McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo

CF-101 Voodoo
McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo
Role	Interceptor aircraft
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	McDonnell
First flight	29 September 1954 (F-101)
Introduction	1961
Retired	1987
Primary users	Royal Canadian Air Force Canadian Forces
Number built	132 (two batches of 66)
Developed from	McDonnell F-101 Voodoo

The McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo was an all-weather interceptor aircraft operated by the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Canadian Forces between 1961 and 1984. They were manufactured by the McDonnell Aircraft Corporation of St. Louis, Missouri for the United States Air Force (as F-101s), and later sold to Canada. CF-101s replaced the obsolete Avro CF-100 Canuck in the RCAF's all-weather fighter squadrons. The Voodoo's primary armament was nuclear AIR-2A Genie unguided air-to-air rockets, and there was significant political controversy in Canada about their adoption. Although they never fired a weapon in wartime, the CF-101 served as Canada's primary means of air defence from Quick Reaction Alert facilities at Canadian airbases. The CF-101s were retired in the 1980s and replaced with McDonnell Douglas CF-18 Hornet fighters. Many examples are preserved in museums and parks in Canada and the United States.

After the cancellation of the CF-105 Arrow program in February 1959, George Pearkes, the Canadian Minister of National Defence officially maintained that the existing Avro CF-100 interceptors and the Bomarc missiles that had been ordered in September 1958 would be adequate for Canada’s air defense needs. Unofficially, it was recognized that there was still a bomber threat, and discussions had been underway since before the formal conclusion of the Avro Arrow program concerning the RCAF acquiring an "off-the-shelf" interceptor from the United States.

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