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McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo Long-Range Penetration Fighter (1948)

Authored By Staff Writer | Last Updated: 9/9/2009

Though a failed design in itself, the XF-88 Voodoo did go on to become the successful F-101 Voodoo aircraft of the Vietnam War.

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World War 2 proved to American warplanners that the importance of escort fighters for their bombers could not be overstated. The value added by such systems as the P-51 Mustang, P-47 Thunderbolt and P-38 Lightning systems was as much a part of the Allied bombing effort of Germany and Japan as was the bombs dropped by B-24 Liberators and B-17 Flying Fortresses. As technology forced the hand of aircraft engineering to the jet age, the idea of escorting long-range bombers followed along. As such, the XF-88 "Voodoo" was prototyped in an effort to find a suitable counterpart to the growing list of long-range penetration bombers for the United States Air Force.

The XF-88 was to fit that bill, being classified as a "penetration fighter". The system was designed around a 1946 USAAF requirement that envisioned an aircraft with exceptional operational range. The resulting McDonnell design was granted two working prototypes in the form of the XP-88 (the Air Force designation model would effectively change that to XF-88 by 1948). The XF-88 featured swept-back wings fitted to streamlined fuselage. Intakes were mounted at the wing roots with the jet exhaust leaving under the tail. A standard "T" shape tail was fitted at rear, though early models were designed with a "V" system - changed when wind tunnel tests showed instability issues. Crew accommodations amounted to a single pilot, seated forward on the fuselage, just before the intakes. Standard armament was to be a battery of 6 x M39 20mm cannons.

Only two flyable prototypes were ever produced as the project lost steam when the Air Force decided to go a different route and drop the idea of a penetration fighter. As such, the program was cancelled even after a North American design was initially selected to fulfill the requirement then dropped in favor of the McDonnell design. Completed Voodoo models were in the form of the XF-88A and the XF-88B. The XF-88B model was later fitted with a nose-mounted propeller system to help research improvements in speed for the system.

Though the direct XF-88 Voodoo design came to naught, the design and designation were resurrected once more, this time in a successful McDonnell venture remembered as the F-101 Voodoo, which saw extensive action in the Vietnam conflict. The F-101 was essentially an enlarged XF-88, though modernized and modified for new requirements.
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Specifications for the
McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo
Long-Range Penetration Fighter


Country of Origin: United States
Manufacturer: McDonnell Aircraft Corporation - USA
Initial Year of Service: 1948
Production: 2


Focus Model: McDonnell XF-88A Voodoo
Crew: 1


Length: 54.13ft (16.5m)
Width: 39.70ft (12.10m)
Height: 17.39ft (5.30m)
Weight (Empty): 12,143lbs (5,508kg)
Weight (MTOW): 23,098lbs (10,477kg)


Powerplant: 2 x Westinghouse J34-WE-22 turbojet engines delivering 4,825lbs of thrust each with afterburn.


Maximum Speed: 702mph (1,130kmh; 610kts)
Maximum Range: 1,727miles (2,779km)
Service Ceiling: 39,409ft (12,012m; 7.5miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 8,000 feet per minute (2,438m/min)


Hardpoints: 0
Armament Suite:
6 x 20mm M39 cannons


Variants:
XF-88A - Prototype Model Designation; 1 example produced.


XF-88B - Prototype featured a four-bladed propeller system in the nose in addition to the twin turbojet engines; 1 example produced.

F-101 "Voodoo" - Production Voodoo represents a larger design based on the initial XF-88 model prototypes - see F-101 Voodoo entry for model specific details.


Operators: the United States of America

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