F-111 Aardvark: A Jet Fighter Assassin
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 тра 2024
- The F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, the F-111 entered service in 1967 with the USAF. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the type and began operating the F-111C variant in 1973.
🔔 Subscribe !
/ @usmilitary_news
Check out these top picks for you:
• Next Level Helicopters...
• F-16 Fighter Jet: The ...
• F-117 Nighthawk: The W...
🔖 OUR SOCIAL MEDIA!
---------------------------------------------
📲 Facebook ► / usnmil
🐦 Twitter ► / usmil_news
Thanks - Наука та технологія
So as a kid, I was totally obsessed with the Tornado. My mother, bless her heart, bought a model kit she thought was a Tornado. It was an F-111. As a teen, I bought myself an F-14 kit, and I've been obsessed with variable sweep wings ever since :D
Lol she gave you more than you asked for.
The F-14 is y favorite and I'm biased about it as well.
I always thought it was weird that the pilots sat beside each other instead of behind
I worked on the Avionics of an F14. And both of these planes are so far past their prime they have been outclassed by better fighters since.
Tomcat is legendary... so sad to it has not been Updated... it actually reminds me of su27.
@@anonimous2451 the F-15A also had outdated avionics but thanks to effective political wrangling, has been kept updated and now we're on the F-15E instead of completely replacing them with F-18F super hornets
This plane is much loved in Australia, it was our main attack aircraft for 30 yrs.
The extreme range made it perfect for our huge country.
I flew the FB-111 out of Plattsburgh AFB New York. One time we participated in an exercise where we flew out over the Atlantic Ocean at high altitude at night. When we were far enough out we turned back and descended to low altitude to do our simulated attack. Shortly before our simulated bomb release we had a request to "Squawk Ident". They hadn't been able to find us until then. The hairiest part of that mission was descending to 200 feet above the water at night with no moon. Talk about pucker time.
That increased dive angle after cara ring in at night must have tightened your rectum! Very brave!
Pilot or weapons officer? Not sure if thats what they'd be called but I'm extremely jealous man, the F-111 is one of my favorites birds. It's just a sleek looking aircraft and that nose is intimidating. Thanks for your service!!
Wow, How Cool Was That!?! Yeah, Flying Over The Ocean At Night, Even With A Moon You Better Know How To Read Those Dials!
That's Awesome! You may know my Grandfather, Hank Williamson. He also flew the FB-111 from Plattsburgh AFB. Small world!
Worried about 200ft tall waves?
Two of those collided over my head in Feb 1975 near Londonderry VT. They were on a refueling exercise with a KC135 at night. Both F 111s went down, one in Janeways Pond and the other on the top of Shatterack Man. All crews were rescued and returned to Plattsburgh AFB. Part of town legend. Still finding aluminum on Shatterack.
The B-111 was a very capable bomber and reconnaissance airframe. Loved working with them in Australia.
See what you did there.
Yes it should never have been considered a fighter.
It was a fantastic bomber, though.
My dad worked on the technical team assessing the F111 and other candidates.
I guess against Indonesian bombers, of the it could fulfill an interceptor role too.
@@HouseholdDog that's....what he saidin the video tho
@@deeperinsider2544 He said my Dad worked on the bomber program? Wow?
My ex girlfriend uncle worked on them at Amberley ! He loved them
48th FW. Lakenheath.
I got buzzed by an F-111 once. I was driving out in the middle of nowhere in northern New Mexico, there was a sudden huge ROAR directly overhead. I then saw the plane flying away to my right, hugging the ground. I nearly jumped out of my skin! The crew must have had a good laugh.
Lol im an Australian. Had a similar thing years ago but I was onthe tractor.1st though was what's wrong with tractor until the f-111 shot over head.barely higher then the small trees on the boundary. Made my chest rattled as it passed lol
99
Did this occur in the mid-70's? Were you driving a pickup truck on a dirt road?
@@LarryFSret Um, 1994, IIRC. I was driving a hatchback north on I-25 somewhere between Las Vegas, NM and Raton, I think.
@@darrell9546 I have a distinct memory from my F-111 days in the 70's of flying directly over a pickup truck on a dirt road at 200' AGL (our lowest TFR setting). I lit the AB's to make sure the driver heard us. Always wondered what he/she thought. I imagine that happened more than once in those days. Thanks for the reply!
I flew the F111 and it was a highly underrated aircraft. What was impressive was the ground flowing radar. Early on in the gulf war I few nap of the earth over the Iraqi desert, under their radar systems. We dropped our load on a scud site and then accelerated up to Mach 2.2 back to Incirlik Air Base meeting up with the tanker only once. That range was phenomenal.
Man, what a sick mission. Nice.
Proudly supported the F111-F in the early ‘70’s. Best years of my life. ❤
When I served in the Gulf War 1991 they used a variant of this called the spark vark, and it was used ahead of the strike force to nullify radar. I spoke with a pilot of one and he said when they turned on the jammers the whole plane felt like it was alive, crackling was what I think he said. Anyway one bad bird that did a lot of damage in it's day.
I used to work for the company that built all the ECM jamming gear. Long after my Navy days!
I was just saying, I thought these birds were retired in the 70’s or 80’s. I never even heard of any sorties they flew in Desert Storm until this video. The Aardvarks never got much publicity. I feel bad for the Aardvarks lol.
@@ohroonoko They killed more tanks in desert storm than the A10s
@@glennmcc64 wow that’s amazing. Yet all the glory went to the A10 “tank buster”. My impression was that the only combat the Aardvarks had engaged in was in Vietnam. Gonna have to do some research now.
