Second in the famous Century Series of USAF fighters, the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo was arguably the most versatile. The Voodoo was initially conceived by Edward M. Flesh as a long range bomber escort (or penetration fighter as it was called by the original USAAF requerment) for the Strategic Air Command but later adapted as fighter-bomber, an all-weather inteceptor, and a photo reconnaissance platform. It featured a nose-mounted radar, intakes mounted in the wing roots, and also a T-tail; like other Century fighters, it was also capable of supersonic flight. Unfortunately, SAC interest soon waned but the Tactical Air Command saw in the F-101 a capable fighter-bomber for low level strike and which could carry nuclear weapons while Air Defense Command ordered it as an all-weather interceptor. It was as a reconnaissance platform, however, that the Voodoo achieved most of its combat service during the Vietnam War as well as flying during the Cuban Missile Crisis. F-101s were exported to Canada and Taiwan and were retired only until the 1980s.

The Voodoo began life as the XF-88 which first flew in prototype form on 20 October 1948. A major revision resulted in the initial F-101A which was not introduced until 1957 and was followed by the F-101C with a strengthened wing for low level operations and nuclear capability. The F-101B was an all-weather interceptor with a tandemn two seat cockpit and a rotary internal weapons bay which could carry Falcon AAMs as well as Genie nuclear tipped rockets (a dual control trainer with full combat capability was the F-101F). Tactical reconnaissance variants began with the the RF-101A, the RF-101B, and finally the major RF-101C which would see extensive action in Vietnam. These were eventually converted into the RF-101G (-101A) and RF-101H (-101C) for the ANG.