On February 9, 1968, the Defense Department announced that they were not going to purchase the Lockheed F-12A interceptor, opting instead to remain with the F-106 as the primary interceptor to protect the continental USA from air attack.
On September 3, 1968, Convair issued a proposal for an “improved” interceptor that was to be designated F-106E/F. It was to be compatible with the upcoming airborne warning and control systems as well as with the over the horizon radar defense network. The F-106E/F would have had a longer lose, with a new and improved radar with a look-down/shoot-down tracking and missile launch capability. It would also have had a two-way UHF voice and datalink radio. It would be capable of launching both nuclear and non-nuclear missiles, including the AIM-26 Nuclear Falcon and the AIM-47.
Unfortunately for Convair, this project never got off the drawing board.
Sources:
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United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and
Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.
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The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.
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General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors, John Wegg, Naval
Institute Press, Naval Institute Press, 1990.
- Convair F-106 Delta Dart, Robert F. Dorr, Wings of Fame, Vol 12, 1998
