In 1960-1961, the 199th Fighter Squadron was in the middle of an aircraft conversion. After flying the North American F-86L Sabre Interceptors since 1958, the unit began their transition to the Convair F-102 Delta Daggers. The squadron flew these Deuces until 1976 when the unit converted to McDonald Douglas F-4C Phantoms.
The North American F-86L Sabre Interceptor was an American transonic jet all-weather interceptor of the United States Air Force and others. Based on the North American F-86 Sabre day fighter, 2,504 F-86D/L/K variants were built. The 199th Fighter Squadron flew the F-86E Sabres from 1954 through 1958.
These models shared a larger fuselage, a larger afterburning engine, and a distinctive nose radome. The F-86L Sabre Interceptor had new electronics, extended wingtips and wing leading edges, revised cockpit layout, and uprated engine; 981 were converted.
The Convair F-102 Delta Dagger was an American interceptor aircraft that was built as part of the backbone of the United States Air Force’s air defenses in the late 1950s. Entering service in 1956, its main purpose was to intercept invading Soviet strategic bomber fleets (primarily the Tupolev Tu-95) during the Cold War. There were 1,000 F-102s built.
The photograph shows a two-ship formation with a Deuce and a Sabre Interceptor. Both aircraft sport “Hawaii Air Guard” markings; “U.S. Air Force” markings came a few years later. The Deuce does not the round ANG logo on the vertical stabilizer. The Hawaiian tail flash, designed by Col. Kurt Johnson, first appeared a few years later.
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