Call Lockheed, then GDFW, at col 121-123 on the mezz, they may have a -4 IPB, i don't think there's an owners manual, ...a -1 Flight Manual, several -2 Maintenance Manuals, -4 Illustrated Parts Breakdown
I worked on the avionics systems on the F-111F, F-111E and FB-111A from 1972 to 1978. I get a kick out of your comments. For the time, it was the best there was for its mission. The first true TTL avionics and flight controls. These videos bring back alot of memories. 😊
I was a crew chief on 67-077 at Nellis 73-77. In 74 or 75 I went on crash recovery of one of the 66 birds in A flight. I think it was 054 or 055. It was flying with TFR engaged and had hit a small rise in the desert floor about 100 ft from the crest doing 4-500 knots. The engines both continued on another 1500 ft or so. It was literally a football field of shredded aluminum honeycomb. The only recognizable piece was the main gear assembly. One of our group found a boot with the foot still in it. Very sobering sight for a bunch of 20 year olds.
When I was stationed at Nellis in the mid-80's, the EOD guys would same of the crash sites they had to remove any munitions. One told me a very similar story. The personnel from Services had the most unpleasant task of recovering the remains of the flight crew.
So how did the system fail and allow them to hit? If 200Ft is minimum and it tries to maintain that it would seem even a 100ft bump should still leave so room. It would have to fail to maintain clearance by almost 100ft?
My Father worked on this project when I was just a little kid. He was classified as 4F due to a ruptured eardrum. He still wanted to make a difference to his adopted countrie's defense capabilities. He went on to work for NASA and was one of the people who made the Moon landing possible as an antenna designer. He also worked on the Gemini project and some of the stuff he and his colleagues built is still in the Air and Space museum at the Smithsonian Institute in D.C.
For what it's worth: Incredible- remember it well- to watch this F-111 when flying, being used for close ground flight, to just suddenly lift up before a mountain, and drop again- flying back down low to ground after the mountain top. First like someone just picked it up quick as flying over the mountain, to where you can watch the Jet drop down again to the ground on the other side- looking down at the Jet from the mountain point after it passed over. A guy who had retired from the Air Force- an Air Force Lifer, who was there with us, told us the Jet was an F-111 (of course this was back in the 1970's). But it was pretty amazing to watch the Jet just lift up so quick, also then drop, when on the other side of the mountain, to where you would be looking down at Jet Flying away after passing over the mountain we were at. Was more than one time seeing these Jets Fly past, on this Air Force flight route, being at this mountain spot where it occurred. Also to see what I am talking about- if you haven't seen it, you'd definitely think it was pretty cool, amazing, to see it. That my words, nor this video/footage explaining the F-111's "terrain following Radar," give the F-111 the justice it deserves for such.
It's really striking how the timbre and cadence of the English language has changed over the last 40 years. It's also amazing how far computers have come, particularly on the GUI display end of things.
The radars for the F-111 and Tornado were developed and manufactured by Texas Instruments. And a lot of others as well. We had a couple of engineers known for their pioneering work in terrain following.
Anybody else notice that there's something strangely meditative about these old military promotional videos ? It's like I can turn it on and then just zone out and feel relaxed .
There's a training film for the Swedish S-Tank on RUclips that has lots of shots of live fire tests, with narration in Swedish - it's strangely relaxing.
Many films from that era.. Ektachrome come to mind…. suffered from fading of the blue layers over time. That resulted in the images taking on a cast like this.
The RAAF F111 was a joy to behold. From going over Mach 1 and destroying many greenhouses in Werribee, to creating Melbourne`s greatest civilian panic when she was part of Beating the Retreat at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance in the early 90s, when she did the dump and burn over the city and Pt Phillip Bay at Sunset. The switchboards of the Police, Fire and Ambulance all went off tap as she climbed over the Bay doing the dump and burn. It was magnificent to see. It broke my heart when they were mostly scrapped and buried in a dump in Queensland, because of some now obsolete Nuclear Treaty. There are still a handful of RAAF F111 in Air Museums in Australia, but she will never fly again, well not as long as I am alive. The F111 was so advanced at the time, just having them was deterrent enough. I am told by former Pilots that there was nothing like going Mach 2 in the dark at 200Ft AGL over mountains.
I was on deployment to Hickam AFB, Hawaii in 1996 with my USAF F-16 unit as a participant in the RIMPAC 96' Exercise. The RAAF had their F-111's there, as well as the Canadians with their CF-18's. Also F-15's that were stationed at Hickam also participated in the exercise. What a fun time!
The RAAF F-111 kept Australia safe and SE Asia calm for many decades. I have fond memories of it. No one could stop it. Thank you to America for letting us have it. Its power meant Australia could stop a genocide (East Timor). Looks like we'll need Nuclear Subs and B21 to keep up the good work for another 35 years.
Nothin' bettern' tandem seated co-pilots, two, complete pilots, independently-capable and interdependently-operating always dividing the enormous tasking for any flying DELIVERS peerless potential for success and survival just from that innocuous feature of our F-111 ALONE. These weapons systems are warwinners, humanity's defiant alternative to fighting wars in trenches, eye-to-eye, one-by-one for years. This is a strategic warwinner bomber, nothing more and nothing less.
@@yam83 WW2. I meant the strategic nuclear war scenario of the times; bomber with nukes gets through air defenses; it's a title I'd give to the B-29. Pack these babes with cruise nukes and the wars over inna day. We win.
