Role Fighter interceptor
Manufacturer Convair
First flight 26 December 1956
Introduction June 1959
Retired August 1988 (ANG); 1998 (NASA)
Primary users United States Air Force
Air National Guard
Number built 342 (2 prototypes, 277 F-106A, 63 F-106B)
Developed from Convair F-102 Delta Dagger
The F-106 was gradually withdrawn from USAF service during the 1980s as the arrival of newer air superiority fighters, particularly the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, had made the role of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 increasingly redundant. Numerous F-106s would be operated for 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 Many withdrawn aircraft were promptly converted into target drones and redesignated QF-106 under the Pacer Six program; in this guise, the aircraft continued being used up until 1998. A handful of F-106s were operated by NASA for experimental purposes, such as the Eclipse Project, through to 1998.
On 15 December 1959, Major Joseph W. Rogers set 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, 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
Ceiling
Combat RANGE
Aircraft Speed
Max Crew
The "Camel" may be regarded as the prototype of the Consolidated response to the USAAS's 1924 requirement for a new primary trainer. In the early summer of 1924.
In 1922, the Army ordered three TA-3 (Trainer, Air-cooled, Type 3) machines for evaluation with the Le Rhone engine and dual controls.
The Consolidated PT-1 Trusty (company designation Model 1) was a biplane primary trainer used by the United States Army Air Service (USAAS)