War Thunder’s Sky Odyssey Update Will Add a Missile-Only F-102A Delta Dagger
The Rank VI interceptor will serve the USA and Israel with radar, six AIM-4 missiles, 24 rockets, and no guns.
War Thunder’s upcoming Sky Odyssey update will add the F-102A Delta Dagger, a Rank VI interceptor that trades guns for speed, radar, and a six-missile air-to-air loadout. The aircraft will join both the USA and Israel, giving each nation a supersonic delta-wing fighter with a very specific way of starting a fight.
Gaijin Entertainment explained the aircraft’s role in its Steam post. The F-102A carries AIM-4 Super Falcon missiles, with the AIM-4G using infrared guidance and the AIM-4F using semi-active radar guidance. It also has a radar set and can carry 24 unguided rockets inside its missile bay doors.
Six missiles define the Delta Dagger
The absence of guns will make positioning especially important. Infrared-guided AIM-4G missiles need a rear-aspect lock, while the radar-guided AIM-4F gives the Delta Dagger a way to threaten targets from head-on approaches at longer distances. Pilots will need to close quickly, launch their attack, and then use the aircraft’s speed to climb or change direction before the fight turns against them.
That combination gives the F-102A a role unlike most fighters in its rank. It is not built around sustained cannon exchanges or repeated turning battles. Instead, the aircraft’s high speed and missile options reward short attacks followed by a clean disengagement.
USA and Israel will receive different versions
The American F-102A will sit between the F-80 Shooting Star and F-101C Voodoo in the US research tree. Israel will receive a Greek modification from an early production series, placing it alongside the improved Saber F-86E(M) in the Greek aircraft line of the Israeli tree.
Visual and equipment differences separate the two versions. The US aircraft has an infrared sensor ahead of the canopy and twisted wingtips intended to improve low-speed stability. Greece received 20 F-102A aircraft in 1969 after they had served with the US Air National Guard. Those fighters remained in Greek service until 1976 or 1977 and did not see combat.
The F-102A was designed to intercept the Bear
Convair developed the Delta Dagger through the MX-1554 program as a defense against Soviet strategic bombers, including the Tu-95 that NATO called the “Bear.” The first YF-102 prototype could not reach supersonic speed in level flight, but engineer Richard Whitcomb’s area rule led to a redesigned aircraft. The new YF-102A reached Mach 1.2 in level flight in December 1954, and the production F-102A first flew on June 24, 1955.
Gaijin describes the aircraft as the first mass-produced supersonic delta-wing interceptor and the first supersonic all-weather interceptor. Its missile-only armament will make it an unusual addition when Sky Odyssey arrives, although the developer noted that its specifications can still change before it enters the game.
Tell us how you plan to use the F-102A Delta Dagger in the comments, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
War Thunder
Developed by Gaijin Entertainment
War Thunder is a free-to-play vehicular combat MMO featuring aircraft, ground vehicles, and naval craft spanning from the early 20th century to the modern era. Players progress through technology trees across multiple nations, unlocking increasingly advanced military vehicles. The game offers three realism tiers for each vehicle type: arcade, realistic, and simulator modes. Originally developed as a flight simulator under the name "World of Planes," the game expanded to include tanks in 2014 and naval forces later, becoming a combined-arms experience. A mobile version was released in 2023.
- Genre Shooter, Simulator, Tactical
- Platforms Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Linux, PC (Microsoft Windows), PlayStation 5, Mac, Xbox One
- Perspective First person, Third person, Virtual Reality
- Modes Single player, Multiplayer, Co-operative, Massively Multiplayer Online (MMO)
- Release January 28, 2013
- Publisher Gaijin Entertainment
-
Age Rating