Great video. The RF4C had a very similar capability with the TI APQ-99. IMHO, one of the greatest technology advances in TFR came when active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) eliminated the need for mechanically scanned antennas (or in some cases the second radar antenna under the hood...so to speak). Over time, the older, mechanically scanned antennas took a beating under high g loading and their overall reliability rate suffered. Today, we can expect the radar's array antenna to survive for the useful life of the airframe. Kudos to radar designers.
What happen to the question? N how many can we ask before ramps picks us up for 17 months at a monthly time free food drugs and sitting ashore? Hey what happens to the stability of an anchor?.
I love the view at 22:12 where the F-111 is taxis with Sunrise Mountain in the background. I was stationed at Nellis from 83-85. There was a sh** load of iron sitting on the ramp in those days!
Eventually all autopilot modules designs accepted "soft ride" mode as a default, while "hard ride" capability was left for AP disengage, PF. Modern airliner would not exceed 5 deg flight controls deflection unless PF overpowers it. p.s. "medium ride" was a fictional concept even for military aircraft
My Grandpa used to tell me how he used to drink at this pub, and there was this dirty big mountain/ hill close to it. He said the F-111s used to blitz in past them, let their autopilot fly over the mountain almost vertical, then it would level itself out once it was over the mountain and keep going. Some real cool shit.
Of all the 'sound and light' shows I winessed in Vietnam, and that included B52 carpet bombing, Spooky missions, daisy cutters (MOABs, of the day) 155mm H and Is, CBUs etc. the F111 night missions using TFR and photography at tree-top level were the most impressive.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate. Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others. The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed. It wasn't retired until 1998.
Field Artillery still uses the old Shake and bake method of prosecuting area targets with POL and munitions stores. Fire 155mm HE combo of with PD and VT fusing. Or ICM rounds. That pokes holes and makes everything leak. Then bake with WP VT fuse at 50 or 100 meters burst height. The WP sets everything a light, and fills area with dense acrid smoke. Field Artillery Shake N Bake.
1975 shooting pigs near Harvey's Ranges Western NSW Australia Two F111s came outta nowhere from behind us and flew over the Ranges very close to the ground. So fast that we didn't know what happened until it was all over and done with...MAD !
Six FB - 111s we're TDY to Vietnam in 1968 on a strategic night bombing mission. Three of them crashed without a mayday or recovery. Sudden appearing karst upcroppings on the RADAR are not the same as southwestern US buttes. The three remaining acft were withdrawn. Subsequently, it was stated that they were subject to horizontal elevator failure.
My uncle (in the air force) was voluntold to help pick up the debris after an F-111 crashed in New Mexico doing about Mach-1 right off the deck. He found some grey stuff in the area where the armored crew tub was. He was told that was brains. Always thought that was a really impressive but sad story. That is one big hotrod airplane.
They had the F-111 squadron grounded at Cannon AFB in Clovis, NM when they were investigating the elevator pin problem during the Vietnam war, my dad who worked in Base Ops there at the time, would take the 'vark pilots up in a prop plane and introduce them to acrobatics and get them some flight hours while they were sitting around. I wished he told me more about being a TAC fighter pilot when SAC was king.
The F-111 was one of if not the 1st USAF Fighter/Bombers to have an all solid state (transistors) Radar/Bombs system.....The TA mode "worked" because the settings would stay fixed (unlike the F-105) allowing the floor or feet below the aircraft to stay "put"......The F-105's moved up and down due to rough air......
20:30 On B-52s I think this was called "Memory Point". The point at which the radar lost the ability to track the Doppler velocity because the surface was too smooth. The computer would use the last known velocity as a constant, until it started receiving valid signals again. Also if I remember correctly (from news reports at the time) that at least one of these terrain following aircraft flew into the ocean because the water would sometimes be so glassy smooth that they couldn't get a good reflection off of it.....and would just fly right into the water.
Prolly commented this b4,:but, it’s nickname is the Aardvark, the VC and Charlie called her, “ silent death” , swooping down the mountain pass with no sound at all, such an awesome Aircraft, I was a Crew Chief on the F-4 Phantom, she was built when I was 2 years old, 66-6333. I’m old now, drinking Vodka whilst I watch. I’m not drunk, I’m just drinking!!!
3:14 that's a lot lower than 750 feet. I remember going on a ride along on my B-52 and they flew a 350 foot clearance plain. Some pilots flew lower, but that was against regs. In a B-52 that was a real workout too. The flight control system on those things is very crude. The red flag on the radar altimeter was continuously going in and out of view. As far as their terrain avoidance radar display? .....it looked like squiggly lines to me. Couldn't make heads or tails out of it. I guess they could.
The FB-111A, my first love in the USAF - Pease AFB 1988-1990 - ECS -Electrician (E/E). Even back then I recall hearing of mishaps/fatalities because pilots didn't fully trust the TFR and tried to pull the stick but their reaction reflex couldn't match the TFR speed/accuracy. Either way, would hate to be on the receiving end of this monster!
Lived at Toonumbar Dam near Kyogle in the 1970s. Got a fright from these many times. They obviously used the dam as a waypoint on the way done to the bombing range south of Evans Head after departing Amberley. Never saw them come back that way though. If was quite frightening to get surprised by them coming down the valley at a sedate speed and lofty elevation of a thousand feet of so. Clearly in attack mode when they would be faster and lower the target would be dead without even knowing it was there. And if they missed I suspect you would die of fright anyway.
Saw many of these Aardvarks on static display when my son was in service. Not so cool was the loss of a few in TF because the loss of a pin to the elevator. Instantly no plane, no pilot, consciousness removed from mortal plane. So quickly the pilot would think he was still AC till things don't behave normally but operate much too smoothly.
My friend and classmate in college at the University of Texas at Austin, 1Lt Albert Torn, was killed in the crash of F-111D 68-0164 in 1984. It was a night training mission at low level. I was told the TFR was cited as the cause, but I've never seen the report to confirm.
