forecast, indicative of the growing importance attached to what had once been intended to be an interim or 'stop-gap' aircraft to fill in until the F-102B could be delivered. During December 1955,

5160-727: The most likely possibility. The ejection sequence with the B-seat was quite complicated and there were some unsuccessful ejections that resulted in pilot fatalities. The third seat, that replaced the Convair B-seat, was the Weber Zero-Zero ROCAT (for Rocket Catapult) seat. Weber Aircraft Corporation designed a "zero-zero" seat to operate at up to 600 knots (690 miles per hour; 1,100 kilometres per hour). High-altitude supersonic ejections were rare and ejections at relatively low altitudes and low speeds were more likely. The Weber "zero-zero" seat

5246-669: The necessary blueprints and licenses, but also sourced American-made tooling equipment accordingly, which allowed the automobile companies to optimize their production lines. By the 1960s it was not uncommon for an entire specialized industry—such as the manufacture of rotary aircraft in the United Kingdom —to be dependent wholly on foreign-licensed components. A number of countries began making improvements to foreign products manufactured under license, and were even able to re-export them successfully. This trend resulted in some technology suppliers imposing additional conditions on

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5332-586: The original design over a longer period as the "Ultimate Interceptor". The Interim design would use the Westinghouse J40 engine, already available (although low power), and the Hughes E-9 fire-control system, a slightly updated version of the system being used in the F-86D. Meanwhile, practically every part of the F-103 program was going wrong. Construction of the airframe required extensive use of titanium to endure

5418-479: The original technology supplier did not need to manufacture the product itself—it merely patented a specific design, then sold the actual production rights to multiple clients. This resulted in different companies separately manufacturing identical products licensed from the same licensee. For many licensee companies, licensed production by other firms provides a continuous outlet for their proprietary technology, increasing their return on investment and prolonging

5504-492: The original timetable, and it was clear by 1952 that even the "low tech" F-102 would not be able to meet the 1954 deadline. Although it was expected that the F-102B would be an excellent long-term solution, something was needed quickly to fill the performance gap between the existing subsonic designs and the continuing delays in the existing F-102 design. ADC argued that having a second design would also guarantee that problems in either program would be less likely to effect defense as

5590-505: The past, aircraft airframes, engines and weapons were fairly common in size and general layout, allowing existing designs to be modified to change any one component with relative ease. For the 1954 interceptor, new equipment such as missiles and radar systems would be radically different between designs. There was little expectation that one missile could be swapped for another, for instance, due to different electronic requirements as well as different mechanical layout. To deal with this problem

5676-535: The project. In January 1950 they sent out the MX-1179 contract tender to eighteen electronics contractors, but only Bendix , General Electric , Hughes Aircraft , North American Aviation , Sperry , and Westinghouse responded. Hughes was announced as the winner in July 1950, with what would become the MA-1. The original contract specified that MX-1179 would "direct some type of air-to-air guided missile." Hughes had already won

5762-614: The risks inherent in the development of new products by taking advantage of the proven reputation of products which had already achieved success in foreign markets. The economic life of many products, namely in the automotive and defense sectors, have been prolonged by overseas licensed production long after they were considered obsolete in their countries of origin. Developing nations such as Pakistan and Singapore which built important segments of their industry on licensed production have now themselves become licensors of technology and products to less developed states. Licensed production

5848-448: The same or similar design, and branded in ways to make them indistinguishable from the original. When copied and reproduced without a license, certain items are sometimes recopied in a similar manner by a third party. The manufacturers responsible may also grant legitimately registered sub-licenses for their unlicensed products, profiting at the expense of the real intellectual property owner. The quality of unlicensed goods varies greatly;

5934-425: The seat used by the F-102 and was called the Weber interim seat. It was a catapult seat which used an explosive charge to propel it clear of the aircraft. This seat was not a zero-zero seat and was inadequate for ejections at supersonic speeds as well as ground level ejections and ejections at speeds below 120 knots (140 miles per hour; 220 kilometres per hour) and 2,000 feet (610 metres). The second seat that replaced

6020-554: The start of 1961; this can be partially attributed to two major modification and retrofit program conducted during this timeframe. Following the resolution of initial teething problems – in particular an ejection seat that killed the first 12 pilots to eject from the aircraft – its exceptional performance led to the aircraft becoming relatively popular amongst its pilots. The F-106 served in the contiguous US, Alaska, and Iceland, as well as for brief periods in Germany and South Korea. The F-106

6106-578: The surviving surplus aircraft were converted into target drones and these were designated QF-106A s and used for target practice vehicles under the Pacer Six Program by the Aerial Targets Squadron . The last was destroyed in January 1998. The drones were still capable of being flown as manned aircraft, such as for ferrying to a test; during the test they were flown unmanned. The QF-106 replaced

6192-717: The withdrawal of various older aircraft that were being used in the interceptor role, such as the North American F-86 Sabre and the Northrop F-89 Scorpion . Although contemplated for use in the Vietnam War , the F-106 never saw combat, nor was it exported to foreign users. After the cancellation of their own Avro Arrow , the Canadian government briefly considered purchasing the F-106C/D. To standardize aircraft types,

