The F-101 Voodoo Evolved During Its 25 Years of Distinguished Service With the US Air Force.
On 13 March 1961, McDonnell delivered the last 807 F-101B Voodoo to the United States Air Force. The F-101 was a record-setting design that was originally conceived as a bomber escort fighter but was adapted to perform photo-reconnaissance and interception missions. The Air Defense Command (ADC) and Air National Guard (ANG) also operated two-seat F-101Bs for 13 years.
When Was a Voodoo Not a Voodoo
The first Voodoo prototype (designated XF-88) took to the air from Muroc (Later Edwards) Air Force Base (AFB) on 20 October 1948. Performance of the new fighter was inadequate with the originally installed Westinghouse J34 engines. During the development of the F-101, the Air Force decided that the Voodoo should be tasked with bomber escort as opposed to interception. The resulting changes to the design yielded an almost entirely different aircraft. In November of 1951 the Voodoo received its F-101 designator reflecting the radical changes to the original design.
Changes That Made the Voodoo Do
Major changes to the original Voodoo included additional fuel capacity and larger and more powerful Pratt & Whitney J57 engines, along with modification to the intakes in order to provide more air to the engines. The Voodoo’s horizontal control surfaces were also moved, resulting in the signature F-101 T-tail.
First Flight and More Mission Changes
The first production F-101A, Air Force serial number 53-2418, was first flown by McDonnell test pilot Robert C. Little on 29 September 1954 at Edwards AFB. But the end of the war in Korea and the advent of the Boeing B-52 Stratofortress had changed Air Force priorities, resulting in the Voodoo no longer being needed as a long-range escort fighter. However, Tactical Air Command (TAC) had plans for the fledgling fighter.
TAC Had a Different Vision
TAC saw the Voodoo as a potential fighter-bomber tasked with carrying a single Mark 28 nuclear weapon. Development of the F-101A continued and culminated when the first F-101A was delivered to the 27th Strategic Fighter Wing on 2 May 1957. The 27th became a TAC unit shortly thereafter. Also capable of toting the Mark 7, Mark 43, and Mark 57 nuclear weapons, the F-101A more often carried Falcon air-to-air missiles, conventional bombs, or rockets along with its four internally mounted 20 millimeter M39 cannons.
Fast But Short-Lived Camera Bird
The F-101A never did use any of the weapons it was designed to carry. Only 77 F-101As were built and most of them were modified to the RF-101A variant to perform aerial photo reconnaissance. The RF-101As were eventually phased out of service in 1972. RF-101As from the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing flew reconnaissance sorties over Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis out of Shaw AFB in South Carolina during October of 1962.
The Camera Bird That Went to War
The improved RF-101C reconnaissance variant saw combat in Vietnam. Photo Voodoos relied on their speed to get in, get the pictures, and get out quickly. All told the RF-101Cs flew 35,000 sorties and 39 of them were lost (all causes). After rotating stateside from Vietnam, RF-101Cs remained in service until 1979.
Stationed at Sawyer AFB 67-68. Had a det of 101’s. Go a ride, remember it so well.
Wished you had mentioned the KYANG flew Voodoos into the middle 70’s. We were a crack outfit. Deployed to Japan during the Puebleo crisis. We carried a PUC, and were C1 combat rated