I used to work at the EW ranges attached to Nellis. Dollars to doughnuts it was the cause of the crash. In training wild weasels we would lose them due to crashes into the side of mountains.
In Vietnam one or two flew into mountains. Then there was some problems with the swing wing box. They developed cracks. The plane was grounded for a while. Teething problems. In the 90s I meet a friend who had worked on the box problem. And said they had to use a much stronger alloy then first though.
TFR by now might be termed TFS,,for software,a dash display in CGI hi def colors, w color select,, and a wire fed plugin for the helmet 360 heads up lens ,,,used on the bone, F 35 & others, it must be a rough ride when mach plus is on the throttle at a hundred feet
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate. Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others. The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed. It wasn't retired until 1998.
My Dad worked on avionics for both the Vulcan and TSR2. Based on what he has told me the TSR2 had TFR but the Vulcan didn't, although it may well have been retrofitted later.
Control, radars stop working when I switch to the OFF position. Whats wrong with this plane ? Hard ride hurts, and soft ride flies me too high on the back end. I am going to pull this handle that says EGRESS.
Not bad for an aircraft many considered a lemon. Sure, it wasn’t right for the U.S. Navy but it was just the ticket for the Air Force and gave them new capabilities that served them well. It was a sad day when the last American F-111 was retired from active service but it was great to see our Australian brothers keep the Aardvark in service a bit longer. I’ve always heard it said that at low altitude nothing could outrun an F-111. Not all that bad for a “lemon”.
I wonder how practical it would be to emit radar energy approaching a peer level enemy. Sure these jets would fly below the enemy radar but emitting radar is like shining a flashlight is it not? Wouldn’t the enemy detect the incoming radar? Now we have GPS. GPS with accurate survey of terrain would allow you to do this blind, without shining a flashlight.
if you fly below enemy line of sight they can't detect those signals, but likely there will be some awacs and fighters above so flying low doesn't provide any advantage
I believe that was for Nellis AFB, where they went after the Thai government booted (demanded we leave?) our military out of their country after the Mayaguez incident, considered to be the last battle of the Vietnam War. There are videos on RUclips about it.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate. Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others. The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed. It wasn't retired until 1998.
@@unitedwestand5100 What is TRN? The F-111 system was called TFR. The cruise missile system that came along later was called TERCOM, and it was not the same as TFR. The primary purpose of TFR was to maintain a set height above the terrain. The primary purpose of TERCOM was to compensate for INS drift and update the present position of the cruise missile so that it could adhere to its preset course and accurately strike its target.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate. Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others. The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed. It wasn't retired until 1998.
@@gort8203 ,. Can you read? TRN came first. It was then adapted to aircraft. The difference between the two was the missile didnt have a pilot, therefore an adjustment for G forces during altitude correction was unnecessary. Nor was an adjustment necessary for elevation above the terrain. It was all preset when the map was programmed in the missile. When the missile came within visual range of the target the system program switched from guidance to target recognition, and went straight to it. The biggest draw back was accuracy of the terrain map programmed in the guidance syatem, as it had no pilot. It could see the terrain and stick to a proper elevation to avoid the hills, but if the map was wrong, the missile couldnt stay on course. It would just fly until it saw a similar target, or until it ran out of fuel. The first Tomahawks used TRN, as well as other systems before the Lance. My father worked for the defense department as a civilian electronic/computer engineer on these projects for more than 50 years. I kinda know what I'm talking about. The F-111 wasn't designed with TRF, it was only added later. Mostly for use in desert environments where there were few reference points like roads, and towns, making it difficult for pilots to navigate. And, where flying under radar through terrain where visibility was increased. It eased pilot fatigue for long flights. Like when the Israelis flew to bomb the reactor in Iraq. (They may have had GPS by then though) It's still used for submarine navigation, I think.
@@unitedwestand5100 So you start your response with "Can I read"? Can I read WHAT? You are a jerk right out of the box. Obviously I read your comments, including those about submarines and pilot fatigue, which have no relation to the F-111 TFR. The question now is can you write. You still haven't answered my question as to what TRN is, and now you have introduced TRF without an explanation. TFR and TERCOM are completely different systems developed in different decades for different purposes. The F-111 did not navigate via TFR, it merely avoided terrain. The purpose of TERCOM was to allow a cruise missile to follow a preset course more accurately than possible with INS alone. I don't care who your daddy worked for, you do not know what you are talking about, and should do some research if you want to understand these systems.
@@dkoz8321 oh I know what it is lol. The whole idea that you have to roll the F111 over the top of a hill to remain undetected. I heard it was super dangerous, that pilots have rolled straight into the ground trying to pull out. I know the ground guided radar Auto Pilot in the first couple of years flew the plane intobthe ground ... That's what I heard from a couple pilots on here
@@thetreblerebel F-111 is large heavy aircraft with large heavy engines. It was dangerous to roll with wings swept back, or to quickly snap roll to bank , with wings swept back. How much, depended on aircraft speed and GW. But the danger was it would not stop rolling, and crews were lost impacting the ground inverted. The most infamous story of the pilot who was called by his squadron mates, "K-K-K-K-K-K-eeee.NN", because he had a slight stutter. He rolled his ship and it would not stop rolling. F-111 had other idiosyncrasies, that USAF limited pilot candidates , to transition to F-111, to experienced pilots with at minimum of 200 hours in fast tactical jet. That was after some low hour 2Lt.s and 1Lt.s killed themselves and their BN in F-111. Other problem with F-111 is that its avionic suite was kind of unreliable, and whole aircraft was hangar queen. F-111A was OK, F-111D (really a B) was a disaster, FB-111A(special strategic version) was OK, and F-111F was GREAT and was what F-111 should have been. I think it was the F-111F that paid Quadafi a visit in 1986.
