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Air Power |
Produced by McDonnell Aircraft Co., the F-101 was the first USAF fighter capable of over 1,000 mph in level flight. It was produced in two configurations: air defense fighter (F-101B), and reconnaissance (RF-101A). The F-101 was originally designed as a long-range bomber escort and penetration fighter for the Strategic Air Command. However, with the development of high-speed, high-altitude jet bombers, escort fighters became unnecessary and the first Voodoos off the production line were assigned to the Tactical Air Command in 1957. The first F-101 made its initial flight on September 29, 1954. The F-101B first flew on March 27, 1957. Voodoo production continued until March 1961.
McDonnell Aircraft Corporation built almost 800 Voodoos, including 47 F-101Cs with wings strengthened for low-altitude tactical bombing. The version used most extensively was the two-seat F-101B interceptor which carried a pilot and a radar operator. In the RF-101A and RF-101C reconnaissance versions, the USAF had the world's first supersonic photo-reconnaissance aircraft. RF-101s were used extensively for low altitude photo coverage of missile sites during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and during the late 1960s in Southeast Asia. F-101F aircraft were modified B models with only minor exterior differences.
It began as the XF-88 all-weather interceptor (fighter), which first flew at Muroc Dry Lake Air Base in 1948. The two prototypes evolved into the F-101 Voodoo.
McDonnell delivered 807 F-101 Voodoos, designed as long-range, twinjet fighters to escort bombers, attack distant targets and provide close support for ground troops. Attack fighter, interceptor and reconnaissance versions served with the U.S. Strategic Air Defense and Tactical Air Commands and in Canada. The multimission F-101 Voodoo was used by all three U.S. Air Force Commands-Strategic, Tactical and Air Defense. XF-88 (1948)
Versions included the F-101A fighter-bomber; the F-101B two-seat, long-range interceptor; the RF-101A photoreconnaissance version; the RF-101C single-seat reconnaissance version; the TF-101B trainer version; the F-101C - an upgraded F-101A; and the CF-101F - built under license in Canada.
In Operation Firewall on Dec. 12, 1957, an F-101A fighter-bomber set a world speed record of 1,207 mph. In Operation Sun Run in 1957, an RF-101 raced from Los Angeles to New York and back to Los Angeles in a record time of 6 hours, 46 minutes.
The last Voodoo retired in 1986
Specifications:
Primary Function: Escort/All-weather interceptor/Fighter-Bomber/Reconn.
Contractor: McDonnell Aircraft Co.
Crew: One
Powerplant: Two Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 turbojet engines rated at 17,000Lb (7,666Kg) each
Dimensions:
Length: 67 feet 5 inches
Wingspan: 39 feet 8 inches
Height: 18 feet
Weights: Empty: 28,970 lbs (13141 Kg) / Maximum Takeoff: 52,400 lbs (23768 Kg)
Performance :
Cruising speed: 545 mph
Max. Speed: 1,009 mph
Range: 800 miles
Service Ceiling: 52,400 feet
Armaments:
Four 20 mm cannons,
low-altitude bombing systems,
1,620-pound bomb or 3,721-pound nuclear bomb
Two Air-2A Genie rockets and GAR-1D or GAR-2A guided missiles
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