McDonnell F-101 Voodoo, Page 1

Intro F-101A RF-101A F-101B CF-101B&F RF-101B F-101C RF-101C F-101F RF-101G RF-101H

F-101F two-seat operational & conversion trainer

Note: The designations F-101D and F-101E were reserved for projected Voodoo versions which were to have been powered by General Electric J79 turbojets. Neither of these were ever built.

Produced alongside the F-101B interceptor was the F-101F operational and conversion trainer. The 79 F-101Fs were equipped with dual controls, but carried the same armament as the F-101B and were fully combat-capable. Most of these F-101Fs were retrofitted with infrared sensors and improved fire-control systems as part of Project Bold Journey. The F-101F was externally identical to the F-101B, and the two aircraft could only be distinguished from each other by an examination of their serial numbers.

Dual-control F-101F aircraft were widespread throughout the F-101 interceptor fleet, but a sizeable proportion of them were concentrated in the training units with only a handfull being assigned to each operational F-101B interceptor unit. Reconnaissance Voodoo units were also assigned a few F-101Fs to assist with their conversion training.

Canada's air force received ten F-101F two-seat operational trainers in parallel with the acquisition of its 56 F-101B interceptors. These included four F-101F-116-MCs (59-393, 400, 407, and 437) and six F-101F-121-MCs (59-443, 449, 454, 460, 466, 472, and 478). In Canadian service, they were designated CF-101F.

In 1970-71, the surviving CF-101Fs from the initial batch delivered to Canada were returned to the USA and exchanged for ten new F-101F operational trainers under Operation Peach Wings. These ex-USAF Voodoos were from earlier production batches, but had been upgraded with infrared sensors and improved fire control systems as part of Project Bold Journey.

Serials of the F-101F:

56-0244/0245            McDonnell F-101F-51-MC Voodoo
56-0246/0247            McDonnell F-101F-56-MC Voodoo
56-0253                 McDonnell F-101F-61-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101001 in 1970/71
56-0260                 McDonnell F-101F-66-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101002 in 1970/71
56-0262                 McDonnell F-101F-66-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101003 in 1970/71
56-0274/0277            McDonnell F-101F-71-MC Voodoo
                                0277 to Canadian Armed Forces as 101004 
                                        in 1970/71
56-0289                 McDonnell F-101F-76-MC Voodoo
56-0294                 McDonnell F-101F-76-MC Voodoo
56-0299                 McDonnell F-101F-76-MC Voodoo
56-0304                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101005 in 1970/71
56-0308                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
56-0312                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
56-0316                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
56-0320                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
56-0324                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101006 in 1970/71
56-0328                 McDonnell F-101F-81-MC Voodoo
                                to Canadian Armed Forces as 101007 in 1970/71
57-0263                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0267                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0271                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0275                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0279                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0283                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0287                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0292                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0297                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0302                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0307                 McDonnell F-101F-86-MC Voodoo
57-0312                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-0317                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-0322                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-0327                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-0332                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
                                at Tyndall Air Park, Florida
57-0337                 McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-342                  McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-347                  McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-352                  McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-357                  McDonnell F-101F-91-MC Voodoo
57-365                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-372                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-379                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-386                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-393                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-400                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-407                  McDonnell F-101F-96-MC Voodoo
57-414                  McDonnell F-101F-101-MC Voodoo
57-421                  McDonnell F-101F-101-MC Voodoo
57-428                  McDonnell F-101F-101-MC Voodoo
57-449                  McDonnell F-101F-101-MC Voodoo
58-0262                 McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-0269                 McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-0276                 McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-0283                 McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-0290                 McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-297                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-304                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-311                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-318                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-324                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-331                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
58-338                  McDonnell F-101F-106-MC Voodoo
59-0393                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17393 in 1968 
59-0400                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17400 in 1968.
59-0407                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17407 in 1968.
59-0413                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                at Empire State Aerosciences Museum, Scotia,
                                        NY.
59-0419                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
59-0425                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
59-0437                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17437 in 1968.
59-0443                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17443 in 1968.
59-0449                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17449 in 1968.
59-0454                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
59-0460                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17460 in 1968.
59-0466                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17466 in 1968.
59-0472                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17472 in 1968.
59-0478                 McDonnell F-101F-116-MC Voodoo
                                to RCAF as 17478 in 1968.

Specifications of the F-101F:

Two Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 turbojets, 11,990 lb.s.t. dry and 16,900 lb.s.t. with afterburner.

Performance: Maximum speed 1134 mph at 35,000 feet. Initial climb rate 49,200 feet/min. Service ceiling 58,400 feet, combat ceiling 51,000 feet. Normal range 1520 miles, maximum range 1930 miles.

Weights: 28,970 pounds empty, 45,664 pounds gross, 40,853 pounds combat weight, 52,400 pounds maximum takeoff.

Dimensions: wingspan 39 feet 8 inches, length 67 feet 5 inches, height 18 feet 0 inches, wing area 368 square feet.

Fuel: Maximum internal fuel load was 2053 US gallons. A total of three under-fuselage drop tanks could be carried, bringing maximum fuel load to 2953 US gallons.

Armament: Armed with six Falcon AAMs (usually 3 GAR-1 (AIM-4) semiactive radar homers and 3 GAR-2 (AIM-4B) infrared homers) in internal ventral weapons bay. In later versions, two unguided AIR-2A Genie unguided rockets with nuclear warheads could be carried in place of three of the Falcons on external attachment points.

Sources:

McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920: Volume II, Rene J. Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft Armament, Bill Gunston, Orion, 1988.

United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, Orion, 1987.

Fighters of the United States Air Force, Robert F. Dorr and David Donald, Temple Press Aerospace, 1990.

American Combat Planes, Third Enlarged Edition, Ray Wagner, Doubleday, 1982.

Post-World War II Fighters, 1945-1973, Marcelle Size Knaack, Office of Air Force History, 1986.

McDonnell F-88/F-101 Voodoo Variant Briefing, Robert F. Dorr, Wings of Fame, Vol 1, 1996.

Webmaster's note: All of the information above is provided by a friend of the FISRG, Joe Baugher (jbaugher@worldnet.att.net)

Back