The counter-measure/ jamming F-111 was called the Raven.
I spent 3 years working on the F-111 ejection system out of Nellis. It was a very amazing plane, well ahead of it's time.
That is an aircraft I miss seeing in the Australian sky. I wish there were new models of it. A fantastic aircraft with a great capability.
I used to fly an F-111 G and man I killed a shitload of people with all the bombs they used to let me carry. I killed more people than anyone in my squadron. One time I took one of them up for a spin, just bored, and I found a shitton of Migs just flying around. Well, I didn't wait for any green light, I started shooting them all down, no backup or wingman around, and I was given the Award of Heroics by the president.
@@beckydoesit9331 Of all the things that never happened, this never happened the most.
@@beckydoesit9331 xbox or playstation?
@@scottlampe70 DCS or Warthunder?
@@beckydoesit9331 no offended but women back then wherent allowed to fly?
I worked with the F111’s numerous times during the’70 and’80’s and was usually a target (Navy). Fabulous aeroplane and really good at what it did.
Back in 72/3 the Australian Labour Government tasked the “Pigs” to take aerial photos of the Gordon River in Tasmania,where a large demonstration was in progress against a hydroelectric scheme. No satellites then.
The aircraft left Amberley in Queensland flew to Tas and returned via Canberra. No air refuelling at that time.
One of the photos taken was of the Defence Ministers office window in Parliament House.
Although, I don’t have a copy of the photos, I did see them about the mid ‘80’s during a joint course.
The message was subtle.
Cheers from Oz.
Can I correct you there; that happened under Hawke in 1982, not 72. I remember it well.
also, the pic of the politicians office was from Pavetack targeting video, after the politician said the F-111 was a lemon and should be thrown on the scrapheap
Vote Liberal !
@@angusbull9685 The Government also ordered a RAAF Mirage IIIO with a recce camera to do the same. It didnt get the same publicity as the F-111 did
For those that don't get it, the subtle message was 'Don't waste military resources on civilian issues',...
There's been times since, where the F-111 could have been used for 'Supersonic Diplomacy', with some northern neighbors in need of reminding that all their sabre rattling would come to naught, if faced with an F-111 delivering replies to any action towards our borders.
Swing-Wing look amazing. Seriously the coolest planes ever made.
I love the swing wings too. But boy oh boy.. the Sukhois are on another level
Hey i tell you A is to the S as T is to the R as is back to the A. The last 5 Capitol letters punch it in and hold on.
The F-111 was the first variable sweep wing aircraft that was put into production. It preceded the F14 and the MiG 23 by several years.
About the first swing wing ever made was by Grumman & called the Jaguar. They only built about 4, & 3 crashed out killing 2 pilots or something like that. A Journalist in the day asked a surviving Pilot what was the Jaguar's biggest problem. His answer; "The Cockpit was really hard to get into". The Journo wrote that down thinking it was weird, then realised the Pilot was now staring him right in the eye, "They should of made it impossible to get into".
Ed Nash's channel did a piece on it. From memory, it was in the 50's, & none of the crashes were the fault of the swing wing. It was just the early days of jets, & all experimental planes were dangerous.
@@tsubadaikhan6332 Are you saying he wanted to dock in his cock pit ???
My first aircraft I worked with and on during my time in the USAF. I began electronics school at Lowry AFB in 1978-79, and after about a year, we were trained in Integrated Electronics, Avionics and Computer Test Stations for all F-111 models of the day. As a farm boy from a small, rural, Southern farm, I was enamored with the sophistication of the F-111 and its TFR and capabilities. At the time, much of the electronics and systems of the F-111 were classified, and I had to have a top secret clearance to work on several systems including the nuclear weapons versions. I miss those old days and being a young man playing with such tech.
Growing up as a military dependent, the F-111/FB-111 was my favorite modern era fighter/fighter-bomber.
Whether on the ground or in the air; it presents an image of "Don't F with me" or "Your day has just gone from bad to worse" - especially when it's been loaded up.
I used to fly an Aardvark for the Air Force. Man, I killed so many people with that plane. One time after killing some people on a mission, I came back to base and had one of those burritos and my CO was all up in my ass to get up there and kill some more, I just dead ass stared at him and said "Ain't no one else to kill" then hit the showers. He came back a little while longer and said, "Col. Becky, we just had intelligence confirm that, yes, you killed em all. Have a nice night". They awarded me the congressional medal of freedom for that one and Metallica wrote a song about it. Good times.
@@beckydoesit9331 LMAO
faster than f/a-18 too
Was a crew chief on the 111 for a total of 11 years,on the D model and E models they were a pain to maintain but when they flew they always gave pride of accomplishment
Cannon Airforce Base Baby! 43131J
Crew chief Mt Home AFB -can’t say I liked the base very much but sure liked that bird
72-76 cannon afb 68-153 and FMS
B Shop at Cannon 79-82.
The Royal Australian Airforce F111 Aardvark still a crowd favourite in many Airshow around the World! 🌷🌿🌍
Not since 2010!
They were all disassembled and buried 10+ years ago.
Sad ending to a glorious warrior!
@@Name-ps9fx when you say "all" you mean all except the 13 on display?
Shes done and only the yanks called them aardvarks,we called them pigs because the flew with their nose in the weeds
Pig not Aardvark.
