F-101A / RF-101G , 1954 On 2 May 1957, the first F-101A was delivered to the
27th Strategic Fighter Wing, which transferred to TAC in July that year, replacing their
F-84F Thunderstreak. The F-101A was powered by two Pratt & Whitney J57-P-13 turbojets, The aircraft was fitted with an MA-7 fire-control radar for both air-to-air and air-to-ground use, augmented by a
Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) for delivering nuclear weapons, beating the previous record of 1,132 mph (1,811 km/h) set by the
Fairey Delta 2 in March the previous year. The record was then subsequently taken in May 1958 by a
Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. On 27 November 1957, during "Operation Sun Run," an RF-101C set the Los Angeles-New York City-Los Angeles record in 6 hours and 46 minutes, the New York to Los Angeles record in 3 hours and 36 minutes, and the Los Angeles to New York record in 3 hours and 7 minutes. A total of 77 F-101As were built, only 50 of which were ever used operationally while the remainder were used exclusively for experimental work. They were gradually withdrawn from USAF service starting in 1966. Twenty-nine survivors were converted to
RF-101G specifications with a modified nose, housing
reconnaissance cameras in place of cannons and radar. These served with the
Air National Guard through 1972.
RF-101A (later transferred to
Tan Son Nhut Air Base) c. 1965 In October 1953, the USAF requested that two F-101As be built as prototype YRF-101A tactical reconnaissance aircraft. These were followed by 35 RF-101A production aircraft. The RF-101A shared the airframe of the F-101A, including its 6.33
g (62 m/s²) limit, but replaced the radar and cannons with up to six cameras in the reshaped nose. Various electronics were incorporated at the request of TAC. Like all other models of the F-101, it had provision for both flying boom and probe-and-drogue
in-flight refueling capability, as well as for a
buddy tank that allowed it to refuel other aircraft. It entered service in May 1957, On July 15, 1958, the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing deployed 8 RF-101s to
Incirlik Air Base during the
1958 Lebanon crisis to support the
Marine landing in
Beirut to form a composite air strike force with
B-57s,
RB-66s,
C-124s,
F-100s, and
Lockheed C-130 Hercules. During October 1962, RF-101As from the 363d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing performed reconnaissance sorties over Cuba during the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Allegedly, the aircraft's performance over Cuba highlighted its shortcomings as a reconnaissance aircraft, motivating a series of modifications to improve its performance. All USAF RF-101As were phased out of service during 1971. During October 1959, eight RF-101As were transferred to
Taiwan, which used them for overflights of the Chinese mainland. These ROCAF RF-101A were modified with the RF-101C vertical fins and air intake; this intake was used to cool the drag chute compartment and eliminated the five minute limit on using the afterburners on the RF-101A. Two were reportedly shot down.
F-101B / CF-101B / EF-101B ,
CFB Comox on the ramp at
CFB Moose Jaw in spring 1982. In the late 1940s, the USAF had started a research project into future
interceptor aircraft that eventually settled on an advanced specification known as the
1954 interceptor. Contracts for this specification eventually resulted in the selection of the
Convair F-102 Delta Dagger, but by 1952 it was becoming clear that few parts of the specification other than the airframe would be ready by 1954; the engines, weapons, and fire control systems were all going to take too long to get into service. Thus, an effort was started to quickly produce an interim supersonic design to replace the various subsonic interceptors then in service, and the F-101 airframe was selected as a starting point. Although McDonnell proposed the designation
F-109 for the new aircraft (which was to be a substantial departure from the basic Voodoo), the USAF assigned the designation F-101B. It was first deployed into service on 5 January 1959, with the
60th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron. Production of this model ended in March 1961. The Voodoo featured a modified cockpit to carry a crew of two, with a larger and more rounded forward fuselage to hold the
Hughes MG-13 fire control
radar of the F-102. It had a data link to the
Semi-Automatic Ground Environment (SAGE) system, allowing ground controllers to steer the aircraft towards its targets by making adjustments through the plane's autopilot. The F-101B had more powerful Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 engines, making it the only Voodoo not using the −13 engines. The new engines featured a substantially longer afterburner than J57-P-13s. To avoid a major redesign, the extended afterburners were simply allowed to extend out of the fuselage by almost 8 ft (2.4 m). The more powerful engines and aerodynamic refinements allowed an increased speed of Mach 1.85. After the first two missiles were fired, the door turned over to expose the second pair. Standard practice was to fire the weapons in SARH/IR pairs to increase the likelihood of a hit. Late-production models had provision for two 1.7-kiloton MB-1/AIR-2 Genie nuclear rockets on one side of the pallet with IR-guided GAR-2A (AIM-4C) on the other side. "Project Kitty Car" upgraded most earlier F-101Bs to this standard beginning in 1961. Between 1963 and 1966, F-101Bs were upgraded under the Interceptor Improvement Program (IIP; also known as "Project Bold Journey"), being outfitted with a fire control system enhancement against hostile
ECM and an
infrared sighting and tracking (IRST) system in the nose in place of the in-flight refueling probe. The F-101B was produced in greater numbers than the F-101A and F-101C, with a total of 479 being delivered by the end of production in 1961. The F-101B was withdrawn from ADC service between 1968 and 1971, with many surviving USAF aircraft transferred to the Air National Guard (replacing F-102s), serving until 1982. The last Voodoo in US service was flown on 14 April 1983 by Lt Col Daniel Burchfield, Director of Operations,475th Test Squadron, Tyndall AFB, FL.
