F -111 The Unremembered Fighter Bomber
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- čas přidán 5. 12. 2021
- Let’s take a look at the unremembered fighter bomber the F-111
A product of the Cold War and 1960s consolidation, the F111 program suffered from an ever-growing list of requirements and was limited to the technology of its time. Despite this, the F111 may just surprise you with its accomplishments, strong legacy and how it may just outlive us all.
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Photography and Video Credits/Attributions:
"The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement."
Department of Defense
NASA
Photography Credits:
RAAF F-111 performing dump and burn: Jeff Gilbert (GFDL 1.2 www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licen... or GFDL 1.2 www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licen..., via Wikimedia Commons
Tu-22 Backfire:
Dmitry Terekhov from Odintsovo, Russian Federation, CC BY-SA 2.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/... via Wikimedia Commons
Tu-160 Blackjack:
Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0 creativecommons.org/licenses/..., via Wikimedia Commons
Voyager Golden Record photos:
NASA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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BRING BACK THE F111
Just call it a bomber, it was never gonna be able to serve as a fighter.
Definitely not forgotten in Australia. The "Pig" was able to hold pretty much anywhere in Southeast Asia (and beyond with tanking) under threat and, as such, was a pretty effective deterrent for four decades.
Glad to hear that and thanks for commenting! Greetings from Texas.
I was going to say the same.
There's an old story that during the East Timor crisis with Indonesia, when many of his colleagues were in a cabinet meeting angrily trying to find ways to punish Australia, the Indonesian Minister of Defence at the time calmly remarked that we had a plane that could drop a bomb accurately onto the table in the middle of the room and they had no effective way at stopping it.
@@TheCol111 Indeed, I mentioned that quote during the video, thanks for commenting!
totally and with very fond memories of them it the OLA's or buzzing Tindal air base in the war games. a simply stunning jet
We Aussies LOVE this plane, a lot of us were pretty sad when they retired it, they'll be missed.
Loved it when they use to come to NZ for the airshows!
definitely , cause look at what Australia has now, F35 stealth aircraft, and the F 18. But are they really as capable as they are really trying to combine roles of strike with intercepter aircraft. Basically multi role/ jack of all trades .
True but our Hornets [FA-18] and lightning II's [F-35] are way more capable jets and deter our _unfriendly_ neighbours more than the Pigs [F-111] ever did.
I still sometimes watch that Aussie 'Vark "window breaker" boomer low pass footage here on YT...Evans Ridge I think it was maybe? Siiiiick! 😁😳💨
Our neighbors did not like us having the F111 either since it had a large operating range.
For some of us, this plane was a life changer. My old man was a RAAF test pilot & we moved to the US for 5 years while he flew the F-111C around Texas, then became the Project Manager in Washington DC for its procurement. We kids all finished school in the States & came back with our driver's licenses, plus many models of the F-111.
That sounds like an awesome experience! Thanks for sharing and just curious: do you still have some of those F-111 models?
@@PilotPhotog Absolutely. General Dynamics were generous with us, giving us quite a few models & prints on the various types of F-111. In fact, when dad got out of the Air Force, he became the GD representative here in Australia - trying to sell the F-16 against the F-18. The twin engine won out due to our maritime requirements. Both are top aircraft.
You refer to your veteran dad as your 'old man'? Show some respect.
@@kennethcurtis1856 You really shouldn't comment on stuff you know nothing about Kenneth. Firstly, the term 'old man' is not disrespectful in the British Commonwealth. Winston Churchill was referred to as "The Old Man' by his subordinates. But on the other hand, my old man was an angry tyrant who bullied the whole family & gave my mother hell for decades. I would go to grade school with black eyes from my old man. I paid my respects at his funeral.
