McDonnell F-101B Voodoo – 119th FG Happy Hooligans, North Dakota ANG, USAF 1975

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA3717: McDonnell F-101B Voodoo #58-0291 of 119th FG Happy Hooligans, North Dakota Air National Guard, USAF, Fargo 1975. Production run of 500 models.

Length 11.25 inches Wingspan 6.75 inches

In 1954, 119 Fighter Group was assigned to the Air Defence Command and entered the jet age when the unit converted to the F-94 which it flew until 1958. Since then, the Hooligans have flown the F-89 “Scorpion” from 1958 to 1966, the F- 102 “Delta Dagger” from 1966 to 1969, and the F-101 “Voodoo” from 1969-1977. Starting in 1977, the unit flew the F-4 “Phantom” until 1990 and the F-16 “Fighting Falcon” from 1990 to 2007. Since 1973, the 119th Fighter Wing has flown more than 115,000 hours in fighter aircraft without a Class A Mishap, unprecedented in any U. S. fighter unit. In Jan 2007, the unit officially retired the F-16 mission after 60 years of successful fighter jet missions. The 119th Wing now performs MQ-9 Reaper operations and Intelligence Reconnaissance and Surveillance operations.

Designed to meet a USAAF requirement for a long-range turbojet powered fighter, the F-101 was first flown (as the XF-88 prototype) on October 20th, 1948. Its initial mission as bomber escort was modified during development to include that of all-weather interceptor, nuclear fighter-bomber and photo reconnaissance aircraft. Reconnaissance variants saw extensive use during the Vietnam war while interceptors remained in service with several Air National Guard units until 1982. Ultimately, the Voodoo’s career was rather short-lived although it did help pave the way towards the highly successful F-4 Phantom II that replaced it.