6278-516: Was a reasonable match for the F-4 Phantom II in a dogfight, with superior high-altitude turn performance and overall maneuverability (aided by the aircraft's lower wing loading ). The Phantom had better radar – operated by an additional crewman – and could carry a load of up to four radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow and four infrared AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, while the AIM-4 Falcon missiles carried by

6364-410: Was able to suggest the application of the recently developed area rule to combat this problem. Convair did not immediately put these recommendations into effect, and the initial two flying prototypes, of an order of 42 aircraft, continued with the original design. When these flew starting in October 1953, NACA's estimates were proven correct, and the F-102 had only a marginal performance improvement over

6450-515: Was beneficial to supersonic flight. Major differences from the F-102 included the adoption of the more powerful Pratt & Whitney J75 turbojet engine, heavily redesigned air inlets along with a variable-geometry inlet duct to suit a wide range of supersonic speeds, application of the area rule to the fuselage shaping, and a general increase in size. On 26 December 1956, the first prototype performed its maiden flight . After flight testing demonstrated lesser performance gains than anticipated,

6536-460: Was clear that the engine, a Wright-modified version of the Bristol Olympus known as the J67, would not be ready for a 1954 service entry. Additionally, the MX-1179 fire-control system seemed to be a risky proposition, and was a source of delay. In December the Air Force decided to reduce the risk by splitting the program in two, producing a reduced-performance version with interim engines and fire control as an "Interim Interceptor", and continuing with

6622-568: Was finally selected for development. Known as F-101B, it would be equipped with the MG-3/Falcon suite from the F-102, but operated by a weapons officer instead of the pilot. It would greatly simplify the complexity of the system as a whole. Work on the airframes continued through 1952 and into 1953. NACA wind tunnel tests in early 1953 showed that the maximum altitude of 57,000 feet and combat radius of 350 miles predicted by Convair were too optimistic. Drag turned out to be higher than expected, but NACA

6708-404: Was initially referred to as the F-102B. The main planned change was the replacement of the F-102A's Pratt & Whitney J57 (which had itself replaced the original J40) with the more powerful Wright J67 (a Bristol Olympus produced under license ). By the time this engine would be available, the MX-1179 was expected to be available, and thus it was selected as well. The intended result would be

6794-560: Was more common for licensing agreements to take place between companies in the same country; for example, Opel was granted a license to produce BMW -designed aircraft engines for the German war effort. During the 1920s, European economists began advocating licensed production of foreign goods as the cure for "industrial particularism" —it allowed countries to bypass the costly research and development stage of acquiring products with which their own industries were unfamiliar, and refocus on

6880-690: Was needed to guarantee leadership in this role, so the Lockheed entry was redirected toward a day fighter role, evolving into the F-104 Starfighter . Convair and Republic continued on with the original MX-1554. It became clear that the Republic design was far too advanced for the 1954 operational deadline, and on 11 September 1951 the Convair design was selected as the MX-1554 airframe and was designated F-102 . Republic

6966-492: Was not a strong tradition of technology-based industrial development, and local firms were seldom active participants in creating indigenous technology through research and development. Since their research capacity was typically too limited to meet their goals, adopting licensing agreements for foreign technology was an especially attractive option. Manufacturing licensed products generated employment and empowered local industry while reducing dependence on imports. It also avoided

7052-452: Was satisfactory and was retrofitted to the F-106 after 1965. Early operations of the F-106 were troubled by numerous technical issues. These included generator defects, fuel-flow issues (particularly during cold weather), and combustor-starter malfunctions. During December 1959, all F-106s were temporarily grounded following the accidental jettisoning of the canopy mid-flight on one aircraft. Many, but not all, of these problems were resolved by

7138-553: Was tasked solely with the defense of the US from enemy attack, in particular long-range bombers . Soon after their formation, TAC and ADC started moving away from each other in terms of requirements. In early 1949 ADC started a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an advanced interceptor capable of attacking Soviet bombers that were expected to enter service in the early 1950s. Several jet-powered interceptors were already under development at that point, typically adaptations of existing fighters like

7224-512: Was the first fighter aircraft ordered under the Weapon System concept, and became "WS-201A". Contracts for the various parts making up 201A were sent out as soon as they completed documenting them, starting with the electronics suite, then the missile, and finally airframe and engine. Studies of the electronics suite had started in February 1949, prior to the 201A specification, and were folded into

7310-461: Was the second highest sequentially numbered P/F- aircraft to enter service under the old number sequence (the F-111 was highest), before the system was reset under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system . In service, the F-106's official name, "Delta Dart," was rarely used, and the aircraft was universally known simply as "The Six." The arrival of the F-106 in quantity quickly led to

7396-530: Was to continue development of their more powerful design at a lower priority, becoming the F-103 . With the introduction of these programs, work on the Republic XF-91 A, originally slated as an interim interceptor, ended in October 1951 in favor of the new designs. Although the F-102 had been selected as the "low tech" solution to meet the 1954 deadline, practically every part of the 201A system encountered delays. It

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