I remember seeing these beasts fly over Sydney, Australia, in the late 70's, I was about 10 years old at the time.... always thought that they were a beautiful aircraft...so advanced for their time.... Australia kept them going for many years...just updated the avionics...General Dynamics made them, as far as I remember...hearing them break the sound barrier in those days... illegal, now, in built up areas, due to shattered windows...makes you think of "The Right Stuff". P.S....... I think the F111 also had a pressurized cockpit for high altitude.
You are correct my friend.
My father worked at General Dynamics from 68 to 72. He brought me a toy F-111, which lit up at the burners, and cockpit. Also, the wings would flex, as it rolled on the floor.
Dad was laid off from G.D. but was called back to work on the new F-16. He was more proud of the F-111, when asked at his retirement party about which plane he favored.
Correct the F-111 ha a pressurized crew module with side by side seating and in an ejection the entire crew module would sever from the aircraft using shielded mild detonating cord to cut the metal and explosive guillotines to cut wires, cables, and tubes, before the rocket motor fired lifting the crew module up and forward. The chute would lower the entire crew module to the ground with the crew inside and there were airbags to cushion the landing and if on water provide floatation. the crew also had a bilge pump which operated by putting in a pin and moving the stick back and forth.
Great bombing platform!
Yes your right Gerhard, went to an air show in Adelaide Sth Australia late 70's/ 3 pigs in formation came outa nowhere doing the supersonic... didn't hear them till they were gone - then Thunder hit.. many from the crowd messed their leaderhausen and actually hit the tarmac lying down. That was funny to see.. also RAAF got the bill for all the broken Glasshouses in Virginia vegetable growing suburbs..hehe ...😄 God I wish they were still around..God I miss them, and I envy those that got to fly them !
I worked on F-111's and EF-111's the first four years of my AF career. Worked on them in Desert Storm also got an incentive ride in one in. Great plane and will alway have a special place in my heart.
You're lucky all I got was a ride in a kc-135 refueling a C5..we lost cabin pressure out in the Atlantic Ocean! Never knew why but it was temporary..Pretty scary for a nineteen-year-old.. I guess I was pretty lucky actually that C5 is one massive plane and to have it come up underneath you is pretty amazing..
Amazing aircraft. I can see lots of similarities with the beautiful and very capable Rockwell B1-B. Nice presentation too!
The B1B was built by North American Aircraft company a div of Rockwell intl. NAAO - North American Aircraft operations it's Head quarters was in El Segundo Ca I worked on both the FB111 and the B1B
@@boblicher1659 how did u get into that line of work? what degrees did you have to get? seems like you’ve had a very intersting career
It is a giant F111 it is a giant fighter, it has the exact same TFR terrain following radar it can fly 600mph 200 ft off the ground1. It was built by North American Aircraft operations ( NAAO ) it was a div of Rockwell intl North American built the P51, the F86, the F100 the first supersonic fighter. The XB70, and many more planes. The B1B has a fighter type flight control systems. it is in fact a fighter plane, just very big! It has Elevons instead of elevators. the first four even had crew escape pods like the 111.
@@boblicher1659 The first 3 B-1A prototypes had the single ejection capsule, the 4th B-1A prototype used 4 ejection seats. Since the B-1B no longer had a faster supersonic mission, it was decided to stick with the 4 ejection seats. No B1-Bs had the ejection capsule installed.
It's the same plane, the B-1 , is the F-111.
I was privileged to work on the F111-F for two years at RAF Lakenheath, great plane to work on and I was able to fly the plane in the flight simulator where the map ended at the USSR boarded. Great times.
I was fortunate to work on the F models and A at Mt. Goat (Home.) During the ready switch operation we exchanged aircraft in which we got the old Vietnam A models that we had to fix to make them fly. We did and had a stellar flight record with those old birds and I loved what I learned on them. Running engines on them at full AB was always fun as well has hot cocking them for pilots. Got to fly in one as well as done a lot of high speed taxies with pilots.
Shame the raaf ditched there f111
@@McDonnell87 I knew the staff member who fought his butt off to keep them longer and they fired him. He sued and won the suit. He in processed with me when I got to the goat and flew in my squadron. Loved that dang Aussie and boy was he funny and could party. Suprised me to see he made it to a high flag grade officer.
Yeah I remember when I had *my* first beer.
I was with the 48th from 82~85, 493rd AGS C shop. Was assigned to the Depot Team in Green Hanger as part of the Pave Tac upgrade crew, then got detailed to MADCAP after a bout of Pneumonia got me removed from the line for 6 months. Were you there when Elephant Ed Bracken was the Wing CO?
Grew up watching "The Dump & Burn" every year at The Adelaide Grand Prix & other races and festivals. Pigs a legend!
You grew up right then. I lived close to raaf Edinburgh, watching these come in at low altitude was amazing.
Don't get to see fighters come in much anymore, just the p-8s and the odd c17.
@@safreestyle isn't there a F35 at ARDU? If not, there will be I'm sure. Edinburgh is slowly getting busier.
Static display to view at The Aviation Museum, Port Adelaide, South Australia.
@@d-munn I live pretty much right under the flight path now. Only time I've seen an f35 was at the airshow 2 years ago. If they've been here since, I've missed them. Same with the f18s.
Aviation museum is great, although I had to stop myself giving the staff a tour haha
@@safreestyle lol They sit around gas bagging anyway🤣
I remember 2ys ago. At runway north parimater road when the first two F35's landed for pre show rehersals. Got some great pics. Miss the RAAF Ed. shows, long time between drinks.
