Paint technicians at Robins AFB, Ga., re-sprayed an F-102 Delta Dagger interceptor, serial number 56-1151, in the authentic color scheme that it wore serving with the 95th Fighter Interceptor Squadron in the mid 1950s when it was based at now-JB Andrews, Md. After the paint work, technicians towed the F-102 earlier this month from Robins to the nearby Museum of Aviation in Warner Robins, Ga., for display. The F-102, which the museum acquired in 2009, previously spent 39 years on static display at Lackland AFB, Tex. Employed to defend US airspace from Soviet bombers, Convair’s F-102 was designed as an all-weather supersonic interceptor. From 1956 to 1977, the Warner Robin Air Logistics Center was responsible for maintaining the F-102’s avionics, weapons, and control systems. (Museum of Aviation release with photos of paint restoration) (For more, see Air Force Magazine’s Airpower Classics F-102 entry.)
Billy Mitchell: Lessons a Hundred Years Hence
Dec. 16, 2025
Exactly 100 years ago, on Dec. 17, 1925, Brig. Gen. Billy Mitchell was convicted by court-martial for violating an order that required approval before he could engage with the media. Mitchell’s provocative thoughts and unorthodox methods sought attention for a cause that he saw as uniquely American.
