F-111 Aardvark: General Dynamics Technological Marvel of the Cold War
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- Опубликовано: 8 фев 2025
- The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multi-role combat aircraft. Production models of the F-111 had roles that included attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons capabilities), reconnaissance and electronic warfare. Aardvark comes from a South African animal that has a long nose and hugs the terrain. It is an Afrikaans word that translates literally as "earth pig" - hence the aircraft's "Pig" nickname during its Australian service.
Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics under Robert McNamara's TFX Program, the F-111 pioneered variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines, and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight. Its design influenced later variable-sweep wing aircraft, and some of its advanced features have become commonplace. The F-111 suffered problems during initial development, largely related to the engines. A fighter variant intended for the United States Navy, the F-111B, was canceled before production; it was intended for aircraft carrier-based roles, including long-range interception. Several specialized models, such as the FB-111A strategic bomber and the EF-111A electronic warfare aircraft, were also developed.
The F-111 entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force (USAF). The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the F-111 and began operating the F-111C in 1973. As early as March 1968, the USAF was deploying F-111s into active combat situations; the type saw heavy use during the latter half of the Vietnam War to conduct low-level ground-attack missions, flying in excess of 4,000 combat missions while incurring only six combat losses in the theatre.
The May 1960 U-2 incident, in which an American CIA U-2 reconnaissance plane was shot down over the USSR, stunned the United States government. Besides greatly damaging US-Soviet relations, the incident showed that the Soviet Union had developed a surface-to-air missile that could reach aircraft above 60,000 feet (18,000 meters). Consequently, the United States Air Force Strategic Air Command (SAC) and the RAF Bomber Command's plans to send subsonic, high-altitude Boeing B-47 Stratojet and V bomber formations into the USSR were realized to be much less viable.
F-111 General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 73 ft 6 in (22.40 m)
Wingspan: 63 ft (19 m)
Swept wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m) swept
Height: 17 ft 1.5 in (5.220 m)
Wing area: 657.4 sq ft (61.07 m2) spread, 525 sq ft (48.8 m2) swept
Aspect ratio: 7.56 spread
1.95 swept
Airfoil: root: NACA 64-210.68; tip: NACA 64-209.80
Empty weight: 47,200 lb (21,410 kg)
Gross weight: 82,800 lb (37,557 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 100,000 lb (45,359 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0186
Zero-lift drag coefficient area: 9.36 sq ft (0.87 m2)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-100 afterburning turbofan engines, 17,900 lbf (80 kN) thrust each dry, 25,100 lbf (112 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed: 1,434 kn (1,650 mph, 2,656 km/h) at altitude
795 kn (915 mph; 1,472 km/h) / Mach 1.2 at sea level
Maximum speed: Mach 2.5
Range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km)
Ferry range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km) with external drop tanks
Service ceiling: 66,000 ft (20,000 m)
g limits: +7.33
Rate of climb: 25,890 ft/min (131.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 126 lb/sq ft (620 kg/m2) spread
158 lb/sq ft (771 kg/m2) wings swept
Thrust/weight: 0.61
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon in weapons bay (seldom fitted)
Hardpoints: 9 in total (8× under-wing, 1× under-fuselage between engines) plus 2 attach points in weapons bay with a capacity of 31,500 lb (14,300 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles:
AGM-69 SRAM thermonuclear air-to-surface missile (FB-111A only)
AGM-130 stand-off bomb
AIM-9 short range infrared air-to-air missile
Bombs:
Free-fall general-purpose bombs including Mk 82 (500 lb/227 kg), Mk 83 (1,000 lb/454 kg), Mk 84 (2,000 lb/907 kg), and Mk 117 (750 lb/340 kg)
Cluster bombs
BLU-109 (2,000 lb/907 kg) hardened penetration bomb
Paveway laser-guided bombs, including 2,000 lb (907 kg) GBU-10, 500 lb (227 kg) GBU-12, and 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) GBU-28 penetration bomb
BLU-107 Durandal runway-cratering bomb
GBU-15 electro-optical bomb
B61 or B43 nuclear bombs
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I had the pleasure of being a crew chief on F-111Fs at RAF Lakenheath, UK and Mountain Home AFB, ID from '77 to '81.
I had an interesting encounter with an FB-111 in 1985. I was 14 at the time, working on my brother's logging crew during summer vacation. This was in the northern Adirondacks in New York before restrictions were put on low-level military flights. That day, I was in pretty thick forest, falling trees. My brother had left with the skidder, bringing a hitch of trees to the header and I stopped to gas up my saw. The woods were quiet, save for the squirrels and birds. Remember half expecting Snow White to show up singing. Instead, an FB out of Plattsburgh AFB went over me very fast and very low. I heard it just in time to look up and catch a glimpse of it and see the trees getting thrashed by the jetwash. Then the dead tree limbs started raining down around me. Being young, indestructible, and wearing a hardhat, I just laughed the whole time.
This was the first aircraft I worked on as a crew chief in 1975.
F111 is such a unique figher jet. I like that the pilots sit side by side too, make it easier to pass a beer.
Love the Aardvark. First time I ever saw one close up was a flyover at Falcon Stadium before an Air Force game in the early 80’s. It went full afterburners over the stadium before peeling off towards the Front Range. It shook everything and everyone.
I saw SO MANY flyovers at Falcon Stadium over 30 years and they were all so enjoyable, but I will never forget that F-111. That was awesome 👏🏻!!!