This plane stayed “under the radar” in more ways than one. I remember back in the 60’s hearing my grandfather say, “ I see another F111 crashed.” The news media were like sharks with blood in the water about the F111. I somehow assumed it just went away and never amounted to anything. I was surprised then when I saw how successful it was in Desert Storm. Back then all you ever heard about was the Tomcat. You’d have thought it was the only good plane we had. What did people think the Air Force used? Tomcats?
Yes news people are very strange.....almost Communist or anti nationalistic. USA hating leftist.......now called Socialists
Not to mention the the contributions of the F-4 and B-52 2 of the oldest planes still flying
Completely different missions. The F-14 was a fleet air defence interceptor for the Navy and the F-111 was a low altitude deep penetration strike aircraft that did not carry air to air missiles.
Wasn't there a issue with the wing spars ???
Sadly the TF30s were notorious for throwing turbine blades through fuel tanks.
EF-111s were based at Mountain Home Air Force base which is why it is one, if not favorite, jet. I've been to several airshows where we were able to actually sit in them. They were beasts! Great birds!
I flew right seat in the F-111G (the upgraded version of the FB-111), the F-111F, and the EF-111A including combat in the EF-111A. A great jet. The F model was outfitted with AIM-9M air to air misses and could effectively employ them. The EF-111 was credited with a air to air kill during Desert Storm. The Iraqi didn’t pull out of the dive when chasing the Vark at night.
Someone else just mentioned that this story about the Iraqi was featured in “Dogfights” on the History Channel.
@@ohroonoko yes. My info on it came from the actual crew since I flew the Spark Vark.
twice the RAAF claimed an F-111 AIM-9 "kill" during Red Flag and Green Flag, both on USAF F-16s, the judges awarded the kill both times, must have really sucked to be the lawn dart driver to have been shot down by a bomber lol
When I flew F-111Fs we got many a kill in Red Flag
As an Aussie, I always loved the spark vark!
That Firetail coming from a Fighter Jet is probably one of the most coolest things I've ever seen.
I was among the first 4 emergency responders of a FB-111 crash in Portsmouth N.H.(1981) Aircraft based at Pease AFB. What an experience! No Deaths nor injuries as a result of the crash.
I got to Pease in early '88 on the FB-111A as an electrician/ECS...loved it....miss it.
I was stationed at Pease 1 year after the crash got there days after the crash pieces where taken out of the hanger one of the proudest days of my time at Pease was when the monster flight line fire trucks helped the local fire department put out the fire at the local high school me and friends where coming from getting beer and watched it all from up on a hill(perfect view) local fire department was struggling. 2 giant AF flight line fire trucks show up and minutes later its out
0.46 in, thats the delivery of the first six for the RAAF, Im in that crowd somewhere, my Dad was serving there when they were delivered to Amberley and my sister and I had a day off school to see them arrive
I remember once reading that part of the initial problem was getting the pilots to trust the terrain following radar. That would be challenging going fast at 200 ft. in darkness.
I know that's right! I keep my hand near the stick in the simulator! LOL
The biggest problem with the TFR initially was compounded by the steepness of the mountains in Southeast Asia. The TFR Pull-Ups were too many G's and exceeded the climb rate for terrain avoidance. They had to steer around the steep mountains to avoid this.
As a f111 WSO 8:48 I preferred night tfr operation cuz I knew the pilot wouldn't be paddling it off and flying it manually.
Late to the party, but there is a crew capsule display that may be sat in at the Museum of the Air Force at WPAFB. Had a moment to sit in it; so impressive. The F-111 was the a/c used in the Libyan strike against Khadafi.
There is one in a museum here in Aus from the crew that had to bang out over New Zealand during an exercise. They converted it to a sim.
Anyone who has seen an F-111's ground-following radar in action guiding the plane has got to be as impressed as I still am.
That a plane could do that so flawlessly given the technology at the time is thoroughly impressive.
From what I was told when I was at Plattsburgh Air Force Base(attack radar tech), they had to train the pilots at night on the TFR because they wouldn't trust it and they would try to pull up and override the TFR and bury the plane into the side of a mountain.. just what I was told
1.24 A8-113 (67-0113) was an ex USAF A model, converted to C model by the RAAF as an attrition replacement, and was a Vietnam war veteran, and flew the last F-111 combat mission of the Vietnam war
Love the Video! My Grandfather flew the FB-111 for strategic air command for many years out of Plattsburgh AFB. He has all kinds of stories about that plane.
Clovis, NM… depot level type maintenance in the late 80’s helped my career by acquiring my A&P license while still enlisted. The various repairs and mods aided in my depth of training to Test for the FAA license. The aardvark was tired then…surprised to see the Auzzies squeeze a few more years from her!
A lot of memories there. I worked on the TFR, ARS, nav and bomb computer system, doppler and hud systems on thr F-111As, EF-111s and FB-111s. 3 bases including Plattsburgh AFB in NY, RAF Upper Heyford in England and Pease AFB in NH from 1980 - 1988
Loved working the F111 my 3rd airframe RETIRED USAF
Went to an airshow at Amberley Brisbane OZ many years ago now where the bulk of maintenance was carried out on the F111's.
We got to see them overhead but the best part was the public was given access to some hangers and actual workshops that worked on these aircraft and there were bits and pieces of them plus engines all through.
Years earlier I met some of the F111 pilots in Darwin and one comment they made about the plane was that they were a flying gas can.
I asked what it was like flying at mach 2 and the only reply was the clouds went past quicker.
I think Australia might be missing their range and payload right about now.
We don't have anything with its range or capabilities now.
@@garynew9637 Lets hope the B-21 talks come to fruition.
