A pair of F-102D Super Deuces

[Pellson]

As construction is progressing surprisingly well, I'm starting this thread for the two-aircraft project. I'll post some  construction pics, for a change as well, but as usual, there will be a backstory.

Let's get on it!

[Pellson]

First, two quick shots that I think fairly well proves that these kits aren't that bad re putty as could be expected.

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The obvious exception being the cursed weapon bay doors, of course. but, as can be seen, they can at least be glued in without leaving too violent a gap.

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[zenrat]

That underside pic takes me back. <shudder>

I should do something with the Dart that came in the same box.

[Pellson]

Well - moving on to current status - here's where we're at now.

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That underside turned out fairly ok after all, methinks. As did the new insert to replicate a bigger afterburner can.

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I'm also rather pleased with the tanks. They are (as many of you will know) from the venerable but lovely Heller Mirage III/V kit, and while being grossly oversize in that application, they fit snugly here. Even to such a degree that the locating tabs matched! They must have been meant to go on there..

I enlarged the intakes by simply omitting the final intake piece and thinning out the intake wall. This kept the typical Deuce look while still providing almost twice the intake area. Also, a proper splitter plate makes for a faster look.

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Finally, a quick look at the sister. She's coming along well too, undoubtedly benefitting from the lessons I've learnt from the first one. Four out of six weapon bay doors are in, and I foresee an even simpler PSR session this time.

[Old Wombat]

Ni-ice!  

[Pellson]

In relation to your technically and historically nigh on perfect projects, I dunno, Lee. But I'm having good fun! 

Also time for a backstory, don't you think? Here goes:

The Super-Deuce – F-102D

The F-102 had its origin in an early-1949 request by the USAF for an advanced interceptor capable of supersonic performance that would surpass the speed and altitude performance of new Soviet intercontinental bombers which intelligence services warned would soon be available. The North American F-86D Sabre, the Northrop F-89 Scorpion, and the Lockheed F-94 Starfire were all subsonic aircraft, and were deemed to have insufficient growth potential to be able to meet this new threat. This project came to be known as the "1954 Interceptor", after the year that new interceptor would supposedly be entering service.
The Convair entry was closely related to the experimental XF-92A which Convair had built in 1948 as a test bed to provide data for the proposed F-92 Mach 1.5 fighter. This work had been performed in consulation with Dr. Alexander Lippisch, who had done pioneering work in Germany on delta-winged aircraft during the war, and Convair had become convinced that the delta configuration provided a viable solution to the problems of supersonic flight. The XF-92A had been the first powered delta-wined aircraft to fly, but the F-92 project had itself been cancelled before any prototype could be built.
On September 11, 1951, Convair received a contract for its delta winged design which was assigned the designation F-102. The Air Force authorized the fitting of a Westinghouse J40 turbojet in the first few examples of the F-102, but later production aircraft were to be powered by the appreciably more-powerful Wright J67 turbojet, which was a license-built version of the Bristol Olympus. The J40-powered F-102 was to be capable of a speed of Mach 1.88 at 56,500 feet, with the J67 production version capable of Mach 1.93 at 62,000 feet.

By December of 1951, it was apparent that the Wright J67 engine and the MA-1 fire-control system would not be ready in time. This forced the USAF to change its plans. At that time, the Air Force decided to proceed with an interim version of its 1954 Interceptor, one which could be introduced into service at an early date, pending the availability of the fully-developed version at a later time. The interim version was to be designated F-102A, with the fully-developed advanced version being designated F-102B. The F-102A was to be powered by the less-powerful Pratt & Whitney J57 turbojet, but the F-102B was to retain the high-thrust J67. The F-102A would be equipped with an interim fire-control system, but the F-102B would be equipped from the outset with the highly-sophisticated fire control system being developed by Hughes.

Although the F-102A was considered only as an interim version pending the availability of the F-102B, the F-102A ran into some unexpected developmental difficulties and fell behind schedule. A lot of money that had originally been planned for the F-102B now had to be diverted into fixing the F-102A's problems. Consequently, the F-102B fell even further behind schedule and began to lose some of its original high priority.
By mid-1953, the fire control system (later to be known as the MA-1) was slipping badly, and it took another year before an experimental installation could be installed aboard a T-29B for testing. At the same time, the Wright J67 engine was experiencing difficulties of its own. The Air Force had to consider alternative powerplants, and finally settled on the Pratt & Whitney J75, which was an advanced version of the J57 which was used in the F-102A. The substitution of the J75 engine for the J67 was approved in early 1955. As time went by, further changes motivated a redesignation, and the F-102B became known as the F-106A.