@@thetreblerebel We never rolled inverted on TFR to cross mountains . We went around the peaks. I have 1,000 hours in the F-111D. I know of one accident where they lost roll control. They ejected safely. One F-111F got slow rolling inverted and didn't have sufficient G available to pull out and hit a ridgeline at Red Flag in the late 80s. They ejected late and did not survive.
This was quite helpful.
I lost the owners manual when I had my f-111 detailed.
Check the ashtray…
Call Lockheed, then GDFW, at col 121-123 on the mezz, they may have a -4 IPB, i don't think there's an owners manual, ...a -1 Flight Manual, several -2 Maintenance Manuals, -4 Illustrated Parts Breakdown
That happens to me all the time, my Aardvark's manual is always being purloined.
😂😂😂
my sciatica started flaring up because this joke made me laugh so hard.
I worked on the avionics systems on the F-111F, F-111E and FB-111A from 1972 to 1978.
I get a kick out of your comments. For the time, it was the best there was for its mission. The first true TTL avionics and flight controls.
These videos bring back alot of memories. 😊
I was a crew chief on 67-077 at Nellis 73-77. In 74 or 75 I went on crash recovery of one of the 66 birds in A flight. I think it was 054 or 055. It was flying with TFR engaged and had hit a small rise in the desert floor about 100 ft from the crest doing 4-500 knots. The engines both continued on another 1500 ft or so. It was literally a football field of shredded aluminum honeycomb. The only recognizable piece was the main gear assembly. One of our group found a boot with the foot still in it. Very sobering sight for a bunch of 20 year olds.
When I was stationed at Nellis in the mid-80's, the EOD guys would same of the crash sites they had to remove any munitions. One told me a very similar story. The personnel from Services had the most unpleasant task of recovering the remains of the flight crew.
I was with 347th OMS at Khorat RTAFB in 1974/75. During that period I had 67-114. I maintained FB-111As before that; F-15s after. I loved the 111s.
“Rudder right…traveling left…left stab neutral, right stab partial down!” Surface motion check.
So how did the system fail and allow them to hit? If 200Ft is minimum and it tries to maintain that it would seem even a 100ft bump should still leave so room. It would have to fail to maintain clearance by almost 100ft?
My Father worked on this project when I was just a little kid. He was classified as 4F due to a ruptured eardrum. He still wanted to make a difference to his adopted countrie's defense capabilities. He went on to work for NASA and was one of the people who made the Moon landing possible as an antenna designer. He also worked on the Gemini project and some of the stuff he and his colleagues built is still in the Air and Space museum at the Smithsonian Institute in D.C.
is it me of these documentaries from the 60s 70s are far better quality than what we see today?
Always liked the f111 with its side by side cockpit. What fun it would be to burn ten years wages and a full fuel load just cruising around.
For what it's worth:
Incredible- remember it well- to watch this F-111 when flying, being used for close ground flight, to just suddenly lift up before a mountain, and drop again- flying back down low to ground after the mountain top. First like someone just picked it up quick as flying over the mountain, to where you can watch the Jet drop down again to the ground on the other side- looking down at the Jet from the mountain point after it passed over.
A guy who had retired from the Air Force- an Air Force Lifer, who was there with us, told us the Jet was an F-111 (of course this was back in the 1970's). But it was pretty amazing to watch the Jet just lift up so quick, also then drop, when on the other side of the mountain, to where you would be looking down at Jet Flying away after passing over the mountain we were at.
Was more than one time seeing these Jets Fly past, on this Air Force flight route, being at this mountain spot where it occurred.
Also to see what I am talking about- if you haven't seen it, you'd definitely think it was pretty cool, amazing, to see it. That my words, nor this video/footage explaining the F-111's "terrain following Radar," give the F-111 the justice it deserves for such.
This is a great story thank you for sharing it!
It's really striking how the timbre and cadence of the English language has changed over the last 40 years. It's also amazing how far computers have come, particularly on the GUI display end of things.
The radars for the F-111 and Tornado were developed and manufactured by Texas Instruments. And a lot of others as well. We had a couple of engineers known for their pioneering work in terrain following.
And the RF-4C which also had TFR until TI upgraded the radar/Nav system in the early 80's and removed the TRF components.
Anybody else notice that there's something strangely meditative about these old military promotional videos ?
It's like I can turn it on and then just zone out and feel relaxed .
There's a training film for the Swedish S-Tank on RUclips that has lots of shots of live fire tests, with narration in Swedish - it's strangely relaxing.
yeah I just bought two off Amazom and used them on a crazy little country and now I feel neat for real sure
Same for me but with vintage nuclear PSA like protect and survive
Yes, indeed.
Yes--and those TV like soundtracks add to the "just a job" now it's Miller Time feel.
70s technology can automatically fly a plane at transonic speeds a few hundred feet off the deck and film it in many shades of BROWN
Many films from that era.. Ektachrome come to mind…. suffered from fading of the blue layers over time. That resulted in the images taking on a cast like this.
God bless America
Aye - you sound like you know what ur talking about
@@KevinTGiles I'm good at giving off that impression ;)
I grew up in the 70s. I can confirm that everything back then was indeed various shades of brown.
The RAAF F111 was a joy to behold. From going over Mach 1 and destroying many greenhouses in Werribee, to creating Melbourne`s greatest civilian panic when she was part of Beating the Retreat at the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance in the early 90s, when she did the dump and burn over the city and Pt Phillip Bay at Sunset.