Been a huge fan ever since. Miss that one for sure.
Nice! I’m watching this from the Front Range now, go Airforce!
My uncle was a crew chief for one of the original Nellis ground crews that deployed to Thailand. Fascinating stories.
Worked on in-shop avionics repair on FB-111A aircraft at Plattsburgh for 5 years. Mostly specialized in the Inertial Navigation System and associated flight control computers, but was fully qualified on all of the test stations and components that our shop serviced, including the Astro Tracker, moving map display, various RADAR systems (doppler, attack, and Terrain-Following), etc. A lot of the types of systems we worked on back then have been incorporated (in much-advanced iterations) into almost all modern generation aircraft. The 111 served very well as an advanced technology platform (for its time), and handily won the SAC Bomb-Nav competitions over several years. Too bad that there are none of these amazing birds still flying anywhere in the world…they were either destroyed and dismantled, buried (Australia), or made into museum exhibits. They were very impressive to watch, and I look fondly back at my involvement with keeping them flying.
Nothing but admiration for the F105 pilots that flew Nam. Was great seeing Lt Walter's after all these yrs. I knew him from Nellis in the 60s. My sister was heartbroken when he shipped out for nam.
Great video. I could listen to these guy's stories all day.
Glad you like them!
I LOVE the F-111 "ARDWARK"
In another life I flew these. F15EX could be a fitting replacement.
The F-111 is such a unique fighter jet. I love that the pilots sit side by side-it makes it easier to pass a beer!
That was the best video ever. More more more!
Best ever made
In my college we used to deface the signs for "peace"
(read: Viet Cong Communist victory) groups. We used to make more "legs" on the peace symbol so it looked like a aircraft exactly with
variable wing angles and then we used to write: F-111
Stomps the Cong....needless to say this drove all the left
radical groups on campus crazy and they were always complaining to the dean. Which he found amusing and without saying so, he
encouraged us to do it again
Wonderful memories of that
crazy era.....
Best deep strike aircraft ever developed, hands down
TSR2 would have given it a run for its money had our stupid government not scrapped it when it was practically finished.
@@mrrcassidy looks like someone just discovered tsr2 from found and explained
@@Idontknow4 Come to my local museum at Cosford and learn something.
Nope. Only 560 ever made.... F15 will win over this
@@Idontknow4 I guess there's a lot you don't know. Come to my local museum at Cosford and educate yourself.
I wonder why General Dynamics didn't incorporate an auto sweep wing system depending on the air speed, and have a switch to change it to manual control if ever needed. I'm sure they had a good reason for not doing it.
Respect!!!
I saw them constantly fly in and out of McClellan AFB in Sacramento throughout the 80s and early 90s.
There were F-111s stationed at Lakenheath in the early 1980s. It was a 4-5 hour trek by the world's slowest trains from my house with no guarantees that you would see one fly - but worth it!
I believe McClellan was the depot for the F-111.
You know, I was standing in the middle of no where's vile Utah. 2 f-111 blew over the top of me. The plane knocked me on my ass. That was a massive aircraft, which was bas ass..
My Dad worked at GD in engineering. Escape systems
I saw a smoking chicken fish flying a chopper last week and I think it's related ❤❤
_ respect for your enemy. This is something most people want or can't understand.
Australia ordered 24 in 1963. They arrived in…wait…wait…wait…1973! Australia eventually got over 40. The last served until 2010.
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
HUMBLY SALUTE
I lived in Las Vegas during the testing of the F111A at Nellis AFB. It was ugly for tge pilots that were tasked with it. Seemed like they were constantly grounded , or pounding into the ground. Within my neighborhood we lost 3 pilots. And there were even more deaths. As it was the deadliest plane ever to be proven air worthy from Nellis. But I remember the F111 as a runway paper weight for year's. All of the men from Nellis hated the damned thing. It was high maintenance
yes
Australia just buried them.
Wish the Aussies would have refurbished the F-111C with new engines, new weapon systems, multi mode radar like on the newest F-15ES new 1760 weapon wiring bus, and a total rebuild for the 6 to 8 billion they paid for the super hornets spares and training etc.
Buy extra F-111 from the boneyard for spares and rebuild 28 or 32 x RAAF F-111C+ and 8 x EF-111C+ SEAD DEAD aircraft.
Even though not stealth if fitted out with extensive ESM, ECM and escort by EF-111 it could go low and hard hit the enemy and upon egress had the speed to out run even a F-15C during war games.
↖️We were stationed at sunny RAF Upper Heyford 70-73..my dad was a USAF SSgt avionics tech. I got to sit in the Vark's left seat on the ramp..I was six yrs old. 🤭😍🛫
I believe that this video should be better labeled! I think it would explain the content of the video better if were labeled "F-111 Aardvark/ F-105 Thunderchief Technological Marvel of the Cold War"
It still pisses me that the French refuseğ guy's fly thru thejr airspace to steike Libya in '81. They had to fly around France adding several hours to their already very long sortie.
The good old French refused the US use of their airspace hence the much longer routing
spain as well and Germany
Flaps
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARD
VAAAAAAAAAAARK
Flying at "low level" is the best tactic to AVOID radar surveillance AND is the worst altitude for fuel consumption....do some homework.
TSR2 was better
McNamara cost us so many American lives.
?
21:03
Cash back would be greatly appreciated 🩷🩶