The revolutionary Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was the first major fighter to be designed with delta wings and built to carry an all-missile weapons complement controlled by advanced avionics. Involved in the design was the German Dr. Alexander Lippisch, the pioneer of delta winged aircraft, and it owed much to Dr. Richard Whitcomb's area rule formula for supersonic aircraft. Nicknamed "Deuce", the Delta Dagger would go on to become a mainstay of the USAF's Air Defense Command beginning in the second half of the 1950s where they equipped a total of 26 front-line and 19 reserve ANG squadrons. They went on to serve during the following two decades in which they were used operationally in Vietnam as well as exported to Greece and Turkey although their primary mission was air defense against Soviet bombers from bases in the continental United States. Ultimately, it was replaced by the improved F-106.

First begun as the XP-92A, the Convair Model 8-80 won a design competition against five rival projects and first flew on 24 October 1953 as the YF-102. The YF-102A first incorporated the area rule and was ordered into production as the F-102A (later upgraded with a new fire control system, drop tanks, and an infrared sighting system after 1957). Other versions included the TF-102A side-by-side two seat combat trainer and the QF-102 (armed) and PQM-102 (unarmed) target drones.