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| General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark |
Militarymedia.net | The F-111 came from studies to replace the F-100 Super Saber and F-105 Thunderchiefs Tactical Air Command in the tactical strike role. Tactical Air Command wanted aircraft that could operate from shorter runways. They also need longer ferry range as deployment of the F-100 overseas is often limited by refueling issues. The aircraft will also be optimized for very low penetration rates, including a final 370km run at Mach 1.2. It will be a multi-role aircraft, capable of Mach 2.5 at high levels in the interceptor role. This makes it inevitable that a successful design will have a variable geometry, swing wing.
Sticking to a combat role and the demand for Mach 2.5 capability immediately made the F-111 designer's job more difficult. Their task, however, will soon be greatly complicated by the forthcoming Secretary of Defense, Robert McNamara. He directed that the USAF (whose primary need is still for low-level attack aircraft) and the US Navy (which requires long-range carrier interceptors) should acquire common aircraft. It became known by the acronym TFX.
The two services initially welcomed a joint fighter, until it became clear that no airframe could meet all of the different requirements. At the time, though, it was a bit between McNamara's teeth, and he pushed the program forward. Boeing and General Dynamics competed for the lucrative TFX contract, which was awarded to the last company (the military favored Boeing's submission) in November 1962. The General Dynamics design was more of a compromise, and the US Navy and USAF versions were variants of the common airframe. The Boeing aircraft, however, are adapted more closely to USAF requirements, while the Boeing Navy version has relatively little in common with the USAF variant. McNamara was later accused of buying the second best plane at a higher price.
Technical difficulties, almost uncontrollable weight growth, and massive cost increases characterize the rest of TFX's development. During wind tunnel testing, severe drag problems were discovered. The weight reduction program on the naval version reduced the similarity to just 28 percent or more, before the F-111B altogether, and was replaced by the F-14 Tomcat.
The first F-111A made its maiden flight on December 21, 1964, and soon experienced further problems, one of which was the TF30 engine. This would be very dangerous for the F-14 program too!
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| General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark |
After the aircraft entered service with the USAF evaluation unit, the General Dynamics F-111 began to make friends. The flight crew was blown away by the aircraft's performance and its automatic terrain following capabilities. Engineers are impressed with its reliability and maintenance.
Even before CAT 1 testing was completed, in March 1968, six aircraft were deployed to Vietnam for the evaluation of the Combat Lancer. This immediately demonstrated their combat effectiveness. But things soon went wrong after three planes failed to return from routine missions. They all fell due to structural fatigue failure. This eventually led to the grounding of the entire fleet and a series of very expensive modifications and repairs.
The engine intakes were redesigned, and the avionics upgraded, resulting in a succession of sub-variants. The definitive F-111D finally entered service in October 1971. A further upgraded F-111F (with more powerful engines, improved avionics and a Pave Tack pod for laser pointer) followed in early 1972. Strategic Air Command even acquired two Wing FB-111s. These are special strategic nuclear attack aircraft, each carrying a pair of SRAMs. The aircraft was eventually converted to the standard F-111G and returned to a tactical role.
Australians must have lamented their selection of the General Dynamics F-111 over the British Aircraft Corporation TSR2 over years of delays and disappointments. The 24 planes, which should have cost A$112 million, were supposed to be delivered from 1973, and cost almost twice as much. The Royal Air Force has had no chance of regretting its involvement in the F-111 program, as none was ever delivered. Britain has canceled an order for 50 of its planes mainly because the United States cannot provide a fixed price!
During the final years of his USAF career, Aardvark ended up going through his unfortunate early history. However, it was never able to perform the Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) operations that were once imagined. The F-111 is tied to a long concrete runway like its predecessor. Time and again, the F-111 proved invaluable in precision strikes against vital targets. After striking targets in Libya in 1986, the F-111F played an important role in the Gulf War. Some claim that the old Aardvark is actually the USAF's most effective and accurate precision-guided munitions and laser-guided bomb delivery platform. Unfortunately, Operation Desert Storm proved to be the final swansong for the General Dynamics F-111.
The EF-111 Raven is an electronic warfare and defense suppression aircraft. Its main mission is to interfere with enemy radar and weapon systems. Grumman built the EF-111 Raven by modifying General Dynamics' existing F-111A bomber (at a cost of $15 million) at a cost of about $25 million. While expensive, the result is a reliable and effective aircraft that fulfills its intended role.
With the pressure for the post-Cold War defense economy becoming increasingly difficult to resist, the USAF finally withdrew its last F-111 bomber in July 1996. The EF-111 Raven electronic warfare aircraft followed suit during 1998. This allowed the USAF to stop supporting all aircraft types, with corresponding savings in logistics support costs.
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| General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark |
After the USAF retired its F-111, it remained in service with the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), which used the aircraft in strike and reconnaissance roles. The RAAF aircraft have been comprehensively upgraded and modernized with digital avionics, and are capable of using the latest precision-guided munitions. Original Australian batch of 24 F-111Cs (four of which were converted locally to the RF-111C standard). This was later augmented by four replacement F-111A aircraft delivered in 1982, and 15 former USAF F-111Gs delivered in 1993. Australia retired its last F-111 tactical bomber in 2010.