However, in the meantime, the F-102A had finally reached operational status, entering service with the California based 327th FIS. While formally dubbed the "Delta Dagger", in service, it always was referred to as the "Deuce". Eventually, a total of 1000 Deuces were built, of which 111 twoseater TF-102A's, serving mainly in Air Defence Command, but also to a limited extent in USAF Europe and USAF Pacific Air Force.
While having had a troubled development, the Deuce was a reasonably trouble free and well-liked aircraft once in service, let down only by it's relatively limited performance, so when the F-106A started to replace the Deuces in active service from 1959, some thought was given about what to do with all the almost 900 and rather new F-102A's bought. While Convair initially was rather preoccupied with getting the new "Six" up and running, from 1963, a small but dedicated team of engineers went to work on the "Deuce" to see what could be done without going for a total rebuild. This took some time, but in April 1965, a proposal was handed over to the USAF, detailing a set of changes that could be implemented at a major overhaul. The main feature was substitution of the J57 engine with a J75 from the F-106A, and necessary changes to make the new engine work. Apart from some changes in the engine suspension within the airframe, the most visible change was a slight shortening and enlargement of the air intakes, paired with automatically variable intake ramps to facilitate the increased airflow. Internally, system modernization very much along the lines of the F-106 was suggested, giving a very substantial commonality between the types. While the uprated Deuce, or "Super Deuce", now given the formal designation F-102D (the F-102B was the original designation for the F-106A, but this was changed due to the thorough redesign of the new model, and the F-102C was a nonstarter ground attack version) wasn't going to fully match the F-106A in performance, a sustainable speed of MACH 1.74 would be possible, with other performance data, including range, more or less unchanged from the original Deuce, but for a shorter take-off roll and somewhat better combat maneuverability due to the increased power available from the larger engine. The cost for the modification was calculated to somewhat less than half a F-106. While the Pentagon brass initially was hesitant, there was a latent fear that the Soviet would take a chance and strike in Europe under the auspice that the US being preoccupied in Southeast Asia, so a cheap boost in numbers for deterrence was seen as desirable. The rebuild was accordingly given go ahead in December the same year, and 458 airframes to be converted.

The first F-102D's were delivered in 1967 and deliveries commenced through 1971 as individual F-102A's were due for major overhaul. The higher performance of the Super Deuce was much appreciated, but within the service, pilots having transferred to the full-blown F-106A's were more than willing to ridicule their comrades still on the Super Deuces as "not being fully worthy". Still, they made good service, and while ADC slowly phased their F-102's out during the late 1970's and early 1980's, the last sqn being the 57th FIS at Keflavik,  ANG sqns didn't relinquish their mounts until 1989. By this time, radars and electronics had been thoroughly upgraded and some redesign and modularisation of the launch mechanism had made it possible to employ the medium range AIM-7 SARH missiles (one per bay) as well as the significantly upgraded short range IR guided AIM-4H and SARH AIM-4J (two per bay) in any configuration desirable.
 
The Super Deuces however also went abroad. The responsibility to monitor and defend the GIUK gap in the 1950's mainly rested on the long range F-89 Scorpion interceptors of the no 57th FIS, USAF, based on Keflavik, Iceland. Somewhat supporting the eastern flank was no 331 Skvadron RNoAF, flying F-86F's over the northern approaches. However, the Sabre's lack of radar meant that long range maritime patrol and strike aircraft with relative ease could sneak past the Norwegians at night, and despite radar stations in a chain from Greenland via Iceland, the Faroes and Shetlands to Norway, the coverage at low level was limited.
This problem got significantly worse in the late 1950's when the Soviet Naval Aviation began fielding Tu-95 Bears and Myasishchev 3M Bisons. These were long range for real and could carry heavy "carrier killer" antiship missiles. Worse – they were fast enough to make intercepts difficult even for the Scorpions.

In 1961, the 331st converted to the F-104G Starfighter. This brought both the much-vaunted allweather capability so often needed over the stormy northern Atlantic, but also the speed to catch any Soviet bomber. What it still lacked was range. As the weather was so unpredictable, many times, the RNoAF QRA fighters would have to divert south, and far south too. This left precious little time in the air off Nordkapp, and if the Soviets just bothered to have a distant peak at the north pole on their passing, the Starfighters were out of range. In 1962, The 57th also modernized, but they went for the F-102A Delta Dagger. While the Deuce's speed still left something to be desired, it had the range to cover more of the area around Iceland, and it also possessed better systems to cope with low visibility landings. Still, however, with only 16 Deuces and 16 Starfighters between eastern Greenland and Murmansk, the actual air superiority coverage was pretty thin. In the long run, this was untenable. On more than one occasion, NATO naval task forces were caught out by suddenly appearing Soviet bombers on the horizon, something that almost certainly would have spelled death for thousands of allied servicemen in a war.

