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"Television
brought the brutality of war into the comfort of the living room.
Vietnam was lost in the living rooms of America - not on the
battlefields of Vietnam." - Marshal McLuhan Using the reinforced airframe of the F-101C, the RF-101C first flew on July 12th, 1957, entering service in 1958. Like the RF-101A, the RF-101C had up to six cameras in place of radar and cannons in the reshaped nose and retained the bombing ability of the fighter-bomber versions. 166 RF-101Cs were built, including 96 originally scheduled to be F-101C fighter-bombers. On November 27th, 1957, during Operation Sun Run, an RF-101C piloted by then-Captain Robert Sweet set the Los Angeles-New York City-Los Angeles record in 6 hours 46 minutes, and New York to Los Angeles record in 3 hours, 36 minutes. Another RF-101C, piloted by then-Lieutenant Gustav Klatt, set a Los Angeles to New York record of three hours 7 minutes. The 1964 Project "Toy Tiger" fitted some RF-101C with a new camera package and a center line pod for photo-flash cartridges. Some were further upgraded under the Mod 1181 program with automatic control for the cameras. The RF-101C saw service during the Cuban Missile Crisis and soon followed the North American F-100 Super Sabres in October 1961, into combat when RF-101s from the 67th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing deployed to Vietnam. The RF-101C was deployed operationally during the Vietnam War, sustaining losses with the first F-101 being lost in November 1964 to ground fire. From 1965 through November 1970, its role was gradually taken over by the RF-4C Phantom II. In some 35,000 sorties, 39 aircraft were lost, 33 in combat, including five to SAMs, one to an airfield attack, and one in air combat to a MiG-21 in September 1967. The RF-101C's speed made it largely immune to MiG interception. 27 of the combat losses occurred on reconnaissance missions over North Vietnam. In April 1967, ALQ-71 ECM pods were fitted to provide some protection against SAMs. Although the Voodoo was again able to operate at medium altitudes, the added drag and weight decreased the speed enough to make RF-101 vulnerable to the maneuverable (and cannon-equipped) MiGs and thus requiring fighter escort. After withdrawal from Vietnam, the RF-101C continued to serve with USAF units through 1979. In service, the RF-101C was nicknamed the "Long Bird"; it was the only version of the Voodoo to see combat. Pictured here is a 1:72 scale diecast replica of a USAF McDonnell RF-101C Voodoo reconnaissance aircraft that was attached to the 29th Tactical Fighter Squadron "The Fightin' Eagles", 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, then deployed to Udorn RTAFB, Thailand, during 1965. New for 2026! #HA9305 Dimensions: Features: Historical Account: "Say Cheese" - In January 1953, the USAF asked McDonnell Aircraft to develop an unarmed photographic reconnaissance version of the F-101 Voodoo as a possible replacement for the Republic RF-84F Thunderflash. The first RF-101A was delivered to the 17th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron on May 6th, 1957, as a replacement for the subsonic RF-84F. The RF-101A had a redesigned and longer nose housing four cameras designed for low-altitude photography. In addition, two high-altitude cameras were mounted behind the cockpit in place of the ammunition boxes of the fighter variant. In September 1957, the RF-101C began deliveries to Shaw. The C model combined the strengthened structure of the F-101C with the camera installation of the RF-101A. In addition, the RF-101C differed from the RF-101A in being able to accommodate a center line nuclear weapon, so that it could carry out a secondary nuclear strike mission if ever called upon to do so. The RF-101Cs served for a brief time alongside the RF-101A, but quickly replaced them by May 1958. On February 8th, 1958, as part of the conversion of Tactical Air Command Wings to the dual deputy organizations, the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Group was inactivated and its personnel and equipment were assigned directly to the 363rd Wing, reporting to the wing's deputy commander for operations. We
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