@@goodshipkaraboudjan that won't happen.
@@garynew9637 Yeah just saw the White Paper on the 24th shot that proposal down completely.
4.41 was taken at RAAF Darwin during Exercise Pitch Black, I was working on the hornets in the background when this pic was taken, I remember watching the photographer
I was in the Navy in 1986 saw F111’s flying overhead to bomb Tripoli after the Disco bombing in Germany and Gaddafi was held responsible. Awesome sight that is for sure. 😀
I received a Navy meritorious unit award (?) for our participation in El Dorado Canyon from chief of Naval Operations, one of the few AF units able to wear it on our uniforms.
A great workhorse for Australia defense, very well known here..I saw one fly over once low altitude extremely high speed I saw it, watched it disappears, THEN I got the noise a few seconds later, man these things are really fast
This is the first time it's ever been explained to me why planes exist that have wings which can be adjusted like this. Very interesting! It's neat to know.
I always thought they were for ease of fitting on smaller areas like aircraft carrier !
@@dr.anujmewada4749 In that case the wings fold upwards, not backward.
@@JWQweqOPDH The F-14's wings would go into an oversweep position in order to tuck its wings within its horizontal stabs to save deckspace.
The updated F111 is a masterpiece!
O is that the one A series with two vertical behind the cock pit. With a cage of Faraday?
My first duty station was Mountain home AFB, where I worked on F111A’s. Awesome Aircraft. Very large and in charge. Gained valuable experience and knowledge of aircraft maintenance which helped me when I transitioned to F-16’s. Great Plane and great Pilots. Experienced maintenance crews helped me get up to speed very quickly. I will be forever grateful to Msgt Blier, Tsgt Dunlap and all those men and women of the 389th TFTW!
Thank you for this great video!
The only issue I have, is with the title. The F1-11 was predominately a tactical bomber (or fighter-bomber in the old parlance.) Had the USN adopted it, it probably would have become known as the FA, or even A1-11. It's only air to air capability was a pair of sidewinders.
1 of the great ironies, is that the side by side seating, and ejection pod, were features requested by the USN. The USAF wanted tandem seating and ejection seats, features that made their way into the F14.
Ultimately the biggest drawback of the swing-wings, was the inability to utilise multiple hard-points on the wings. IIRC the RAAF Pigs had 3 hard-points per wing, but only one of those rotated. This meant that the wings could not be swept until the other hard-points were emptied.
The EF-111 Raven ("Spark 'Vark") was somehow robbed of its only air to air kill, a maneuver kill of an Iraqi Mirage F-1C.
The F-111 had 8 wing stations. The inboard stations (3 thru 6) were pivot stations and the wings could be swept all the way. The outboard stations (1 & 2 and 7 & 8) were fixed stations. The wings coul NOT be swept all the way when they were on board.
The EF version (and the Navy's counterpart EA6b) are two of the most important aircraft that won Wars but never fired a single shot in anger. Their jamming and em made EVERYTHING else possible.
@@winternow2242 they did and technically the Ravens could fire HARM's but in theory after Vietnam they learned to let the Weasels or Iron Hand do that. Good point though. ;)
The Prowlers fired Standard ARM AGM-78 and Shrike AGM-45 before they were equipped with HARM AGM-88. Unfortunately, with the end of the A-6 line, the Prowlers had to be replaced with a new aircraft, the EF-18G Growler. Although a good aircraft, it suffers from the same problem that all F/A-18 aircraft have had...limited combat range. EA-6B and A-6 aircraft had twice the combat range and carried a heavier payload than any model Hornet/Growler model can carry today.
Amazing plane...I remember an episode of the show 'Dogfights'(on the History Channel) where, during the first Gulf War('90-'91), an Aardvark was credited with a 'maneuver kill' on an enemy fighter that was trying to shoot it down...the enemy fighter flew into the ground while trying to 'maneuver' for a kill on the Aardvark...
That was on an EF-111 Raven, which was an electronic warfare aircraft, to twart enemy radars. Because it was specifically designed for electronic warfare and jamming radars, it had no cannon or AA missiles. That's all it could do, was maneuver.
@@omgpotatos9226 Yes, I remember that...and if memory serves: there was a US fighter directed to engage the enemy fighter and so, the crew of the EF-111 Raven got credited with a 'half-kill' and the US fighter(can't remember if it was an F-15, but I believe it was) was credited with a 'half-kill'(or so the episode 'Dogfights' said...I don't know if the US Airforce credits 'half-kills'.😁
@@radioactive9861 What you remember is correct, it was an F-15 dispatched to aid the EF-111, and fired 1 or 2 AIM-9 missiles, neither of which hit the enemy aircraft, so while the F-15 was tailing the MIG (cant remember the model off the top of my head), which was tailing the Raven, the MIG pilot had gotten overwhelmed with the situation and lost situational awareness that he ended up crashing into the ground, therefore both the F-15 and EF-111 got credited with a "half-kill," though technically speaking, since the F-15 didn't formally shoot down the MIG, the Raven got the kill credit as a "maneuvering kill"
@@omgpotatos9226 Excellent...my 'old brain' isn't as bad as I thought. 😁
@@radioactive9861 Ah, I dont think you got to be that old, I remember watching that a while ago. I'm only 16 and aspire to be an air force pilot myself. I'm very knowledgeable in avionics and aviation in general, its a career path id love to follow, I teach myself things about aviation on my own will, rather by watching videos or reading articles and archives, its just something that really intrigues me and am fascinated by. Though I know being a pilot can be a difficult job to get into, especially when you're shooting for the stars trying to be one for the USAF, but its my passion to take that career path, and its always been something I've wanted to do since I was 14, and I've followed that dream since.