Ha and *my* old man worked on the 'Varks TFR's at Upper Heyford RAF/USAF in the early 70's. The original "A" model...in glorious jungle camo...in the lovely soggy English countryside for four years. 🌧️
I got to sit in the left seat and make wooshing noises lol (I was 6) 💨🤭
From Okinawa to Vegas to England then back stateside- talk about triple culture shock! I still have PTCD lol (post traumatic culture disorder) 😂🤯😵🇯🇵🇺🇲🇬🇧
I can remember reading a newspaper in 1973 and the front-page story was about Australia purchasing the F111 at the exorbitant cost of $3 million each including spares. How much value did Australia get for its money? We got four decades of stirling service. We shall see how the F35 is remembered in the years to come.
It always courted controversy but it ended up being a successful program, unlike many Defence programs since.
Brian, that is apples and oranges. The F35 replaces the F18 which replaced the Mirage. The F18 Super Hornet replaced the F111, which I believe we still operated well after the USA had retired theirs. The F111 was a big sword that Australia had at its disposal, only the very young in Oz have not heard of it.
@@davidkelly3779 G'day David, the F35 is the most expensive fighter in history. It may be the best purchase that we have ever made. Just as many people in 1971 could not understand how a plane could cost $3mil, many people find it hard to understand how one plane can cost $78MIL and cost $38K per hour to fly. Only time will prove its value one way or the other. I was not suggesting that the F35 was a replacement for the F111. I was referring to the high cost of each in their own time.
Australian media is cancer. They have all sold out to china.
@@davidkelly3779 Correct, the last RAAF F-111s were retired in 2010, the USA retired theirs in 1996 and finally with the EF-111A "Spark Vark" in 1998. The Hornets we bought from Oz are all now in service 25 total, with 18 in flying condition. The F-111 was Australias long stick. The F/G SuperHornets/Growlers require aerial refueling to equal range targets of the F-111C and have no where near the paload capacity. The Aussie Pigs had 3 feet longer wings for a total unswept wingspan of 70 feet, same as the USA FB-111A strategic nuclear bomber which helped with payload and range. 15 of these FB's were converted to F-111G variants for the USAF but were and bought and used by Australia. These were used until retirement in 2007, used mostly for conversion training into the "Pig".
For Australia, the F-111 was initially a controversial purchase decision but once established it became an important part of our Defence capability. The range of the F-111 with tankage was and still is astounding. It is quite shocking to see a detailed report on just how much effort we would have to go through in order to replicate a similar mission profile today. The number of attack aircraft, tanker aircraft and tanker defence fighters and Airborne Command aircraft, tanker and defence fighters just to replace a handful of F-111 aircraft on a mission.
Mark from Melbourne Australia
I trained them in the USA for 5 years from 1985-1990. Not many platforms can fly Mach 1 at 100' sneaking into a country to deliver palyloads
The F111 was the last time Australia purchased military equipment that was fit for purpose and not on the behalf of corrupt sourcing practices and government pandering to foreign lobbyists
@@cassysmith6149 The bombing of Libya comes to mind immediately!
Yes! She was a very good Pig for sure!
I remember seeing in the RAAF base Amberley TFS building the comparison of cost and mission critical planning template between the f-111 & f/a-18-F. To achieve the same mission of 4x f-111's, they'd need 8x super hornets, 3x kc130's and one wedge tail. Far more expensive and a lot more people in order to operate the same mission, assuming we already had air superiority, where as the pigs did not need air superiority.
I was working at Sea World on the Gold Coast, when the F-111 did their "farewell" flight. On top of one of the slide towers with a great view, three F-111's came north right above the beach, at about 50m off the ground. Fabulous to see up close!
When our USAF 3 ship demo flight arrived at our local Upper Heyford RAF base airshow (1973), the Varks flew by in right echelon formation with each at a different sweep angle. Impressive? Meh...was hard to upstage the *three* huge Vulcans...not to mention the nine ship strong Red Arrows!
🇺🇲🇬🇧💪
Unless you are Australian, in which case the F-111 is much remembered. One of the most significant aircraft the RAAF has ever operated.
Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore know all about Australian F-111's. They spent a lot of time in SEA.
Hey now... don't forget us Yanks! My dad worked out the TFR bugs for you mates. 😁 Jungle camo'd A models at UH RAF...we frequently had a pair on QRA hung with "special" deliveries for Moscow...in hindsight, it's a shame we didn't incinerate them I guess.
It's a pity it's overshadowed by the A10, despite having destroyed more tanks than the A10 in Desert Storm.
Link? Seems unlikely, but if true, I'll be interested in reading about it!
@@warbuzzard7167 the official kill kally of tanks by aircraft in deser storm is 1350 irrc, and for realibility reasons the a10's kills weren't counted, but substracting kills by platforms that Were counted like the combat missions by the f15 and f16, it turned out the a10 didn't kill that many tanks in DS, while the F111 and Harrier did plenty.
@@warbuzzard7167 at the time, destroyed tanks were attributed to A-10
Say if the F-111 destroyed a tank, the A-10 would be the one to be credited for a kill. And analysts at the time that does this practice thought the A-10 has 2 seats
Suggest checking out Military Aviation History video on the A-10
He asked for a link? Citation.... Not more info-fluff without source. I also would like to read into it., so it would be appreciated.
@@ExiliaN42 its youtube, any links you attempt to send will be deleted
Also, Military Aviation History unlike a number of clickbait youtubers (looking at you Infographics) always puts sources in the description, pinned it to the comment section or show it on the video
During the Gulf War the F-111 was said to have taken out more enemy Armor Targets than the A-10 Warthog.
There is a difference in bombing parked vehicles and supporting ground troops.
It's not said it's a fact!
@@calvingreene90 nothing like A-10 groupies. The A-10 is ridiculous, a majority of the time the 10-A used guided missles and bombs..the A-10's general characteristics had little if any to do with overall success..if you really are interested do research, it's a fact the A-10 is a complete waist of money. All that said the A-10 is my most favorite aircraft.
@@corey8420 Spot on. The A-10 at that time was seriously lacking in optics and targeting systems whereas the F-111 had Pave Tack and could not only find vehicles hiding out in the desert, but could also distinguish far better between working and destroyed or abandoned ones which the A-10 couldn't. A large proportion of the Hog's "kills" turned out to have already been taken out by other planes, whereas Aardvarks were finding and killing tanks with abandon and probably would have done even better if they'd been set up to carry more than 4 bombs at a time.
I bet it didn't kill as many civilians and friendly troops as the A10, checkmate
The Aardvark is certainly remembered by me. As I child when the aircraft was first deployed I rushed out to buy a Tester model of the warplane and I followed its career. The F-111 remains the unsung hero of Desert Storm and I was very proud that our brothers down-under bought them up. 🇺🇸
The F-111 most certainly isn't unremembered here in Australia where it wasn't in the Phantom's shadow so much. For truly overlooked strike aircraft you should do a video on the F-105 Thunderchief which was what the F-111 was replacing.
Thanks for the perspective from Australia, I am glad to hear that the F-111 is better remembered there. An F105 video is an excellent suggestion!
@@PilotPhotog If you wanna go for a nicely rounded-out cold war strike fighter playlist follow that up with the Blackburn Buccaneer. That was a legendarily good aircraft in the low-level strike role.
@@mortified776 indeed and excellent suggestion thank you!
Love the Thud. While relatively short lived service in the USAF, it literally went out fighting. The only plane retired due to combat losses.
@@jonlong2663
A lot of them certainly "went out" fighting.
The coolest "dump & burn" was the closing ceremonies of the 2000 Sydney Olympics. The flame went out and then a RAAF-111 did a dump and burn to "fly the flame back to Greece" !
I would love to see a video of that. It sounds great.
I was an Olympic Volunteer outside the stadium when it went over...got to love the "Pig"
@@amsuther , That's a memory you'll keep for life.
Good for you!
