Disclaimer: I don't remember the details. So I may be way off.
I can't imagine that the U.S. military would attack a Soviet sub in that situation without first figuring out just what the hell is going on. I think it would be more likely to be a standoff, which is what I recall was going on, that evolved into a diplomatic negotiation. In that case, the planes would be there for reconaissance and as a show of force.
On the other other hand, if the mission were to sink the sub, then, yes, dogfighters with no air-to-ground ordnance would be a bad choice.
As for the observational skills of USAF pilots, while I understand your concern, I think even they could spot a beached Soviet sub.
Werewolves Ate My Platoon!
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maximustheman
16 years ago
A Soviet sub in US territorial waters, let alone actually IN a US harbor, would NOT trigger a standoff.. it would be immediately called on to surrender, be boarded - and if it even twitched funny, be blown straight to Mars.
US Interceptor pilots could identify that it was a submarine, but probably not type or nationality like a naval patrol aircraft with trained naval observers.
The Voodoo took about half a state to make a turn, so it was NOT a dogfighter. It was built for speed, period; And to intercept bombers, period. It would be a very poor choice to investigate a naval target of any kind.
However, in the movie - the US Air Force pilots made no attempt to do anything about the intruder except scratch their heads and fly away - so I could be wrong about everything I just said (in the movie's world anyway......)
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shoobe01-1
15 years ago
Man, these forums.
Voodoo was what we'd call today a strike fighter. Essentially equivalent of the Phantom, just a few years early. It is perfectly capable of bombing things.
Not a pure interceptor, and what's up with the "half a state to make a turn" comment? Slow down and you turn better. This is the height of TAC believing in missiles and radar, so of course it wasn't designed as a dogfighter, but it wasn't a total dog either.
Speculating on the tactics: eyes on target fast is most important for something like this. Anyone would do, so air-defense jets now are better than a maritime observation plane in two hours.
Also, note the a/c shown are unarmed. Sad about this, but damned good in that the interior (plane-to-plane) shots match the flyovers. Rare for hollywood combat aircraft use.
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bd18packer
15 years ago
Here's a question for you trivia experts...Does anyone know what unit these aircraft came from, or can you post stills or screen shots of the aircraft from the movie? I am assuming that they came from a California Air Force Base, since the movie was filmed there. I found no reference to them in the trivia section; the USAF is not in the habit of lending aircraft for movies, even just flybys, without some kind of record keeping. Just wondering...
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bd18packer
14 years ago
Here is the answer to my own question, found on Wikipedia.com,under "Aircraft in Fiction"...A pair of F-101B Voodoos fly over the Russian submarine at the end of the 1966 comedy "The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming". Although the film is set in New England, it was filmed on the West Coast and the fighters were from the 84th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, based at Hamilton AFB, California.
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Lee-65
11 years ago
They were from 437th FIS at the former Oxnard AFB, which is now Camarillo Airport.
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rebel60
10 years ago
Just found this board. According to the Wikipedia entry on the 84th FIS (at that time out of Hamilton Field, Marin County, CA), their F-101B's were used in the movie. Since a good deal of the movie was filmed in Northern California (Bodega Bay, Fort Bragg and Mendocino County), it makes sense that the fighters would come from a nearby airfield.
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TheHypnotron
14 years ago
The F101 Voodoo was the actual designation of this particular plane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-101_Voodoo
There was also a reconnaissance version the RF-101 which were unarmed which these could have been.
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SpitfireIXB
14 years ago
@ TheHypnotron
Bingo! Dead on!
As a former military pilot, I can confirm there were indeed two versions of the F-101 Voodoo manufactured without guns, RF-101 reconnaissance and the Canadian made CF-101B interceptor. The Prime Minister of Canada at the time, John Diefenbaker, thought all interceptors were obsolete and that Canada's front line fighters didn't need guns. I think the RCAF motto at the time began something like this: We the willing, Led by the unknowing (and the incompetent), Are doing the impossible ...
I was born when she kissed me, I died when she left me, I lived while she loved me.
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bd18packer
14 years ago
Actually, there were several versions/variants of the F-101 Voodoo. The F-101A / RF-101G, the RF-101A, F-101B / CF-101B / EF-101B, the TF-101B / F-101F / CF-101F, the RF-101B, the F-101C / RF-101H and the RF-101C. (See...http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/F-101_Voodoo. Also, see...http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=73).
As a former Air Force veteran, and amateur USAF aircraft historian/ professional scale modeler, I believe this information to be correct: For the record, F-101B - Two-Seat All-Weather Interceptor, air-to-air missile armament suite(no 20mm cannons), and 2 Pratt & Whitney J57-P-55 turbojet engines.
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kayaker36
12 years ago
These F-101 aircraft were formidable, performing their full-power flyovers at no more than 200 feet in perfect sync. Suddenly it was the present day again.
When they turned, climbed to operational altitude and just...flew away, that was the most beautiful of all.
Why shouldn't these aircraft be the first to arrive in answer to an urgent summons? They were, at that time, the mainstay of the Air National Guard having been withdrawn from front line service.
["We have all strength enough to bear the misfortunes of others./"]
--La Rochefoucault
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kayaker36
12 years ago
These F-101 aircraft were formidable, performing their full-power flyovers at no more than 200 feet in perfect sync. Suddenly it was the present day again.
When they turned, climbed to operational altitude and just...flew away, that was the most beautiful of all.
Why shouldn't these aircraft be the first to arrive in answer to an urgent summons? They were, at that time, the mainstay of the Air National Guard having been withdrawn from front line service.
["We have all strength enough to bear the misfortunes of others./"]
--La Rochefoucault
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