The McDonnell Voodoo was a supersonic fighter designed to escort bombers and serve as a fighter bomber, an all-weather interceptor and a photoreconnaissance aircraft.

It began as the XF-88 all-weather interceptor (fighter), which first flew at Muroc Dry Lake Air Base, Calif., in 1948. The two prototypes evolved into the F-101 Voodoo.

The first flight of the McDonnell F-101 Voodoo took place at Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert. With chief test pilot Bob Little at the controls, the Voodoo went supersonic on its first flight.

McDonnell delivered 807 F-101 Voodoos, designed as long-range, twinjet fighters to escort bombers, attack distant targets and provide close support for ground troops.

In Operation Firewall on Dec. 12, 1957, an F-101A fighter-bomber set a world speed record of 1,207 mph. In Operation Sun Run in 1957, an RF-101 raced from Los Angeles, Calif., to New York and back to Los Angeles in a record time of 6 hours 46 minutes.

The Voodoo had a maximum speed of Mach 1.72 and a range of 1,520 miles.

Along with 4 20mm cannons, the Voodoo was typically armed with AIM-4 Falcon missiles, but it could also carry 2 AIR-2 Genie nuclear rockets.

The last Voodoo retired in 1986.