Bevo
During the 1950s when the Voodoo was developed there was a growing belief that air-to-air missiles would negate the need for turning dog fights. Many designs therefore concentrated on climb and speed performance at the expense of turning capability.
You're sure you're not thinking of the Phantom?
The Voodoo as far as I understand in its original, non-interceptor version (F-101B), was equipped with 3 x 20 millimeter guns, 3 x Falcons, and 2.75 inch unguided rockets. As far as I know, the last two items were removed by the time the plane first flew, though TAC developed it as a fighter bomber; ADC developed the F-101B as an interceptor and fitted the provisions to carry either 4 x Falcons in a rotating pallet or 2 x Falcons and 2 x Genies.
jamesdevice
weren't they specifically purchased to fire NUCLEAR air-to-air missile at incoming bombers coming in over Alaska / Canada? In other words, close-in capability was irrelevant: they used a stand off missile, they just needed to get in fast, fire , turn and get out fast to avoid the flash
That was the F-101B, which was a variant of the F-101. It was designed to fill in the gaps until the F-102's reached operational strength. It ended up more or less replacing the F-89's in practice. It could carry nuclear (2 x MB-1/AIR-2 Genie) unguided rockets, or non-nuclear guided missiles (4 x AIM-4 Falcons, or 2 x AIM-4 falcons when 2 Genies were carried) in a rotating pallet.
I know they were originally conceived as bomber escorts, but - I understand - the role was redefined before the bulk purchases were made
As I understand it the plane was already flying by the time SAC decided it didn't want them. They wanted more range than they asked for earlier, and then decided that the B-52's range made them unnecessary (I disagree obviously: History has shown that bombers have much better survivability when escorted by fighters, and F-101 had a mid-air refuelling capability from the get-go, it even had refuelling receptacles which could use the flying boom, or the hose and drogue; the plane could have been refuelled repeatedly to keep it flying with the B-52's from takeoff to the penetration point -- at that point they would fly with it both in and out, then refuel on the egress). TAC, however took an interest in the aircraft as a fighter-bomber, and eventually ADC took interest in it as a place-filler for the F-102's.