USN F-106?

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In 1962 Operation Highspeed was conducted, with the F-4 and F-106 being evaluated against each other. The F-4 won the evaluation and was modified to create the F-4C, becoming the standard fighter of the USAF. I haven't been able to determine if Operation Highspeed was to select a standard fighter for both the USAF and USN or just the USAF. If the F-106 had won the competition would the USN have at least partially adopted the F-106, or was the F-106 otherwise ever proposed for use by the USN?
 
There seem to have been efforts to sell the F-106 to the Navy for dissimilar air combat training (DACT), but
not a a service aircraft. Had the evaluation F-106 vs. F-4 turned in favour of the F-106, the USAF may have
bought more of it, but as I understand, the USN never was actually interested in it.
 
The only delta-winged type of fighter employed by the US Navy for carrier operations was of course the F-6 (F4D) Skyray. I'd like to know how well it performed during traps?... -SP
 
The 1962 evaluation was ordered by DoD in order to promote commonality. Its purpose was to determine which was the better interceptor and whether AF should restart F-106 production or adopt the Navy's F-4 (AF grittting its teeth, of course). The F-4 proved to be clearly superior in this role, and so was ordered for the AF. There was never any consideration of an F-106 for the Navy. Aside from the fact that you could never have gotten it to operate on a carrier, its role was too limited. Ironically, one of the first changes AF made was to modify one of the things that made the F-4 a better interceptor.

The Navy became interested in DACT earlier and more deeply than the Air Force. Although the Phantom was Phabulous, its turn radius was not the best and turning fights with the MiG-21 put it at a disadvantage (Ironically, later we learned from captured Fishbeds that the MiG couldn't sustain its tight turns and if you stayed in it, the MiG would bleed off energy and fall out). The F-106, because of its delta wing, was found to be a really good turner and could give Navy crews experience in fighting against an aircraft that didn't fly like their mount and who in some areas could outperform them. There was some talk of using F-106s in the adversary role as AF drew down, but operations of these older jets would have been prohibitively expensive. Since the last Six came off the line in 1960, new production was not an option. Also, with the fall of S. Vietnam, a number of undelivered F-5Es became available and USN took advantage of that.
 
Jemiba said:
the USN never was actually interested in it.
Steve Pace said:
The only delta-winged type of fighter employed by the US Navy for carrier operations was of course the F-6 (F4D) Skyray.
Let's not forget that the USN was still busy evaluating the F2Y SeaDart at the time, which was a delta jet fighter and a direct cousin of the F-106.
 
Is there not in Tony Butler's book "American Secret Projects: Fighters & Interceptors 1945-1978" a carrier based F-106 mentioned or even shown as a drawing? :-\ I'm at work now. so I can't look it up.
OK, please correct me, if this topic is about a different program or time period. ;)
 
In Mr. Tony Butler's book;


the naval version was powered by J-67 engine,and fitted with additional
canard foreplane,looks like this USAF model.
 

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Stargazer2006 said:
Jemiba said:
the USN never was actually interested in it.
Steve Pace said:
The only delta-winged type of fighter employed by the US Navy for carrier operations was of course the F-6 (F4D) Skyray.
Let's not forget that the USN was still busy evaluating the F2Y SeaDart at the time, which was a delta jet fighter and a direct cousin of the F-106.
Welcome back! Yes, but as you know the Sea Dart was a seaplane not a carrier-based plane. -SP
 
Steve Pace said:
Welcome back! Yes, but as you know the Sea Dart was a seaplane not a carrier-based plane. -SP
True enough. :-[ Still, I can't see the Navy having both the SeaDart and a naval Delta Dart on their roster. Does it make sense to you?
 
In Mr. Tony Butler's book,


he mentioned only,there was a carrier-based version,and may be offered to the Navy,
but they refused it.
 
All work towards a production version of the Sea Dart was abandoned in 1954, two years before the first Delta Dart ever flew.

Although manufacturers will pitch anything to any one, it's hard to believe the Navy would even have the slightest interest in a naval F-106. It would offer them nothing they wouldn't already have.
 
Convair 1956 study for a carrier based F-102B (F-106).
 

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The only delta-winged type of fighter employed by the US Navy for carrier operations was of course the F-6 (F4D) Skyray. I'd like to know how well it performed during traps?... -SP
RIP Steve (8 years ago)

A bit late, but:
Test Pilot Bob Rahn called the machine a "fighter pilot's dream", the best machine he had taken into the sky since flying the Spitfire. Its instability made it supremely agile for a skilled pilot, and Rahn claimed that he out-flew every Air Force chase plane sent up with him. Marine Major Marion Carl, one of the top test pilots of the era, flew the Skyray and claimed: "If we had this airplane now in Korea, I could just pop off the MiGs -- one, two, three."
.....
One pilot said the Ford's handling "bordered on the bizarre." In fact, there were some test pilots who despised the F4D, and felt it should have never been accepted into operational service. That appears to have been a minority opinion, but even the Ford's admirers admitted its instability made it a handful for a relatively inexperienced pilot. Skilled pilots who liked the machine also found it tiring to fly for long distances, since keeping it on the level was a continuous balancing act. Of course, modern digital fly-by-wire flight control systems would have tamed the Skyray, even exploited its instability to optimize maneuverability -- but such technology was all but unimaginable in the Ford's day.

Stability is regarded as a good feature for carrier landings, and getting a Skyray on deck could be tricky, one pilot saying that was where "the Ford really got your attention." The wing was big, resulting in low wing loading, meaning the aircraft tended to be overly responsive to air disturbances. It also tended to "skid out" when the landing gear was lowered, because one main gear would drop before the other. One pilot compared it to "standing on top of a pencil" -- not a particular worry for daylight landings in clear weather, but "not so good" for instrument landing conditions.

The F4D-1 had a high angle of attack (AOA) on its critical carrier approach; however, pilots claimed the forward view was excellent, and the high AOA wasn't such a problem. On the other side of the coin, one pilot who didn't like the thing noted that the tailfin would be masked out by the wing at high AOA, reducing the aircraft's controllability still further, with low speed flight amounting to "a series of wallowing, half-roll, half-sideslip maneuvers that made the bird look drunk." Another Skyray pilot commented on watching one of his colleagues make "seven unsuccessful passes at the deck. We thought we might have to shoot him down, but on the eighth attempt, he landed."
 
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Convair 1956 study for a carrier based F-102B (F-106).
The quad Sparrow carriage is interesting! Given the big fins, not compatible with the later Vulcan mod but could have given the Six a longer life had they not been pushed aside by the F-4. Not convinced it would have made a great Navy plane though...
 

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