The McDonnell XF-88 Voodoo was the second jet fighter contract for McDonnell in Saint Louis. This twin-engined, long-range escort fighter failed to attract orders. It served as a design and fabrication background for the F-101 Voodoo but was never ordered in service test quantity by the air force. One of the experimental models was modified for Wright field to test supersonic propellers. The theory at the time, documented in the Princeton Series on High Speed Aerodynamics and Jet Propulsion, was that under some circumstances at low supersonic speeds a specially designed propeller could be more efficient than a jet engine. In some sense this is analogous to the high bypass ratio gas turbines today.
Some F-88 technical data: Crew 1, jet engines 1633kg thrust Westinghouse J34-WE-15. Wing Span: 12.09m Length: 16.50m Height: 5.26m Wing Area: 35.52m2 Empty Weight: 5507kg Max.Weight: Max. Speed: 1034km/h Ceiling: 39400ft Max. Range: 2795km Armament: 6*g20mm
The XF-88B was delivered in 1953, about 3 years after the first flight of the F-88. Data that I have indicate the jet encinges were 2 * 1360kg Westinghouse J34-WE-13 and the gas turbine was an Allison XT38-A-5.
The photographs, taken outside the Main assembly building at McDonnell Aircraft in Saint Louis shoe the XF-88B alone and in company with contemporary aircraft made by McDonnell.
The XF-88B is flanked on the left side of the picture by the FH Phantom I
and F2H Banshee. On the right in the picture is the XF3H-1 Demon, otherwise
known as the "tin Demon".