McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was an American supersonic fighter-bomber. It was used by the US Air Force in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. It was the second combat aircraft to break the sound barrier on its first flight, which took place on September 29, 1954. It entered service in May 1957 and it would be phased out in 1972. It could be armed with two MB-1 Genie nuclear rockets or an Mk-28 nuclear bomb.

The McDonnell Air Corporation built a total of 808 F-101 Voodoos. The most massively produced version was the F-101B, with 480 aircraft. Other variants included the F-101A, F-101C, and RF-101A and RF-101C. The latter ones were a reconnaissance aircraft, which were fitted with up to six photographic cameras. The combat versions, on the other hand, were equipped with the Hughes MA-7 fire control radar, which was used for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat situations.

Below, you can see the belly of the Voodoo as it flies over. This picture was taken in 1959.

The only version of the Voodoo to see combat action in Vietnam was the RF-101C. It did an outstanding job of spying on the enemy, using its aerial cameras. It flew more than 37,000 daylight sorties, exceeding the Mach 1.8 speed. Although it was a very fast aircraft, with the MiG combat planes having a hard time to intercept it, it had suffered 50 losses to Soviet-made North Vietnamese SAMs (surface-to-air missiles) by the end of 1968. Most of these losses took place when the RF-101C flew reconnaissance missions in the skies over North Vietnam.

Technical Characteristics

The McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was a single-seat, twin-engine aircraft, which was fitted with swept wings and an all-metal fuselage. The wings featured large split flaps, which gave the plane good handling at low air speed. Their leading edges had 'fences', which reduced the induced drag by limiting the outward flow of air over the upper surface of wing. The Voodoo held most of its fuel in the fuselage, in nine internal tanks, running down the spine of the aircraft, from the cockpit to the fin.

Despite its supersonic speed and long range capacity, the F-101 Voodoo had a dangerous tendency to pitch-up, which was a longitudinal instability that increased the angle of attack even further than acceptable. Thus, it was one of the hardest to fly aircraft in the history of the US Air Force. However, once the pilot got the hang of it, the Voodoo was a great performer at high speed.

Specifications (F-101A)

Type: tactical fighter-bomber

Longth: 20.54 m (67 ft, 5 in)

Wingspan: 12.09 m (39 ft, 8 in)

Wing Area: 34.19 square meters (368 sq. ft)

Height: 5.48 m (18 ft)

Power Plant: two Pratt & Whitney J57-P-13 turbojet engines, with afterburner.

Maximum Speed: Mach 1.9 or 1,982 km/h (1,232 mph).

Range: 3,040 km (1890 miles).

Ceiling: 15,850 m of altitude (52,000 ft).

Crew: 1

Armament: four 20mm cannons; 3,100-kg of bombs, or two MB-1 Genie tactical nuclear rockets.

Below, the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo parked on the tarmac of a US Air Force base in 1959.

The F-101B version frontal view. Photo taken around 1960.

The F-101C variant in flight. Notice the wide split flaps of its wings.