The switchboards of the Police, Fire and Ambulance all went off tap as she climbed over the Bay doing the dump and burn.
It was magnificent to see.
It broke my heart when they were mostly scrapped and buried in a dump in Queensland, because of some now obsolete Nuclear Treaty.
There are still a handful of RAAF F111 in Air Museums in Australia, but she will never fly again, well not as long as I am alive.
The F111 was so advanced at the time, just having them was deterrent enough.
I am told by former Pilots that there was nothing like going Mach 2 in the dark at 200Ft AGL over mountains.
I was on deployment to Hickam AFB, Hawaii in 1996 with my USAF F-16 unit as a participant in the RIMPAC 96' Exercise. The RAAF had their F-111's there, as well as the Canadians with their CF-18's. Also F-15's that were stationed at Hickam also participated in the exercise. What a fun time!
I saw them flying along the Brisbane river for the Riverfest as a kid. Loved it!
The RAAF F-111 kept Australia safe and SE Asia calm for many decades. I have fond memories of it. No one could stop it. Thank you to America for letting us have it. Its power meant Australia could stop a genocide (East Timor). Looks like we'll need Nuclear Subs and B21 to keep up the good work for another 35 years.
Couldn't do M2 at low level. M1.1 possibly if clean.
When I was 21 I was an intern at Texas Instruments in Dallas where the APQ -110 TFR was manufactured. Cool stuff at the time!
Nothin' bettern' tandem seated co-pilots, two, complete pilots, independently-capable and interdependently-operating always dividing the enormous tasking for any flying DELIVERS peerless potential for success and survival just from that innocuous feature of our F-111 ALONE. These weapons systems are warwinners, humanity's defiant alternative to fighting wars in trenches, eye-to-eye, one-by-one for years. This is a strategic warwinner bomber, nothing more and nothing less.
Which war(s) did it win?
@@yam83 WW2. I meant the strategic nuclear war scenario of the times; bomber with nukes gets through air defenses; it's a title I'd give to the B-29. Pack these babes with cruise nukes and the wars over inna day. We win.
Aw man. Makes me want to get my f111 out of the shed and take it for a spin.
@@zwickflixproductions4379 Knew some of you at RAF Lakenheath in the '80's
Not a spin!! Do pilots use the phrase, ‘take it for a spin’, when referring to a plane?
Sometimes idk what's worse..... W.S.O or a Fuken R.I.O.
Can I go with you?
Tom Clancy gave these aircraft their due in Red Storm Rising (1986). I highly recommend the book.
I remember when that book came out. When I started reading it I became so engrossed that I read in virtually one sitting.
I'll try to find it, thanks. The F-111 and Tom Clancy are favorites.
Great video. The RF4C had a very similar capability with the TI APQ-99. IMHO, one of the greatest technology advances in TFR came when active electronically scanned arrays (AESA) eliminated the need for mechanically scanned antennas (or in some cases the second radar antenna under the hood...so to speak). Over time, the older, mechanically scanned antennas took a beating under high g loading and their overall reliability rate suffered. Today, we can expect the radar's array antenna to survive for the useful life of the airframe. Kudos to radar designers.
AESA radars just in general are truly a game changer!
A friend of mine designed the TFR. He was a genius.
What happen to the question? N how many can we ask before ramps picks us up for 17 months at a monthly time free food drugs and sitting ashore? Hey what happens to the stability of an anchor?.
This is definitely in my top 40 of F-111 Aardvark Terrain Following Radar Films.
Father to the B1-B GRR system. Ground recognizing radar. I love this stuff.
I don't know how effective the F-111 was for the roles it was intended for but it is certainly a beautiful plane!
It was very effective
NVA feared this jet!
The F15EX has comparable unrefuelled range and payload. A worthy successor.
I love the view at 22:12 where the F-111 is taxis with Sunrise Mountain in the background. I was stationed at Nellis from 83-85. There was a sh** load of iron sitting on the ramp in those days!
Agreed. Did my time at Nellis 86-89, 474th/430th. I will never forget Sunrise Mtn. Day or night, hot or cold maintenance on aircraft.
I flew into Nellis during that time for a huge a/c weapons display for the NATO Chiefs. What a goat rope.
The "ride select" was a major issue at one time. My uncle was an engineer at McCellan AFB and it was one of the problems he worked on.
Eventually all autopilot modules designs accepted "soft ride" mode as a default, while "hard ride" capability was left for AP disengage, PF. Modern airliner would not exceed 5 deg flight controls deflection unless PF overpowers it. p.s. "medium ride" was a fictional concept even for military aircraft
These aircraft had flew bombing missions during the first gulf war , they did good .
They did it in Vietnam.
I remember the upside down video of the F111s bombing Libya. One of the first modern day “video game” bombings.
they scored most of tanks kills there
@@hphp31416 isn't what ground attack fighters are designed to do , regardless of the aircraft type ?
My Grandpa used to tell me how he used to drink at this pub, and there was this dirty big mountain/ hill close to it. He said the F-111s used to blitz in past them, let their autopilot fly over the mountain almost vertical, then it would level itself out once it was over the mountain and keep going. Some real cool shit.
Of all the 'sound and light' shows I winessed in Vietnam, and that included B52 carpet bombing, Spooky missions, daisy cutters (MOABs, of the day) 155mm H and Is, CBUs etc. the F111 night missions using TFR and photography at tree-top level were the most impressive.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate.
Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others.
The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed.
It wasn't retired until 1998.
Field Artillery still uses the old Shake and bake method of prosecuting area targets with POL and munitions stores.
