F-101 Voodoo, The U.S. supersonic nuclear-capable fighter bomber [Documentary]
- Thread starter Dronescapes
- Start date
DBII
Senior Master Sergeant
I always thought of the F101 as an interceptor and not a fighter bomber.
Admiral Beez
Major
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DBII
Senior Master Sergeant
I grew up between the old home of the Battleship Texas and Ellington air force base. NASA was down the street from Ellington and the shared the base. At the time the Air Nation Guard was flying F101s. Love the lines. Wish I had photos from the 60s. I did not start going to airshows until the 70s. Lost the early photos in a house fire in the 90s but still have the negatives. Film was 126. I can only scan slides and 35 mm film. I should try and talk me father into printing them. The chemical and paper will cost a fortune but worth it. It will be like 70s again. Me sitting on a bar stool watching him at work.
special ed
1st Lieutenant
- 7,074
- May 13, 2018
A friend whose first job (1966) after flight school was F-101Bs. He is retired now so I can tell some tales he told me. He was stationed near the Canadian border. Most of his squadron did not like night flying. In fact he said they logged any two takeoffs with in minutes as "formation takeoff". My friend loved flying and explored the flight envelope. Because of this, there was one backseater crazy enough to fly with him. In the flat farmland of the far north of the US, he would set up night intercepts on semis on the interstate, the overflight causing some surprise. They would try to find a semi driver who had his broom stick on the gas pedal (before modern conviences) with his cabin light on, reading.
One trip home, I called his mother to find out if he was in. She said he must be, his sister said an F-101 buzzed the ROTC building at her college and went supersonic.
Years later, when I mentioned the occasion, he said he did not go supersonic but merely pulled up and went into afterburner. He said the engines usually did not hit AB at the same time, giving a double boom simulating a sonic boom.
One trip home, I called his mother to find out if he was in. She said he must be, his sister said an F-101 buzzed the ROTC building at her college and went supersonic.
Years later, when I mentioned the occasion, he said he did not go supersonic but merely pulled up and went into afterburner. He said the engines usually did not hit AB at the same time, giving a double boom simulating a sonic boom.
Admiral Beez
Major
Was the Voodoo capable of carrying underwing missiles or bombs? I never see any photos of the RCAF fighters carrying anything but a pair of small AIM-4D Falcon IR missiles or bombs under the centre.
With no guns and no medium ranged missiles, the Voodoo seems an odd choice for NORAD distant interception. There's a force of low IR Tu-95s heading for Canada and all you've got is a pair of small IR missiles? I assumed there was a radar system in the nose for longer range Sparrow type missiles. What else is the Voodoo's backseater for? If all you have is a pair of IR missiles, why not have a single seater like the English Electric Lightning?
Even the Voodoo's predecessor, the CF-100 Canuck was tested for Sparrows. So, why no Sparrows for the RCAF's Voodoo?
The USAF did try the MIM-23 Hawk medium ranged AAM.
With no guns and no medium ranged missiles, the Voodoo seems an odd choice for NORAD distant interception. There's a force of low IR Tu-95s heading for Canada and all you've got is a pair of small IR missiles? I assumed there was a radar system in the nose for longer range Sparrow type missiles. What else is the Voodoo's backseater for? If all you have is a pair of IR missiles, why not have a single seater like the English Electric Lightning?
Even the Voodoo's predecessor, the CF-100 Canuck was tested for Sparrows. So, why no Sparrows for the RCAF's Voodoo?
The USAF did try the MIM-23 Hawk medium ranged AAM.
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DBII
Senior Master Sergeant
The F101 had a weapon bay that carried a couple of nuclear missiles. I don't remember the details. Am at work and cannot check to books.
GreenKnight121
Staff Sergeant
- 913
- Mar 16, 2014
Fighter-bomber versions
F-101A - single pilot; 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, and was designed to carry four M39 20mm cannons and a Mk 28 nuclear bomb, or conventional bombs, or AIM-4 missiles. Capable of withstanding only 6.33 g (62 m/s²) maneuvers.
Many were later converted to RF-101G recon birds, and many RF-101As were factory-built.
F-101A (cannon below cockpit):
F-101C - single pilot: introduced in 1957. It had a 500 lb (227 kg) heavier structure to allow 7.33-g maneuvers as well as a revised fuel system to increase the maximum flight time in afterburner. Like the F-101A, it was also fitted with an underfuselage pylon for carrying nuclear weapons, as well as two hardpoints for 450-US-gallon (1,700 L) drop tanks.
Recon versions were both factory-built (RF-101C) and converted from F-101Cs (those were RF-101H).
F-101C:
Interceptor versions
F-101B - 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 was stripped of the four M39 cannons and carried four AIM-4 Falcon air-air missiles instead, arranged two apiece on a rotating pallet in the fuselage weapons bay.
Late-production examples were fitted for 2 AIR-2 Genie nuclear rockets (1.7kt yield) and 2 AIM-4.
TF-101B - some were built as trainers, which were later redesignated TF-101F.
F-101B:
Test with rotating missile pallet - originally intended for 6 missiles, but restricted to 4 in service:
F-101B launching test-dummy AIR-2 Genie:
F-101A - single pilot; 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, and was designed to carry four M39 20mm cannons and a Mk 28 nuclear bomb, or conventional bombs, or AIM-4 missiles. Capable of withstanding only 6.33 g (62 m/s²) maneuvers.
Many were later converted to RF-101G recon birds, and many RF-101As were factory-built.
F-101A (cannon below cockpit):
F-101C - single pilot: introduced in 1957. It had a 500 lb (227 kg) heavier structure to allow 7.33-g maneuvers as well as a revised fuel system to increase the maximum flight time in afterburner. Like the F-101A, it was also fitted with an underfuselage pylon for carrying nuclear weapons, as well as two hardpoints for 450-US-gallon (1,700 L) drop tanks.
Recon versions were both factory-built (RF-101C) and converted from F-101Cs (those were RF-101H).
F-101C:
Interceptor versions
F-101B - 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 was stripped of the four M39 cannons and carried four AIM-4 Falcon air-air missiles instead, arranged two apiece on a rotating pallet in the fuselage weapons bay.
Late-production examples were fitted for 2 AIR-2 Genie nuclear rockets (1.7kt yield) and 2 AIM-4.
TF-101B - some were built as trainers, which were later redesignated TF-101F.
F-101B:
Test with rotating missile pallet - originally intended for 6 missiles, but restricted to 4 in service:
F-101B launching test-dummy AIR-2 Genie:
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Admiral Beez
Major
Why did McDonnell make the Voodoo fighter-bomber variant when they had the Phantom?
GreenKnight121
Staff Sergeant
- 913
- Mar 16, 2014
The Phantom was still a set of different options for the USN only when the F-101 made its first flight for the USAF.
The Voodoo entered USAF service a full year before the Phantom first flew!
F-101A first flight September 1954; USAF service introduction May 1957
XF4H-1 & YF4H-1 ordered July 1955 for USN only.
XF4H-1 (prototype) first flight May 1958; USN service introduction F4H-1F (F-4A, fighter capability only) December 1960 - F4H-1 (F-4B, first with bombing capability) July 1961.
1961 USAF was ordered by SecDef McNamara to evaluate the F4H-1, USAF ordered F-110s August 1962 (September 1962 unified aircraft designation system implemented, turning both F4Hs and F-110s into F-4s).
F-110 (F-4C) first flight May 1963; USAF service introduction January 1964