Great overview. I worked on them at RAF Upperford. Then retrained to Target Intelligence and then returned to RAF Heyford to do Mission Planning support for them. F-111E
I also was at Heyford. ‘87-‘92 77th TFS. Was crew chief on 067.
I was stationed at U-H, 1972-73.
‘86-‘88 520th AGS Weapons ‘91-‘93 20 TFW Target Intel
The 'vark was a fine old warbird, excellent overview of it's history and variants.
I was at Pease AFB, SAC, in 1970, when the FB-111 arrived at our base to then replace the B-52's which had been
stationed there.
I used to fly my aardvark at mach 1.5 100 feet off the ground it was a badass
Your full of crap, 1.5 at 100 feet garbage!!!!bullsh!t they won't go that fast at ground level!
The F-111 was truly a ground breaking aircraft in so many aspects. Though hardly "stealthy" it could still perform its role today.
Loved watching them ripping down the dales in the UK 🇬🇧... the good old days...
This is a beautiful jet. 30 years ago it was predicted to easily penetrate enemy defenses at low altitude, high speed. it easily slipped past North Vietnam's SAMS. Yup, looks like it would have done well, had NATO gone all out against the Soviet Union.
My 3 favorite aviation-related art books are:
- Icon by Frank Frazetta
- Aviation Art by Lou Drendel
- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 by Tim Gibson
У Гитлера тоже была самая современная техника (аналогии провожу не случайно, ибо США уничтожили примерно столько же людей по всему миру), но после нападения на СССР самая современная техника стала у Советского Союза. И теперь, после фактической агрессии против России, самое современное оружие теперь у РФ
The FIIIC, one of Australia's better acquisitions from the US which acted as a good deterrent when confrontation with Indonesia was smouldering
I've been going to air shows all my life. I love the F-111, it's one of my favorites!
I worked on A7 Corsairs in 76 then A10 tank busters in 77/78 at Myrtle Beach AFB. I then was transferred to RAF Upper Heyford and Crew Chiefed the F111-E blue section birds as well as working the Nuclear area called Victor Alert. Those were some of the best days - the Aardvarks were an awesome machine - the best super sonic bombers of their generation.
The cockpit was designed by McDonnell Aircraft Company for General Dynamics Company. My uncle who was a primary engineer on the project liked to say the escape module was the best system on the plane. In fact it was the most proven system on the plane, in combat situations. That is to say many pilots punched out of the aircraft at high speed.
I think (but don't quote me) the parachutes used for the escape module were the same ones used on the Apollo capsule.
@@ecurb10 No, I believe you are wrong. All Mercury capsules were made by McDonnell Space Company and probably share design components with the F-111. North American Rockwell made the Apollo capsules. So, the chutes were likely their design and manufacture.
@@MrMockingbird1313 yep fair enough. Just thought I'd heard it somewhere back in the day.
Mocking bird Lane. The Munsters. Lol r Operation mocking bird. Like the handle.
@@peterparker9286 TY
Back in the '70's while at Eglin AFB there were some assigned to the TAC wing and they sure were something to see when taking off at night when they were in burner. The stripped blue burner flame was something to see.
My dad flew 111s in the 79th TAC in Upper Heyford. there's nothing cooler than sitting on the flight line watching a line of them take off at night at full afterburner.
In late 1970-early 1971, I was stationed at Nellis AFB in Las Vegas which was a TAC base at that time, there were multiple F-111s there. Seemed liked a couple times a week there would be an "in flight emergency" of some kind when they were landing.
Красивый Самолет...😎👍
С него скопировали Су-24
My neighbor was shutdown in Libia, he flew that jet. Such a hero. His last name was Ribas born in Puerto Rico. We missed him dearly.
I worked in 495th maintenance, losing him felt like a gut punch. he was such a great guy and pilot. well respected by us maintainers.
I remember one write up from him on the TFR, we were in debrief he says "I did a blind let down, when we dropped below 150 feet I paddle off. I climbed back up reset everything, did another blind let down and when we crossed 100 feet I paddled off. I wanted to troubleshoot it for you and make sure it wasn't something I did"
@@bobc4d when the dictator decided to return the body the officials said that he was tortured to dead. He survived the ejection unharmed.
@@eman1757 I have not heard that which make one wonder the fate of Paul Lawrence, his WSO
@@bobc4d I didn’t found out after many years later. It was an incredible ceremony. Helicopter all over, fighter jet doing the saluted for the fallen pilot. It was intense.
I worked as a USAF Electronic Warfare (EW) Technician on the FB-111 at Pease AFB, NH in the early 1970's. Great airplane! As a side note, the FB-111 EW equipment was state of the art at that time. As a result, the several times I had orders to go to Viet Nam, they were cancelled due to the classified information for which I had been trained. Guess that could be considered being lucky.
I was in Plattsburgh, NY today with my son, we were looking at the F-111A they have on the grounds of the old AFB which part of it is now a museum, and they have a lot of things around the F-111's because they were stationed there with the 380th BMW. I remember back in the 80's when they would take off from the base, always a fun plane to watch.
The F111 was scaring the shit out of our enemies long before desert storm, every single nuclear arms talk we ever had with Russia during the Soviet era, the Russians ALWAYS demanded a discussion about the F111, it was the 1 common denominator they ALWAYS wanted to talk about in every nuclear disarmament conference.