Fire 155mm HE combo of with PD and VT fusing. Or ICM rounds. That pokes holes and makes everything leak. Then bake with WP VT fuse at 50 or 100 meters burst height. The WP sets everything a light, and fills area with dense acrid smoke. Field Artillery Shake N Bake.
Seen a lot of F111 with one or both engines removed back in the 70's. After they got all the engine problems worked out this aircraft was outstanding.
you have to be a genius to fly this aircraft!
No you don't
No you don't but there's a reason why you have to be smart and most likely a degree.
I flew from Stanstead to Alicante on a One Eleven in the 1980's, don't remember if looking like this thou.
1975 shooting pigs near Harvey's Ranges Western NSW Australia
Two F111s came outta nowhere from behind us and flew over the Ranges very close to the ground.
So fast that we didn't know what happened until it was all over and done with...MAD !
Who cares! The only thing it proves is flat earth!
Awesome plane... legend.. thanks from NZ 👍🇳🇿
Six FB - 111s we're TDY to Vietnam in 1968 on a strategic night bombing mission. Three of them crashed without a mayday or recovery. Sudden appearing karst upcroppings on the RADAR are not the same as southwestern US buttes. The three remaining acft were withdrawn. Subsequently, it was stated that they were subject to horizontal elevator failure.
Shouldn't have been there in the first place.
My uncle (in the air force) was voluntold to help pick up the debris after an F-111 crashed in New Mexico doing about Mach-1 right off the deck. He found some grey stuff in the area where the armored crew tub was. He was told that was brains. Always thought that was a really impressive but sad story. That is one big hotrod airplane.
They had the F-111 squadron grounded at Cannon AFB in Clovis, NM when they were investigating the elevator pin problem during the Vietnam war, my dad who worked in Base Ops there at the time, would take the 'vark pilots up in a prop plane and introduce them to acrobatics and get them some flight hours while they were sitting around. I wished he told me more about being a TAC fighter pilot when SAC was king.
Wow i always love F-111
The F-111 was one of if not the 1st USAF Fighter/Bombers to have an all solid state (transistors) Radar/Bombs system.....The TA mode "worked" because the settings would stay fixed (unlike the F-105) allowing the floor or feet below the aircraft to stay "put"......The F-105's moved up and down due to rough air......
20:30 On B-52s I think this was called "Memory Point". The point at which the radar lost the ability to track the Doppler velocity because the surface was too smooth. The computer would use the last known velocity as a constant, until it started receiving valid signals again. Also if I remember correctly (from news reports at the time) that at least one of these terrain following aircraft flew into the ocean because the water would sometimes be so glassy smooth that they couldn't get a good reflection off of it.....and would just fly right into the water.
Prolly commented this b4,:but, it’s nickname is the Aardvark, the VC and Charlie called her, “ silent death” , swooping down the mountain pass with no sound at all, such an awesome Aircraft, I was a Crew Chief on the F-4 Phantom, she was built when I was 2 years old, 66-6333. I’m old now, drinking Vodka whilst I watch. I’m not drunk, I’m just drinking!!!
I recall reading about a motorcycle called the Vincent Black Shadow that could 'out-accelerate an F-111 until take-off."
Motorcycles can't fly.
@@robertstack2144 pigs can
Did Raoul tell you?
my father in law, Harvey, was in charge of this project...:)
3:14 that's a lot lower than 750 feet. I remember going on a ride along on my B-52 and they flew a 350 foot clearance plain. Some pilots flew lower, but that was against regs. In a B-52 that was a real workout too. The flight control system on those things is very crude. The red flag on the radar altimeter was continuously going in and out of view. As far as their terrain avoidance radar display? .....it looked like squiggly lines to me. Couldn't make heads or tails out of it. I guess they could.
The FB-111A, my first love in the USAF - Pease AFB 1988-1990 - ECS -Electrician (E/E). Even back then I recall hearing of mishaps/fatalities because pilots didn't fully trust the TFR and tried to pull the stick but their reaction reflex couldn't match the TFR speed/accuracy. Either way, would hate to be on the receiving end of this monster!
Lived at Toonumbar Dam near Kyogle in the 1970s. Got a fright from these many times. They obviously used the dam as a waypoint on the way done to the bombing range south of Evans Head after departing Amberley. Never saw them come back that way though. If was quite frightening to get surprised by them coming down the valley at a sedate speed and lofty elevation of a thousand feet of so. Clearly in attack mode when they would be faster and lower the target would be dead without even knowing it was there. And if they missed I suspect you would die of fright anyway.
Interesting. The F-15E's TFR seems to have inherited quite a bit from the F-111's which is logical of course.
This could work with today's tech but with 1950s and 1960s tech, this is madness.
Saw many of these Aardvarks on static display when my son was in service. Not so cool was the loss of a few in TF because the loss of a pin to the elevator. Instantly no plane, no pilot, consciousness removed from mortal plane. So quickly the pilot would think he was still AC till things don't behave normally but operate much too smoothly.
My friend and classmate in college at the University of Texas at Austin, 1Lt Albert Torn, was killed in the crash of F-111D 68-0164 in 1984. It was a night training mission at low level. I was told the TFR was cited as the cause, but I've never seen the report to confirm.
I used to work at the EW ranges attached to Nellis. Dollars to doughnuts it was the cause of the crash.
In training wild weasels we would lose them due to crashes into the side of mountains.
Worked all F-111 models as Avionics at depot McClellan AFB ca for many years. Anyone else there?
Technology at it's best
In Vietnam one or two flew into mountains. Then there was some problems with the swing wing box. They developed cracks. The plane was grounded for a while. Teething problems. In the 90s I meet a friend who had worked on the box problem. And said they had to use a much stronger alloy then first though.
