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F-111F. C.N. 48. 494th TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 4 April 1996 as AA FV0267. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide)
F-111F. C.N. 51. 494th TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Crashed 22 September 1993 on Melrose Range, near Cannon AFB, due to failure of the starboard engine and subsequent fire (522nd TFS). Crew ejected safely. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (kodachrome Slide dated 3 September 1990)
When the USAF was developing its specifications for the F-111, Australia also needed a new strike aircraft. Indonesia, which represented a major potential threat in the early 1960s, had Soviet Bombers that could strike Australia, but Australia’s existing Canberra bombers did not have the range to strike back. The F-111 would allow Australia them to take out aggressor air forces on the ground and then turn to other targets. The Royal Australian Air Force ordered 24 F-111Cs off the drawing board. These were based on the F-111A but were redesigned for the needs of the Royal Australian Air Force. One change was to give the Australian Aardvarks an anti-shipping role by allowing them to strike with AGM-84 Harpoon missiles. In addition, the C's had the heavier landing gear and wider wings created for the F-111B and FB-111A.
After prolonged development, General Dynamics finished the F-111Cs for Australia in 1968. However, the Royal Australian Air Force would not accept them until concerns about aircraft longevity had been worked out. The most important concern was the strength of the wing carry through box, which failed in a test. Finally, the wing carry through boxes were replaced at great cost. In 1973, Australia accepted its two dozen F-111C, which its crewmembers nicknamed the Pig. These aircraft were upgraded several times. In 1979, the RAAF modified four to carry reconnaissance pods.
Although two dozen aircraft would serve the needs of two full squadrons, this did not provide any spares. Inevitable attrition led to the purchase of four refurbished F-111As from the U.S. Air Force. These were upgraded these to the general F-111C specification. When the United States retired its FB-111As, it converted some to F-111Gs, as noted earlier. The RAAF was able to purchase fifteen F-111 Gs in 1983. This gave adequate replacement aircraft for several years. In the 1990s, the RAAF purchased ten Pave Tack target detection, tracking and designation pods.
Fortunately, Australian pigs never saw combat. However, in the East Timor crisis of 1999, Australia stationed its F-111 fleet in striking distance of East Timor. The Indonesians knew that the F-111s could devastate their ground forces if they took unacceptable action. This and the other threats posed by the Australian naval fleet kept the Indonesians in check.
In time, however, the high maintenance burden of Australia’s F-111 fleet led to the retiring of the fleet. The F-111Gs were retired in 2007, the F-111Cs in 2010. After 37 years of service, the RAAF held a moving farewell ceremony for its beloved Pigs.
In place of the long-range fighter/bomber, the RAAF has purchased 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets. It plans to upgrade to F-35s as these become available. Neither has the phenomenal range and loitering time of the Triple One, but both are modern superlative airplanes.
After decommissioning its F-111s, the RAAF needed to dispose of its aircraft in ways permitted by the SALT treaty. Eight had crashed while in service, and 23 were buried in in landfills. Six were retained at RAAF bases, and the others were made available to civilian museums where all but one was delivered by truck. The final Triple One, F-111C A8-130 (seen in the photograph above), was delivered to Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum in September 2013.
This last aircraft, A8-130, is one of the original two dozen F-111Cs purchased by Australia. This bird, with construction number D1-6, began its service on June 1, 1973. It left service on December 3, 2010. During its long career, many pilots flew this aircraft, including the Chief of the RAAF, Air Marshall Geoff Brown OA & Deputy Chief of the RAAF, Air Marshall Gavin “Leo” Davies. Getting the aircraft to Hawaii presented a real challenge. So, the aircraft was divided into components and shipped to Hawaii by the RAAF in a C-130. Early in its career, the aircraft flew in camouflage. Prior to the being divided into components, the RAAF restored the aircraft to its camouflage paint job as seen above to commemorate its early history.
www.pearlharboraviationmuseum.org/blog/general-dynamics-f...
Technical Information (or Nerdy Stuff):
Camera - Nikon D7200 (handheld)
Lens – Nikkor 18-300mm Zoom
ISO – 1250
Aperture – f/6.3
Exposure – 1/640 second
Focal Length – 30mm
The original RAW file was processed with Adobe Camera Raw and final adjustments were made with Photoshop CS6.
"For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." ~Jeremiah 29:11
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J-508 General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon Royal Netherlands Air Force @ RIAT 2022, RAF Fairford 17/07/2022
At Lelystad Airport for a party tomorrow for disabled children. (Hoogvliegers) Arrived by road) So 2 Falcon's at Lelystad Airport today. The plane is not active anymore but is used by the Air Force for different events.
