The last of the "century fighter" series, Convair's F-106 Delta Dart was the final dedicated interceptor in the U.S. inventory. A heavy redesign of Convair's earlier F-102 Delta Dagger, the Delta Dart benefited from a better understanding of delta-winged aircraft aerodynamics and allowed for even higher speeds than its predecessor.

Despite more interceptors on the drawing board and in testing (Republic's XF-103 Thunderwarrior, and my two favorites, North American's F-107A Ultra Sabre and XF-108 Rapier), the shifting fighting strategies and political climate left the F-106 as the final aircraft of a long line high-speed fighters.