Even after we developed the B1 based off F111 tech, the F111 still scared the shit out of those guys.
Great info scottfuller ! We had them at Cannon AFB back while I was there in '79. They were definitely a low-level deep penetrating, fast bomber. Nuke and conventional bombs. A complicated plane to fly with a lot to learn. When piloting it you spent most of the time monitoring it's vast array of switches and buttons. Russians considered the A-10 Warthog a bit of a nightmare also.
I grew up on the West Side of Fort Worth, TX at the north end of the GD runway where the F-111 was built. This was the plane turned out before the F-16 went into production.
The red and black paint scheme is unreal, love the way exposed flaps were red then when in full attack all black.
This plane deserves so much more respect than what it gets
I'm not inclined enough speak on the specs or technology but It sure is gorgeous.
Love the sound of those TF-30's.
lare 70s i served at a base in new england where they had these and 135s. i was in security and studied every inch of that jet in hot, cold, rain and snow. it was very cool to watch them take off 2 or 3 abreast at night or fly by real slow with the wings out and come back and buzz you with them back. i swear we could barely see them.
I retired from the USAF in 1983. The F111 was the aircraft I was assigned to crew from 1979 until my retirement. I HATED THAT BEAST!
That might mean you didn't work on it hard enough to appreciate it!!! Haha
Growing up in SE Qld the dump and burn was was performed over Brisbane at least once a year. 2 to remember were 1) Expo 88 west to east where it was lower than lvl21 of the MLC building 2) When Shorty RIP took an American pilot on the run for Riverfire an the host radio station was tapped into the flight radio. The poor Yank thought he was going to die and after 90 seconds of burn it was seen from over 60 miles away !!!
Still miss that gut shaking distinctive sound 😭😭😭
Me to mate. I’m in brissy too & absolutely loved the F111 . Still gutted it wasn’t replaced with another medium bomber .
Me too. Brilliant aircraft.
I remember a night dump and burn display over Perth in the late 70s when I was a kid. Whole neighborhood out in the street to watch. So bright it cast shadows.
Australia only retired them because the cost per hour was increasing exponentially because of the planes age
Then they buried them in QLD! Stupidity on steroids; could've mothballed them to a hangar in outback for when cost becomes irrelevent, like next year by look of it!
another reason was parts were getting hard to find, most of the parts manufacturers no longer made them and had either gone out of business or de-tooled. In one case the RAAF sent a team to the the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in Tucson, Arizona, (known as "The Boneyard"), with the USA's permission of course, to get critical parts no longer available. Another reason was survivability, with proliferation of long range SAMs and no 'stealth' the only option in a modern theatre was the use of stand off weapons, which is why the RAAF bought the Popeye, but when the S-300 came out it was questionable. Another reason was they needed another expensive avionics update to incorporate the link-16 datalink, the previous update did have datalink but wasnt link-16 compatible, link 16 is a must have when operating with the USAF now. The final nail in the coffin was when A8-112 experienced an explosion in the main fuel tank during flight and after inspection it was deemed not economic to repair and the entire operating cost was recalculated for the fleet and deemed unsustainable by the government of the day. BTW, the RAAF wanted Strike Eagles to replace it, but were forced by the government to accept Super Hornets, which in hindsight has been a good thing
My late stepfather worked at McClellan AFB where the F-111 went through some major modifications early on in it's life. The base had one of the most advanced manufacturing facilities in the USAF and did a ton of major mission mods to planes like the Wild Weasels.
I lived in the pattern of McClellan for a couple years growing up. We got to see utterly amazing sights on take off and landing. Including F117 before it was o known about and f-111and sr71 night takeoffs are still vivid memories forty years later
Back in the Golf War, it was amazing to see that old piece of technology leading the attack.
It was thanks to the Sparks that we achieved air superiority, they allowed normal bombers and helos to clear the sams.
It wasn't new tech that was used to surprise Hussein, such as Spirits and Hawks, those were used after.
I was bombed by this aircraft several times in the mid-eighties. I was logging in the northern part of the Adirondacks and they would come over so low and fast that I had tree limb "bombs" coming down around my ears from the jetwash. Good times!
Was at P-burgh in the 80's ! Cool plane for sure ! Liked going to St. Catherine's Street nudie bars in Montréal when we could scrape enough $$$ together ! Great times !
The E model was the first USAF plane to employ an all push button weapons delivery system.
The wing sweep on the F111, Especially on the extended wing FB111 was remarkable. Fully extended it looked just right yet. Cruciform and balanced. When fully swept and blending with the tail it formed almost a delta platform.
Excellent maneuver with an extraordinary skills and professionalism.
Bravo ! US Air Force !
I was a flight test engineer at Edwards during the F-111 Category II testing. Aircrew loved it.....wrench benders hated it. The TFTA was out-fukkin-standing. (gave us some interesting rear facing camera film of destroyed jackrabbits). Problem was that Robert Strange wanted it to do EVERYTHING..........so some wag submitted specs for the USS-111 (got great reviews).
Dale Brown used the Aardvark extensively in his military fiction.
You even speak like a pure bred American flight test engineer 😂 (I'm not American)
@@brandonpinto5290 Thank you..............I hope...........
You're welcome. It was a compliment of sorts.
We had these in Australia, I was sad to see them go.
Love them, especially the Brisbane festival dump and burn.
True
Cool plane for sure. My uncle (Aus airforce mechanic of 20+ years) showed me around them when I was a wee lad. Pity he ended riddled with cancer from working inside the fuel tanks -_-... Great airframe... but good fucking riddance.