IMG_7272b
General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon msn82-1011 de 1984
Royal Danish Air Force (25/03/1997 - ..)
JPO Orange-Caritat
25/05/2019
USAF, RDAF.
F-111E. 55th TFS at RAF Upper Heyford. Photo Credit's: R. Shaw (Kodachrome Slide dated February 1989)
Piction ID: 83794855 Tomahawk cruise missile--Please tag these photos so information can be recorded.---Note: This material may be protected by Copyright Law (Title 17 U.S.C.)--Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
F-111E. C.N. E-189. 020 with it's stabs in the neutral position. Photo is credited to a Mr. R. Shaw (Kodachrome Slide dated May, 1990)
RAAF F-111 performing a dump-and-burn fuel dump during LIMA07, a procedure where the fuel is intentionally ignited using the aircraft's afterburner.
F-111E. C.N. E-197. Painted in Bicentennial markings for 1976. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 2 September, 1993 as AA FV0177. Departed AMARC 7 November, 2011 to HVF West Yard, scrapped probably in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (original photo printed on rough photo paper which doesn't scan well)
c/n 61-253. Operated by the 148th Tactical Fighter Training Squadron a unit of 162nd Tactical Fighter Training Group of the Arizona Air National Guard. It went to Israel as 771 in 1994.
F-111E. C.N. E-225. 79th TFS at RAF Upper Heyford. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 21 October, 1993 as AA FV0185. Departed AMARC 10 January, 2012 to HVF West LLC Gov't. Demil (scrapped). Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide)
F-111F. C.N. 38. 493rd TFS at RAF Lakenheath. Withdrawn from service to AMARC 8 July 1996 as AA FV0285. Scrapped in June 2012. Photo Credit's: Unknown to me (Kodachrome Slide dated May 1980)
RSAF 696 Lockheed Martin F-16D Fighting Falcon Block 52 version of 140 Sqn, Tengah Air Base - Pitch Black 2016
F-111A 67-0047 The aircraft was delivered to the USAF on October 27, 1968. Was retired from the 389th TFTS, 366th TFW at Mountain Home, and AFB on August 31, 1990, and had accumulated 2,031 flights and 4,855.1 flight hours. It was used as a ground trainer at Sheppard AFB.(Seems a incorrect ST tail code however)
Before digital took over, I used film to capture a F-111c Aardvark performing the ever popular dump & burn flying low over Brisbane City for the 2001 Riverfire Spectacular. The aircraft was travelling at approximately 600kph dumping fuel from a nozzle between the jet engines and igniting it with afterburners before pulling skyward and lighting up the city. What an awesome display and I do miss these spectacular light shows!!
E-191, a General Dynamics F-16AM Fighting Falcon operated by the Royal Danish Air Force (RDAF), departing from at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire, England after participating in the Royal International Air Tattoo 2023 (RIAT 2023). The aircraft wears the spectacular "Dannebrog 800" scheme to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Danish national flag, considered to be the the world's oldest continuously used national flag.
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Beginning in the early 1960s, the USAF sought a replacement for the F-105 Thunderchief: while the F-105 was a good aircraft, it needed long runways that would be vulnerable in wartime and was not as long-ranged as the USAF might like. Simultaneously, the US Navy noticed that Soviet antiship missiles were becoming more advanced and longer-ranged, which would put their current fleet defense aircraft, the F-4 Phantom II, at a disadvantage. The Navy was especially interested in the AIM-54 Phoenix that provided very long-range capability. Though the two services wanted vastly different aircraft, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara ordered that both seek a common aircraft to save money and development time, as had been done with the F-4; McNamara’s order came over the objections of both USAF and Navy researchers. Nonetheless, the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) project began work in 1961.
Immediately, TFX ran into trouble. The Navy wanted side-by-side seating with a maximum speed of Mach 2 and a fuselage length adequate for carrier operations; the USAF wanted tandem seating with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 and a long fuselage for better performance. About the only things the two services could agree on was the need for two engines and variable sweep wings, which would satisfy both services’ need for shorter distance takeoffs and landings. Only Boeing and General Dynamics’ proposals reached mockup stage, and McNamara personally ordered the General Dynamics design based on its better commonality of parts, despite the services preference for the Boeing version and the fact that General Dynamics had never built a naval fighter before. The new aircraft was designated F-111, in theory making it the last of the Century Series.