The EF-111 electronic jamming attack aircraft was the best. They retired the F-111 variants without a replacement, now that is stupid.
The beginning of Adaptive Cruise Control on modern cars.
Adaptive cruise control is only 50 years behind. 😄. Come on! We should have auto drive by now.
which can not see stationary object :D
@@tomast9034 Yes it can…and at the appropriate time executes a 3-g pull-up to avoid them…if “hard ride” is selected. 😆
50 years later.. we have MCAS.
I LOVE THE VARK!!!!!!
Nice plane, verry acurate radar system in the 70s.
In the 1980's the F-14 swept wing design was revolutionary. 40 years later no one has yet to ask why someone named Goose forgot too duck duck.
F111, Mig23 and Mig27 have swing wings and are older than the F-14
TFR by now might be termed TFS,,for software,a dash display in CGI hi def colors, w color select,, and a wire fed plugin for the helmet 360 heads up lens ,,,used on the bone, F 35 & others, it must be a rough ride when mach plus is on the throttle at a hundred feet
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate.
Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others.
The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed.
It wasn't retired until 1998.
Does anyone remember the codename 'fingerprint' being used in relation to the terrain following radar system on the F-111?
Still the best
The Beacon Bombing feature was also pretty spiffy.
Australia has F-111s buried in a hole in the outback somewhere..
Willawong, west of Brisbane. A waste dump area.
TFR made Air Force man to ground troops.
That’s AARDVARK.
But can it detect and avoid power-lines and masts?
Edit: Nevermind I thought it guided the aircraft 30 feet above ground.
Is this the kind of film new trainees view when becoming certified on an F-111 Aardvark ? Or is this more for Air Force or Pentagon management ?
It's kind of crazy to think this was only about 30 years after WW2 ended.
More like 10 years after WW2.
Why all Periscope Films got the numbers and time at the bottom?
What does the TF computer do after the nukes release from the weapons bay? Illuminate the panel light that says, “Get TF Outta Here!” ?
That would be a lot of radar emissions to be used for targeting by a hostile nowadays I imagine. I think that the Vulcans had something similar.
My Dad worked on avionics for both the Vulcan and TSR2. Based on what he has told me the TSR2 had TFR but the Vulcan didn't, although it may well have been retrofitted later.
@@davidboreham I think that it probably was retrofitted. I have read accounts from crews about using it in the highlands of Scotland for bombing runs.
The radar emissions mostly aren't a problem because the purpose is to fly below the enemy's line-of-sight.
More modern systems have LPI modes too. (Low Probability of Intercept).
The Tornado had the same radar as the F-111. The only difference was the control panel didn’t have 2 channels.
Control, radars stop working when I switch to the OFF position. Whats wrong with this plane ? Hard ride hurts, and soft ride flies me too high on the back end. I am going to pull this handle that says EGRESS.
One of these crashed just outside my village in the uk !
F111 knew where the terrain, Boeing 373 max day dream of it
Didn't the 111 have pave tac and pave low?
The Automatic Terrain Following in the B-1B works in the same way..
Still one of the best fighter/bombers ever.
Long live The Pigs.
A few Australian F-111's are now forever part of the Terrain .They got buried 10meters deep in a rubbish dump .
Awesome 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Flew E model at Upper Heyford, UK
When I flew these we always operated visor down in event of bird strike
Nice
And none of this would have been possible without the the first train following missile the snark
i was in Nam when they took them out of service. Think it was 67 - 68.
I’m looking for a story about why the F-111 was crashing in Vietnam. Please point me in right direction.
Not bad for an aircraft many considered a lemon. Sure, it wasn’t right for the U.S. Navy but it was just the ticket for the Air Force and gave them new capabilities that served them well. It was a sad day when the last American F-111 was retired from active service but it was great to see our Australian brothers keep the Aardvark in service a bit longer. I’ve always heard it said that at low altitude nothing could outrun an F-111. Not all that bad for a “lemon”.
I believe you meant to say "Australian" brothers. ; )
You are correct sir, it was sad when the USAF retired the F-111.
@@josephstevens9888 I did indeed, thanks for alerting me so I can correct my spelling. Cheers.
@@johannmckraken9399 Glad to help. Take care sir!
I wonder how practical it would be to emit radar energy approaching a peer level enemy. Sure these jets would fly below the enemy radar but emitting radar is like shining a flashlight is it not? Wouldn’t the enemy detect the incoming radar? Now we have GPS. GPS with accurate survey of terrain would allow you to do this blind, without shining a flashlight.
if you fly below enemy line of sight they can't detect those signals, but likely there will be some awacs and fighters above so flying low doesn't provide any advantage
Hồichiến tranh VN ,khi Mỹdưa F-111 dánh bom ngoài Bắc thì bị rớt dôi ba chiếc vì dụng núi dá vôi ,Khi nghiên cứu thì
ngoài Bắc Vn có nhiều núi dá vôi nên radar không phản xạ
mấy con bò đỏ thì nghe chuyện gì cũng tin nhỉ :))
Imagine the feelings of those dudes who coded and programmed the radar after seeing NodeJS and digital T/S modules...
What's the tail symbol, ND?
I believe that was for Nellis AFB, where they went after the Thai government booted (demanded we leave?) our military out of their country after the Mayaguez incident, considered to be the last battle of the Vietnam War. There are videos on RUclips about it.
At Khorat the tail marking was HG. Several of the 347th TFW Aardvarks had a small “O” between the H and the G.
We had cruise missiles using this technology a long, long time ago.
Before GPS.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate.
Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others.
The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed.
It wasn't retired until 1998.