The obvious solution seemed to be stationing more American units in the region, but the American presence at Keflavik already put some strain on the local population, being rather small. On Danish Greenland, the establishment of the Thule base more than a decade earlier, based on a wartime agreement never ratified by a full Danish government, was still an open wound in Dano-American relations. In 1958, a breakthrough occurred in the negotiations, resulting in the 327th FIS, from 1960, being transferred, planes, personnel and all, to the Royal Danish Air Force. While the staff as soon and as much as possible, would be replaced by RDAF personnel, the hardware would formally remain US property, all expenses paid, but being used as if an entirely Danish unit. All this obviously on condition that the unit, numbered Eskadrille 732, would remain on Greenland. In addition to this, from 1962, the USAF 331 FIS would do the same, but based on Vagar airfield, the Faroe Islands. They would be renamed Eskadrille 731 and follow suit under similar conditions, thereby providing a significant increased coverage over the Iceland – UK gap. The establishment and relocation of no 331/731 was however delayed a year due to delays in facility construction at the Faroes, but from 1963, both the new Danish squadrons were active, much enhancing the NATO presence over the Atlantic, annoying Soviet long range maritime aircraft to no end.

The two new RDAF sqns, enthusiastically supported by their American staffmembers, immediately also established vivid cultural traditions, the 731st dubbing themselves "Holger Danske" after a mythical Danish early medieval hero, proudly displaying a knight with a Danish shield on the tail of their mounts. The 732nd, not wanting to be worse, called themselves "Polaris", painting a big star on their aircraft. While no similar colouring was allowed elsewhere in the RDAF, these two new units were allowed to continue their extravagant marking traditions to build unity and comradeship on the remote locations of their bases.
The Danish Dueces had major overhauls scheduled in 1967 and 1969, respectively, and both sqns had their aircraft rebuilt to F-102D's at these occasions, further increasing their capacity. They then continued their service during the 1970's, the aircraft being maintained and upgraded as per their USAF counterparts. Despite this, the RDAF consistently reached better availability rates than the American Super Deuce sqns and lost only one aircraft during the decade. Due to this, the overall costs were kept reasonably low, and the F-102D's stayed in Danish service all the way to 1985 when Esk 731 disbanded and Esk 732 transferred to F-16's, one flight at Thule and the second at Vagar.

Both Turkey and Greece also had received Super Deuces from 1968 and their long range and extended time on station made them well suited for CAP's over Cyprus during the crisis there in 1975. There are suggestions of both victories and losses from both sides, but very little seems to be able to confirm much at all.
Both countries kept their Super Deuces well beyond their expected life, the F-102's being replaced mainly by F-16's in the early 1990's. A few of the Hellenic Super Deuces even lived long enough to be repainted in the attractive blue-grey "Aegean Ghost" scheme. 


Disclaimer:
As some of you hopefully will recognise, quite a bit of the history section above is actually not my work, but the work of the excellent Mr Joe Baugher. His meticulously reseached texts have for many years been a marvellous source of information to me and presumably others, and I feel I owe the man lots! May they stay on the internet forever!

[Dizzyfugu]

Neat! I remember wghen I built the Hasegawa F-102, also with the bay closed - it looked the same as yours, with gaps galore!

[Pellson]

Just for fun - a frontal view where I just laid on the standard intake on the starboard side, giving an interesting comparison between the intake areas of the F-102A vs F-102D. Please note the white intake walls in the bigger intake - the difference is even bigger than you first think.

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This exercise was a bit fun, actually, really proving that my engine modifications actually theoretically could have worked. 

[NARSES2]

I like the backstory 

The models look rather attractive in that all over light blue and "sky" as well.

[Dizzyfugu]

There were some attractive experimental paint scheme for USAF fighters... The bigger intakes suit the Deuce so well, good move, and very subtle too. 

[Tophe]

Your models are good!
(you are forgiven for building a separate pair rather than the "normal" zwilling/twin-plane...       )

[mat]

In addition to this, from 1962, the USAF 331 FIS would do the same, but based on Vagar airfield, the Faroe Islands.

Vagar as a F-102D base !! That would really put the pilots to a test on every mission. I have landed on Vagar a couple of times, and to do so you have to first fly in through a narrow fiord. So narrow, that you can see whats is being served at dinner in the houses in the village of Vagar. At the end of the fiord you make af sharp turn to the right and slam the wheels down on the short runway - which by the way slopes downway towards a lake.
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Vagar Airfield

[zenrat]

I have Abba on my cerebral juke box now.

"Super Deucer lights are gonna find me..."

[Pellson]

In addition to this, from 1962, the USAF 331 FIS would do the same, but based on Vagar airfield, the Faroe Islands.

Vagar as a F-102D base !! That would really put the pilots to a test on every mission. I have landed on Vagar a couple of times, and to do so you have to first fly in through a narrow fiord. So narrow, that you can see whats is being served at dinner in the houses in the village of Vagar. At the end of the fiord you make af sharp turn to the right and slam the wheels down on the short runway - which by the way slopes downway towards a lake.
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Vagar Airfield

I've landed there twice as well, and basing an ever so up-powered Deuce on that strip is definitely a very tight scheme indeed. But hey - whiffworld!! 

Tophe: I'm just very glad that you're still here with us, zwilling schemes and all. I have been worried! 

[DogfighterZen]