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Ever since the Wright Brothers took to the skies in 1903, people have figured out a way to transform aircraft into weapons. Powered flight ultimately gave the world the first fighter aircraft in 1915 when the French figured out how to strap a machine gun to a plane and safely fire through its propeller. Technology evolved, and by 1944, the Nazis fielded the first operational jet fighter, the Messerschmitt Me 262.

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Since then, five generations of United States jet fighters have been produced, with a sixth in development as of 2025. Throughout the United States’ use of fighter jets, many have been developed, but not all of them are as successful as the F-15 Eagle or the F-35 Lightning II. Some have been terribly designed and poorly engineered flying coffins that pilots and naval aviators have dreaded having to operate. One of the worst developed in the 20th century is the F-102 Delta Dagger, of which 1,000 were made.

The F-102 is one of the worst fighter jets ever made, in and out of the U.S. military, which shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone who’s familiar with its successor, the F-104 Starfighter, which many dubbed the “widowmaker.” Similarly, the F-102 was a problematic aircraft, which had much to do with the fact that it was the first supersonic jet interceptor, and developing that nascent technology into a functional fighter proved challenging. Here’s why the F-102 is widely considered to be one of the worst fighter jets ever manufactured.

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On paper, the F-102 should have been a remarkable interceptor, and in many ways, it was. The aircraft sported a delta-wing design, making it the first U.S. Air Force supersonic interceptor of its kind. It was designed and manufactured by Convair as part of its poorly-received Century Series, and entered into active service in 1956. They had a range of 1,000 miles with a maximum speed of Mach 1.05 (810 mph) — though, their cruising speed was 600 mph, as reaching supersonic speeds required perfect conditions.

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To power the jet, Corsair installed a single Pratt & Whitney J57 axial-flow turbojet engine, capable of providing 16,000 pounds of thrust with its afterburner engaged. The F-102’s operational ceiling was fairly high, hitting 55,000 feet, and it could carry a payload of 12,450 lbs in its internal missile bay. In terms of ordnance, the F-102 was armed with up to six AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missiles and 24 Mk. 4 unguided Folding-Fin Aerial Rockets with two in each of its 12 tubes. The aircraft was also capable of carrying a single AIM-26A, sub-kiloton nuclear warhead.

All of these stats combined make the F-102 a particularly aggressive interceptor, and it was used most predominantly during the 1950s. Because of this, it was relegated to a limited role during the Vietnam War — though, it did see extensive use at the beginning of the conflict. It was eventually replaced by the F-101 Voodoo and F-4 Phantom II, while the F-102 was transferred to the Air National Guard.

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The F-102 failed for a variety of reasons, but predominantly, it was designed with technical problems that proved insurmountable. The initial design didn’t work because it eschewed basic aerodynamics principles in pursuit of achieving the goal of developing a Mach 1+ interceptor. It also had problems with its propulsion system, radar, and fire-control system, all of which caused issues during the design phase. These were identified with the first flight-capable prototype, and they were so extensive that the aircraft’s wings required a full redesign.

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Many of these kinks were worked out, but the F-102’s aerodynamics issues weren’t fully resolved. The FCS couldn’t accurately track fast-moving targets, and operating in different weather conditions didn’t always provide the same results. Similarly, reaching supersonic speeds proved challenging in most situations, as structural integrity, fuel consumption, and other factors made it difficult to climb to and sustain those speeds, making the supersonic interceptor less reliable than desired.

Because of its limitations, the F-102 was used primarily in a support role, escorting bombers instead of ruling the skies as an air superiority interceptor. Additionally, the F-102 wasn’t immune to combat losses or accidents. One was shot down by a North Vietnamese MiG-21, while 14 more were taken out by sappers and accidents. Eventually, some F-102s were sold to foreign allies, while more than 200 were converted into target drones. The interceptor didn’t live up to the Air Force’s goals, but it served as a lesson learned for future aircraft development.

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