F-101, 41 Squadron RAF, 1965

[rickshaw]

F-101, 41 Squadron RAF, 1965

As we now know, Duncan Sandys was forced to resign because of his peccadillo with the Duchess of Argyll.  His replacement was John Profumo.  In late 1957, Profumo handed down the much expected Defence White Paper.   It promised savage cuts to an already over-extended and increasingly out of date RAF.  All aircraft contracts for fighters and strike aircraft were to be cut, immediately.  Instead the RAF would go over to using guided missiles.   Fighters were to be replaced by long range Surface to Air missiles and strike aircraft by IRBMs (Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles) initially and then, once developed, ICBMs (Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles), both of which were to be situated in "silos" below ground, in the British countryside.

John Profumo had done his deed.  He had saved the British tax-payers millions of pounds but at the expense of several tens of thousands of workers' jobs.   Profumo, as we know was later forced to resign because of his involvement with Christine Keeler.    The RAF began to "wind down".  Aircraft were not replaced, except with missiles.   Within five years, the RAF was only a shadow of it's former self.  British aircraft manufacturing had been devastated.

The RAF realised that whilst missiles looked good on the cover of magazines, they were not quite as useful at policing the airspace of the UK.   Soviet bombers started approaching closer and closer as the numbers of fighters were retired.   The scandal finally broke when a Soviet Bear bomber, allegedly "blown off course" overflew Belfast without challenge in broad daylight.   London was alarmed.  Washington was horrified.  London urgently requested that the USAF station more fighters in the UK.   Washington complied, on the understanding that the UK would either restart its aircraft manufacturing or purchase aircraft from America.   It did both.

The first "emergency fighter" that the RAF received from the USAF were second-hand F-101B Voodoos.  Equipped with either 4 (originally 6)× AIM-4 Falcon, or 2× AIR-2 Genie nuclear rockets, plus 2× AIM-4 Falcon, carried on a rotating missile bay door.







The Model

The model is an old Matchbox F-101 in 1/72 scale, finished as an aircraft from 43 Squadron RAF (which operated F-4 Phantoms).  It has been brushpainted and finished with decals from the spares box.

[NARSES2]

Neat one mate 

If you read British political history of the 50/60's it's amazing how often the Duchess of Argyle crops up  Her life story is absolutely amazing and you really couldn't make it up. A lady of her times, which could be defined by the motto "what happens indoors stays indoors".

[zenrat]

I love a good Voodoo.
Well done.

[Weaver]

Nice one! 

Good to see this, because, when I was working out my UK-buys-US backstory, I had to work hard to not have the RAF buy the Voodoo (which I'm not fond of): it's just the sort of thing they would have gone for! I got round it by 1) invoking the RAF's (real life) low opinion of the Falcon and the difficulty of fitting anything else, and 2) giving McDonnell an 'attitude problem' with the UK that causes them to screw up their sales effort.

[TallEng]

Um.... I think you'll find that it's wearing 41Sqn markings (though they did fly phantoms)
Regards
Keith
(Not wishing to appear all JMN)

[Captain Canada]

Gorgeous. One of my favourite machines, and she looks good in RAF roundels that's for sure* !



* Just not as good as she does in leafy roundels