The problems with the F-111 now compounded. The F-111B carrier defense fighter was inadequate in every way, lacked the performance the Navy wanted, and it was too heavy for carrier operations. The F-111B was cancelled in 1967—though its AWG-9 fire control system and the Phoenix missile would live on in the F-14 Tomcat. The USAF’s F-111A had somewhat easier development, flying first in December 1964. Wing cracks and intake issues were addressed, and the F-111A entered USAF service in July 1967, then deployed to Vietnam under Project Combat Lancer in 1968.
Combat Lancer was a miserable failure: of six F-111As sent to Vietnam, three were lost in a month. The F-111 was grounded and in danger of cancellation until the USAF discovered the problem: the “box” that contained the wing sweep mechanism was flawed, as were the tailplanes, which could lock downwards without warning. The latter was traced to a glitch in the terrain-following computer, but the wing box problems were known by General Dynamics before delivery—and ignored to meet contract requirements. The troubles of the F-111 led to derisive nicknames from its crews, such as the “Supersonic Edsel,” “McNamara’s Folly,” and “Aardvark,” due to its long nose and propensity to stick it into the ground. The latter nickname stuck and became the informal name for the aircraft, though it would not be until 1995 that the USAF officially named the F-111 Aardvark.
Following personnel changes at General Dynamics and yet more rework to the design, F-111s returned to Vietnam in September 1972, with some trepidation. This time, however, the F-111 finally proved itself: operating without tanker or jamming support, F-111s would attack North Vietnamese targets alone, at night and often in bad weather, moving so quickly and so low that North Vietnamese air defense could not react in time. Though clearly the Aardvark was no fighter, as a strike aircraft it had few peers. Its terrain-following radar was the best in the world, and it combined high speed penetration with a good bombload.
The USAF began subsequent improvement of the design. The F-111D had an even more advanced fire control system, the first USAF aircraft to use a microprocessor computer, and better Triple Plow II intakes, which spared the Aardvark the catastrophic engine failure that plagued the other user of the TF30 engine, the F-14 Tomcat. The F-111D’s computer was plagued with trouble, so the USAF then fielded the F-111E/F variants, which had simpler fire control but better avionics; the F-111F was optimized for precision attack, equipped with the radar of the FB-111 and the AVQ-26 Pave Tack laser designator.
While the early F-111As were converted to EF-111A Raven ECM aircraft and the F-111D ended up being simply retired rather than fixed, the “simple” F-111E/Fs proved to be superb in USAF service. Australia was the only export customer for the Aardvark, flying F-111Cs from 1973; the United Kingdom cancelled its order of F-111Ks in 1968.
In 1986, F-111s spearheaded Operation Eldorado Canyon, which crippled the regime of Moammar Qaddafi in Libya, while during the First Gulf War of 1991, Aardvarks completely destroyed oil facilities at Kirkuk, used laser-guided bombs to destroy over 1500 Iraqi tanks, and completed nearly 80 percent of all precision attack sorties of the war—ahead of the newer and more advanced F-15E Strike Eagle and Tornado IDS.
This impressive effort was to be the Aardvark’s last. Though it remained in service until 1996, when it was retired from the USAF, it did not participate in any further combat operations. Replaced by the F-15E Strike Eagle, the F-111 left its mark on history and the USAF. A few ex-USAF F-111Gs were passed on to Australia, who continued to operate the Aardvark until finally it was retired for good in 2010. 563 were built, and 57 have been preserved in museums.
This F-111A is 67-0058, which entered service with the USAF's 474th Tactical Fighter Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada in 1969. In 1972, it was detached to Takhli RTAFB, Thailand and would see combat during Operation Linebacker II over North Vietnam. Following its Vietnam service, 67-0058 would return to Nellis in 1973, and was transferred to the 366th TFW at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, with the rest of the A-model Aardvarks. 67-0058 would remain in service until 1990, when it was retired. Due to Mountain Home's long association with the F-111, the aircraft was donated to the city, and went on display at Carl Miller Park.
One of the advantages of having a nearby USAF base is that often gate guards and war memorials are well-maintained. 67-0058 is no different: it is in excellent condition. It is painted in the wraparound Southeast Asia scheme carried by F-111s in the 1980s, with the 366th's wing colors on the tail and a small outline of Idaho on the nose. Finding Carl Miller Park is easy enough, but 67-0058 is positioned under the trees--and its camouflage tends to blend it against the trees! I got this picture on a slightly soggy afternoon in September 2021.
General Dynamics F-16ADF de l'Aeronautica Militare Italiana. Cet appareil appartient au 37° Stormo, 18° Gruppo, il porte le code MM7240 . Il a été spécialement décoré en 2009 pour fêter les 1000 heures de vol sur F-16 du commandant du 18° Gruppo. Cette unite est stationnée sur la base de Trapani.
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