Convair F-106 Delta Dart

The Convair F-106 Delta Dart was the U.S. Air Force's primary all-weather interceptor from the early 1960s through the 1980s. Developed from the earlier F-102 Delta Dagger as the so-called "Ultimate Interceptor," it featured a tailless delta-wing design and was built around the Hughes MA-1 integrated fire-control system, which could be linked to the SAGE ground network to fly intercepts almost automatically. Powered by a single Pratt & Whitney J75 turbojet, the F-106 reached roughly Mach 2.3 and set a world absolute speed record of 1,525 mph in 1959.

Its armament centered on the unguided AIR-2 Genie nuclear rocket and AIM-4 Falcon missiles housed in an internal weapons bay rather than guns. Convair built 340 aircraft, which served with Air Defense Command and Air National Guard units, guarding North American airspace until the last were retired in 1988.