Polyus
Published 14 Aug 2020When Soviet or unidentified aircraft approached Canadian airspace in the 1960s and 70s, they were met by an iconic cold war interceptor. Armed with both conventional and nuclear weapons, they were a formidable foe in their day. It served to support NORAD and protect the Northern approaches into the North American heartland during the height of the Cold War. Although it was neither designed nor built in Canada, the reliable Voodoo remains a Canadian Cold War icon and was well loved by its ground crews and pilots.
0:00 Introduction
0:29 McDonnell F-101A development
1:06 F-101B Interceptor
3:11 Canada becomes involved with the Voodoo
4:15 The Nuclear question
5:08 Comparison with contemporaries
5:36 Operational History
8:04 Legacy and Retirement
8:48 Conclusion
Music:
Denmark – Portland Cello ProjectAircraft Mentioned:
Avro CF-100 Canuck
Avro CF-105 Arrow
Convair F-106 Delta Dart
McDonnell Douglas CF-18 HornetResearch Sources:
http://www.rwrwalker.ca/caf_voodoos_d…
https://www.rcaf.museum/history/rcaf-…
Clearwater, John M. Canadian Nuclear Weapons: The Untold Story of Canada’s Cold War Arsenal. Toronto: Dundurn Press, 1998. ISBN 1-55002-299-7
Milberry, Larry. Canada’s Air Force at War and Peace, Volume 3. Toronto: CANAV Books, 2000. ISBN 0-921022-13-1.McDonnell CF-101 Voodoo; Canada’s Nuclear-Armed Sentinel
#Voodoo #CanadianAerospace #PolyusStudios
From the comments:
David Killens
2 years ago
I was stationed in Comox when the Voodoo was doing its job. Since the nuclear Genie was the property of the US, it had US military security, and thus, a lot of USAF armed guards surrounding the QRA and weapons depot. I witnessed one incident when one unwary civilian took a short-cut across of stretch of grass beside the QRA, harsh instructions were issued, the guns came out, he had to lay prone on the ground, and within seconds three vans roared up and discharged a LOT of armed guards. It was as serious and real as it could be.But it was very cool to see, at the weirdest hour, two Voodoos roar out of the QRA and do a maximum performance takeoff, going out to meet Russian bombers sniffing around our coast.
The Voodoo did not have the capability of its younger sibling, the Phantom, but it could match it in raw performance. Since Comox lay in the route of any aircraft transiting to Vietnam, we had a lot of weird aircraft transiting, including many Phantoms. Kerosene cowboys being what they are, we had the occasional side-by-side drag race, Voodoo versus Phantom, and the Voodoo always won that race into the sky.
We used to sit at the end of the runway, and it was a thrill to see them stage for takeoff, come closer and closer, lift off, retract their gear (you could tell, the landing lights went out), and hold about 50 feet of altitude until they reached the end of the runway (right over our heads), then pull up and just plain disappear into the sky. And yes it was LOUD.
Good times, and a wonderful beast.
