Convair XF-92 // USAF - NASA

This airplane was the world's first jet aircraft to fly using the radical delta-wing configuration pioneered by Germany's Dr. Alexander Lippisch during the 1930s.

The Convair Model 7002 was completed in 1948 as a flying mock-up for the proposed delta wing XP-92 interceptor. (In 1948 the Air Force changed the designation from P for pursuit to F for fighter). The XP-92 was to be powered with a new propulsion system that would consist of a ramjet engine with several small rockets inside the combustion chamber. It would have been a short range, Mach 1.65 interceptor with a flight time at altitude of 5.4 minutes. The Model 7002 was designed to investigate delta wing behavior at low and high subsonic speeds.

When the XP-92's engine proved to impractical to build the project was shelved in 1948. Even as the XP-92 program was ending, the Model 7002 was being prepared to fly. The 7002 was initially powered by an Allison J33-A-23 turbojet engine and later the J33-A-29 turbojet with afterburner. It was formally delivered to the Air Force on 14 May 1949 and named the XF-92. It was flown by Air Force test pilots until its nose gear collapsed on landing on October 14, 1953, ending its flying career. With the experience gained from the XF-92 program, Convair was able to win the competition for the "1954 Interceptor" program and to build the successful delta wing F-102.

Only one XF-92 was built and it now resides in the Air Force Musuem collection at Dayton, OH.

Mahogany Wood. Scale: 1/32. Wingspan 12 inches, Length 18 inches.