@@unitedwestand5100 What is TRN? The F-111 system was called TFR. The cruise missile system that came along later was called TERCOM, and it was not the same as TFR. The primary purpose of TFR was to maintain a set height above the terrain. The primary purpose of TERCOM was to compensate for INS drift and update the present position of the cruise missile so that it could adhere to its preset course and accurately strike its target.
ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF TRN WAS IN CRUISE MISSILE GUIDANCE SYSTEMS IN THE LATE 70's. The algorithm, called TERCOM (terrain contour matching), matched a series of altitude measurements against a map to correct a missile's position estimate.
Since the advent of GPS, TRN has seen little use in aerial and surface vehicles. However, as underwater vehicles have become more capable and prevalent, TRN has become the subject of a good deal of research. Noteable underwater TRN work has been done at WHOI, CMU, Stone Aerospace, KTH Stockholm, the University of Sydney, and many others.
The F111 was in use far longer than 1968 when it was developed.
It wasn't retired until 1998.
@@gort8203 ,. Can you read?
TRN came first. It was then adapted to aircraft.
The difference between the two was the missile didnt have a pilot, therefore an adjustment for G forces during altitude correction was unnecessary. Nor was an adjustment necessary for elevation above the terrain. It was all preset when the map was programmed in the missile. When the missile came within visual range of the target the system program switched from guidance to target recognition, and went straight to it.
The biggest draw back was accuracy of the terrain map programmed in the guidance syatem, as it had no pilot.
It could see the terrain and stick to a proper elevation to avoid the hills, but if the map was wrong, the missile couldnt stay on course. It would just fly until it saw a similar target, or until it ran out of fuel.
The first Tomahawks used TRN, as well as other systems before the Lance.
My father worked for the defense department as a civilian electronic/computer engineer on these projects for more than 50 years.
I kinda know what I'm talking about.
The F-111 wasn't designed with TRF, it was only added later. Mostly for use in desert environments where there were few reference points like roads, and towns, making it difficult for pilots to navigate. And, where flying under radar through terrain where visibility was increased.
It eased pilot fatigue for long flights. Like when the Israelis flew to bomb the reactor in Iraq. (They may have had GPS by then though)
It's still used for submarine navigation, I think.
@@unitedwestand5100
So you start your response with "Can I read"? Can I read WHAT? You are a jerk right out of the box. Obviously I read your comments, including those about submarines and pilot fatigue, which have no relation to the F-111 TFR. The question now is can you write. You still haven't answered my question as to what TRN is, and now you have introduced TRF without an explanation.
TFR and TERCOM are completely different systems developed in different decades for different purposes. The F-111 did not navigate via TFR, it merely avoided terrain. The purpose of TERCOM was to allow a cruise missile to follow a preset course more accurately than possible with INS alone. I don't care who your daddy worked for, you do not know what you are talking about, and should do some research if you want to understand these systems.
Dad helped develop that system among other things.
F-111 has ashtrays so the crew can pass the joint back and forth and hope the TFR works.
Only when ride-mode was set on "soft"
I heard the F-111 was a fuel pig at speed. Must of burned a butt load of fuel down low?
The F-111 all terrain radar can also alert the enemy of an approaching aircraft even if the enemy radar screen shows nothing.
being below line of sight works for all signals
7:31 …after sundown, this is what the human has to work with. Here’s your chart…
How are you stealth when you are blasting a radar?
By staying below their line of sight.
That's why you do it while flying really low.
What’s your vector, victor?
Here we see the 26th and 32nd former U.S Presidents, Theodore and Franklin Roosevelt taking the F-111 for a quick spin around the red planet.
I was waiting for Adam 12 to show up in a bad ass black and white !!
when a missile comes from surface?
750 is high altitude for an F111, 200 was more like it
Was that the "Ivan Thanks You" maneuver?
Thats when an aircraft pops up over a ridgeline and is not high and visible to ground based air defense.
@@dkoz8321 oh I know what it is lol. The whole idea that you have to roll the F111 over the top of a hill to remain undetected. I heard it was super dangerous, that pilots have rolled straight into the ground trying to pull out. I know the ground guided radar Auto Pilot in the first couple of years flew the plane intobthe ground ... That's what I heard from a couple pilots on here
@@thetreblerebel F-111 is large heavy aircraft with large heavy engines. It was dangerous to roll with wings swept back, or to quickly snap roll to bank , with wings swept back. How much, depended on aircraft speed and GW. But the danger was it would not stop rolling, and crews were lost impacting the ground inverted. The most infamous story of the pilot who was called by his squadron mates, "K-K-K-K-K-K-eeee.NN", because he had a slight stutter. He rolled his ship and it would not stop rolling. F-111 had other idiosyncrasies, that USAF limited pilot candidates , to transition to F-111, to experienced pilots with at minimum of 200 hours in fast tactical jet. That was after some low hour 2Lt.s and 1Lt.s killed themselves and their BN in F-111.
Other problem with F-111 is that its avionic suite was kind of unreliable, and whole aircraft was hangar queen. F-111A was OK, F-111D (really a B) was a disaster, FB-111A(special strategic version) was OK, and F-111F was GREAT and was what F-111 should have been. I think it was the F-111F that paid Quadafi a visit in 1986.
@@thetreblerebel We never rolled inverted on TFR to cross mountains . We went around the peaks. I have 1,000 hours in the F-111D. I know of one accident where they lost roll control. They ejected safely. One F-111F got slow rolling inverted and didn't have sufficient G available to pull out and hit a ridgeline at Red Flag in the late 80s. They ejected late and did not survive.
Say what you will, if an Aardvark is hunting you, you better phone Mom