@@Megameatloaf fuck sorry to hear that.
As a kid I lived not too far from the local RAAF base in Southern Queensland and we used to see the F-111 in our skies on a regular basis (we generally heard them before we saw them). But there's nothing quite like seeing them with afterburner/dump and burn in full bloom! I sat in the cockpit of an F-111 at a museum as an adult which was quite a moment for me 😎
Do you remember the tail number? III worked on a few
@@charlesschaefer1974 awesome 😎😎 I don't recall any numbers - they were either too far away or flying too fast!
Australian here . I remember those beautiful Beasts . Ugly on the ground , but Elegant and simply Gorgeous in the air .
I used to see F-111s fly from Cannon AFB over Eastern New Mexico in the 70's. Always wanted to see a few hit the burner, wings swept back and flying low over the Melrose Bomb Range. Anticipation of that happening fell to disappointment, probably from some congressional budgetary constraints. But man, they look great !
There's a "New" Mexico ?
I did too, good old Melrose Bomb Range, used to walk around friends' land around that area and pick up dummy bombs that had obviously drastically missed their target. Good times
I worked on the F-111Ds at Cannon AFB in the early 80s
A client of mine survived the ditching of two F-111s- one over Vietnam! He said the escape pod ejection was neat, but when it landed, it shook the world.
Funny that this got hearted- I found out that Joe died last year. I don't know cause of death but he had Alzheimer's pretty bad.
Wrong about what?? I know a pilot who ditched over North Vietnam and a second time, state side. That has nothing to do with you. Just read the comment and keep to yourself.
I was a jet mechanic on f4 then to f111at raf upperheyford england from 78 to 81.i was really suprised to hear they closed the base after building hardend shelters for the aircraft.i spent a lot of time serving on the pad which was nuke loaded ready to launch in minutes.had a mp gaurding my jet 24/7
When I was young, back in the 60's, my dad would take me and my brother to McClellan Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA. He'd park his old Buick Special outside the gate and we'd stand out in front of the car. We would watch the F4 Phantams land and that was an awesome sight for a kid but the real treat was watching the F-111's landing.
This was the first aircraft I worked on while in the Air Force.
Same here, James. Straight out of avionics tech school at Lowry in '72, I went to Mountain Home and the F was my bird. I'll never forget watching a gaggle of F's doing low altitude maneuvers through the Snake River Canyon.
@@Bdub1952 you got screwed like me. I put in for Florida and California and got Mountain Home with a stop in Lowry for weapons tech school. It was 1979 though. I got Hurlburt Field in 1981.
@@jamesb.armstrong5433actually, Mountain Home was my first choice. I'm an outdoorsy guy and Idaho was the perfect fit. In fact now I'm a permanent resident.
@@Bdub1952 I just wanted warm weather. I used to go riding dirt bikes at the snake pit, and target practice. Did some duck hunting over the snake river also. I just like the warner weather in Florida. Mountain Home is okay in the summer time. If I ever come back up there, I'll have to look you up. If you come to Florida you'll have to look me up.
@@jamesb.armstrong5433 that'd be great. I get the warmer weather part, it's about 31 outside right now. But I've always enjoyed 4 seasons. Glad you got to see what Idaho was all about. Still riding dirt bikes, fishing and camping after all these years. But whoa, has the population skyrocketed. 👎
The plane was on our USS Ranger CV-61 before I got there, and still there until 1976 when I left the Navy. Several times it went to take photos over Vietnam.
I believe you're refering to the A-5 Vigilante.
@@patrickradcliffe3837 Then you were not there. We did have an F-111 in the hanger bay when I got there.
@@elijahhodges4405 it mechanically impossible for a F-111 to operate from a carrier there is no way to launch it as the nose gear does not have a launch bar. The last flight of the prototype Navy variant was 1971. The A-5 and the F-111 look similar. The A-5 by 1976 was flying reconnaissance missions only. I'm a retired Navy Airframes Mechanic.
@@patrickradcliffe3837 That's cute. I guess you would have had to be there.
@@patrickradcliffe3837 Bro, the US Navy also have F-111B long-range carrier based interceptor fighter prototype part of the joint tactical fighter experimental aircraft. That was planned to be follow-on to the F-4 Phantom II. In 1968, the F-111B approaching USS Coral Sea.
Great to see our Aussie version in the opening scene... Awesome...
Amazing strike fighter! Very well presentation!✈✈✈
F-111s were flying out of Mt Home AFB when I was there. That was a TAC base back then.
When were you there at what section I started out in red that became yellow under POMO.
The RAF nearly brought these, but the government at the time messed it all up. There were 2 bases in the U.K. where these operated from, RAF’s Lakenheath and Upper Hayford. I remember them flying over North Wales when I lived there.
These used to transit between Upper Heyford and Lakenheath, such a short distance they stayed below 2000 feet, sometimes much lower. I lived half way along the route and remember the noise daily as I sat in my school classroom. Even though it was daily routine, I always looked up at them.
Loved watching these at PAFB
My world history teacher flew one of these during Vietnam!
He had many stories about this beauty of a plane!
Beautiful plane!
My father flew F-111s from 1967 to 1974, he will tell you this is in no way a fighter. He always said they only called it a F-111 because Fighter-pilots would never fly a B-111.
I remember as a kid when Australia bought this beauty. Stories about the wings falling off were a concern, but when they finally arrived... super machine!
Footage of them flying TFR ‘hard ride’ is amazing.
Communist state of Australia
@@DB-qk5pv yes. Of course