F-101C / RF-101H The F-101A fighter-bomber had been accepted into TAC service despite a number of problems. Among others, its airframe had proven to be capable of withstanding only 6.33
g (62 m/s²) maneuvers, rather than the intended 7.33
g (72 m/s²). Like the F-101A, it was also fitted with an underfuselage pylon for carrying nuclear weapons, as well as two
hardpoints for
drop tanks. The
78th Tactical Fighter Squadron was stationed at Woodbridge, while the 91st and 92nd were stationed at Bentwaters. The 81st TFW served as a strategic nuclear deterrent force, the Voodoo's long-range putting almost all of the
Warsaw Pact countries, and targets up to deep into the Soviet Union within reach. Both the A and C model aircraft were assigned to the 81st TFW and were used interchangeably within the three squadrons. Operational F-101A/C were upgraded in service with
Low Angle Drogued Delivery (LADD) and Low Altitude Bombing System (LABS) equipment for its primary mission of delivering nuclear weapons at extremely low altitudes. Pilots were trained for high speed, low-level missions into Soviet or Eastern Bloc territory, with primary targets being airfields. These missions were expected to be one-way, with the pilots having to eject behind Soviet lines.
RF-101C Using the reinforced airframe of the F-101C, the RF-101C first flew on 12 July 1957, As it was intended to be flown unarmed, various passive defensive systems were incorporated, including the AN/APS-54
radar warning receiver. It lacked a true all-weather capability due to the USAF choosing to eliminate the AN/APN-82 electronic navigation system planned for it. 166 RF-101Cs were built, including 96 originally scheduled to be F-101C fighter-bombers. Operations in this theatre quickly exposed the need for nighttime reconnaissance, for which the aircraft was not originally equipped to perform. The 1964 Project "Toy Tiger" fitted some RF-101C with a new camera package and a centerline pod for photo-flash cartridges. Some were further upgraded under the Mod 1181 program with automatic control for the cameras. Some officials remained dissatisfied with the RF-101C's nighttime photographic capability. The RF-101C acted as
pathfinders for F-100 bombers during early strikes in the theatre. The RF-101C sustained losses during the conflict, the first loss to enemy ground fire was recorded in November 1964, although close calls occurred as early as 14 August 1962; North Vietnamese air defenses became increasingly effective over time. From 1965 through November 1970, its role was gradually taken over by the RF-4C Phantom II. In some 35,000 sorties, 39 aircraft were lost, 33 in combat, including 5 to
SAMs, 1 to an airfield attack, and 1 in air combat to a
MiG-21 in September 1967. The RF-101C's speed made it largely immune to MiG interception. 27 of the combat losses occurred on reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam. In April 1967, ALQ-71 ECM pods were fitted to provide some protection against SAMs. Although the Voodoo could again operate at medium altitudes, the added drag and weight decreased the RF-101's speed enough to be vulnerable to the maneuverable (and cannon-equipped) MiGs and thus require fighter escort. After its withdrawal from Vietnam, the RF-101C continued to serve with USAF units through 1979. In service, the RF-101C was nicknamed the "Long Bird"; it was the only version of the Voodoo to see combat. In total 166 were built.
TF-101B / F-101F / CF-101F Some of the F-101Bs were completed as dual-control operational
trainer aircraft initially dubbed
TF-101B, but later redesignated
F-101F. Seventy-nine new-build F-101Fs were manufactured, and 152 more existing aircraft were later modified with dual controls. Ten of these were supplied to Canada under the designation
CF-101F. These were later replaced with 10 updated aircraft in 1971.
RF-101B In the early 1970s, a batch of 22 former RCAF CF-101Bs was delivered to the USAF and converted into
RF-101B reconnaissance aircraft, each aircraft had its radar and weapons bay replaced with a set of three KS-87B cameras and two AXQ-2 TV cameras. An in-flight refueling boom receptacle was also installed. These aircraft served with the
192d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron of the
Nevada Air National Guard through 1975. They proved to be relatively expensive to operate and maintain and had a short service life. ==Variants==