McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo is an American fighter of second half of the years 1950. It is the first Fighter plan able to exceed 1000 miles/h (1609 km/h) to be produced in series. Built with a little less than 900 specimens, it remained in service until the beginning of the year 1980.

History

In 1951, the American air force emitted an invitation to tender for a Fighter plan with long operating range able to accompany the intercontinental bomber B-36. McDonnell gained the market with an answer based on its project XF-88, developed at the end of the years 1940 but not having never succeeded. The F-101 future was however larger and its structure partly modified compared to the XF-88.

The first prototype made its inaugural flight on September 29th, 1954 and, little time after, reached its maximum speed of Mach 1,4. Construction in series had been launched immediately, so that about thirty planes had been delivered to the first half of 1956. The tests carried out by USAF however revealed many youth problems and the production was stopped a few months, time to bring several hundreds of modifications to the already delivered planes. Finally, the first F-101A were delivered to the operational units as from May 1957. They were armed with 4 guns of 20mm and possibly of a atomic bomb, but could not however carry traditional bombs. Indeed, following the reversals of the American Staff, F-101 was now intended to be useful as fighter-bomber, able at the same time of air-to-air missions and to release the atomic bomb.

The F-101A not being well adapted to its new mission of attack at low altitude, a version F-101C was developed in 1957, with a reinforced structure able to box 7,33G and some other minor improvements. It was however built only with 47 specimens before USAF finally does not give up using Voodoo for the attack. The remainder of the production was transformed into as much RF-101C, version not armed with recognition which remained however able to carry a atomic bomb, and undergoes some improvements of the photographic system during its career.

In parallel, following the delays met on the program of the F-102 Delta Dagger, USAF ordered since 1954 a version F-101B of interception all-time, as solution of waiting. It was about a two-seater aircraft (1 pilot and 1 system operator of weapon), equipped with more powerful J57 engines with longer conduits, of before modified to embark the system of shooting, and armed with 4 air-to-air missiles to replace the guns. The first flight take place on March 27th, 1957 and the deliveries began in January 1959. This version was accompanied by version F-101F intended for the drive with the system of weapon, but which preserved all its capacity of combat. The F-101B underwent several modifications during their career, like the possibility of firing the air-to-air missile with nuclear warhead Genie, the addition of an infra-red detector and improvements of the system of shooting.

The F-101A and C as their derivatives of recognition remained in first line until the middle of the years 1960 and the last were withdrawn from the units of reserve at the end of the years 1970. On their side, the F-101B started to be transferred to the National guard at the end of the years 1960 and were definitively reformed with the beginning of the year 1980.

Export

After the abandonment of CF-105 Arrow, the Canada ordered 56 F-101B of interception and 10 F-101F of drive, which were delivered to him between July 1961 and May 1962. They were apparatuses of occasion taken on the units of USAF. In 1970/1971, Voodoo remainders were returned to the the United States and were replaced by 66 others, of occasion, but were always revised and including the last improvements made to the American specimens. The CF-101B and CF-101F remained in service in RCAF until the beginning of the year 1980.

In 1959, Taiwan bought 8 RF-101A of occasion, which it used for reconnaissance missions until the end of the years 1970.

Records

December 12th, 1957, a F-101A equipped with engines J57-P-55 intended for version F-101B established world records speed by reaching 1 943 km/h.

Engagements

RF-101A and RF-101C carried out several reconnaissance missions at the time of the Crise of the missiles of Cuba, in 1962.

The RF - 101 C.A. be the only version of Voodoo used by the the United States at the time of the War of Vietnam, between 1961 and 1965. More than 30 planes were lost at the time of these reconnaissance missions.

Alternatives

F-101A : initial version fighter-bomber (77 specimens)
RF-101A: version of recognition of the F-101A (35 specimens)
F-101B: two-seater version of interception any time (479 specimens)
RF-101B: version of recognition of the F-101B (22 modified ex CF-101B)
F-101C: F-101A with reinforced structure (47 specimens)
RF-101C: version of recognition of the F-101C (166 specimens)
RF-101F: version of drive of the F-101B (79 specimens)
RF-101G: second version of recognition of F-101A (29 modified F-101A)
RF-101H: second version of recognition of F-101C (31 modified F-101C)
CF-101B/CF-101F: designation of the F-101B and F-101F used by the Canada

Country users

External bonds

detailed History of F-101 on the site of Joseph F. Baugher
a F101B Voodoo preserved at Toulouse

List of the military aircrafts

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