I was there for the last Riverfire dump and burn. My old man was ex RAAF pilot so he got a bit of a good heads up on where me and my mates should stand. We were right under them as they did the last run (one went towards the North over that river bend and the other to the West towards Milton were we stood on the river. My eyes are still stinging and my ears still ringing. Bloody awesome and I'll never forget it!
The F-111 will always be remembered by me I still recall an RAAF aardvark doing a dump and burn at an air show. The Aardvark also reminded me of the Panavia Tornado but American.
Re: The pig, when I was in the R.A.A.F. I remember a story of them being tested in outback Queensland & the aircraft would hop up unexpectedly so they noted where it happened as it was more than once. The ground crews went out to the area & noted it was jumping the dingo fence, that's how sensitive the ground radar was.
fascinating
There is also stories of the first ground following radar would also follow the bottom of the ocean, causing the planes to crash into the sea when traversing from land to sea.
I recall reading that the power of the terrain following radar was basically a huge beacon announcing to the enemy that it was coming while it was still a long way off.
@@jimkemerly6636 Really in the end, when the aircraft is against any enemy with ground to air radar, the pig could sit below the clean radar level, and by the time it went past, it was too fast & low for radar to get an accurate lock on.
You're welcome. 😁🇺🇲 My dad helped work out the kinks in the TFR avionics for you mates. We were stationed at UH RAF/USAF. The original A model, in glorious jungle camo. 😎💨
↗️🌍🇺🇲🇬🇧🇦🇺💪
The F-111 brings back fond memories. I grew up in Australia and as a young boy I was fascinated by these air crafts. My Grandparents lived in Ipswich Queensland near the Amberley Air Force base. I was lucky enough to witness the F-111 in flight on many occasion, as well as the odd sonic booms. I've had so many fantastic experiences with the F-111 over the years, from witnessing low level after burn passes over the Brisbane river at night, to seeing a trio of F-111's pass overhead at low level as I was fishing on the beach at Frazer Island.
Now 23 of them are back in Ipswich, buried at a local landfill site.
Houston Texas here. No special abilities ... just interesting.
I am so glad they retired these noisy fu3ckers, living in Ipswich and can tell you they were too loud and the endless mock bombing runs ie going up to high attitude they cut the engines and about 4 minutes later you hear them restart, my guess they cut engines to reduce heat signatures.
Aircraft : singular and plural. Crafts : knitting and such
Thank you for your F111 video it almost bought a tear to my eye.
The aardvark or the pig as it was known in Australian service was an outstanding aircraft IMO.
I had the honor of working on during my and its working career and fond memories of it at airshows and Amberley RAAF base.
Australian Defence lost a lot of capability with the F111's retirement, it reminds me of a song "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" as the F35 wont?
Thank you for your service and coming from someone who worked on the aircraft such as yourself, am honored that you enjoyed my tribute to the F-111. That speed and range is sorely missed today.
Not really. The F-111 was purchased in response to a perceived threat from Indonesia which has since abated. China is considered our biggest threat and the F-111 would be considered outdated against China. The F35 is considered the future and there is a lot about the F35 that we don't know about as a lot will be considered classified.
Now I'm not against the F-111 and I think it is a shame that one still isn't in service to be used at airshows but then again that is what CZcams is for.
@@tomnewham1269 the f-111 and f-35 aren't doing the same job. the f-111 was primarily a strike/bomber aircraft and the f-35 is a strike fighter. Comparing the f-111 to the f-18/f. And yes, the f-111 outperforms the hornets at it's job, by a long shot.
C'mon, the F-111 would have to be one of the most recognisable and iconic aircrafts ever!
I was Rock climbing at Mt Arapilies (Australia) in the early 90's and One flew below us, great sight. It was well gone before I could get my camera out. No Smart phones back then!
As a technical writer I worked on the F111 project. I've always wondered "what happened to it?" "Why don't we hear more about it today?" Well, I now know more about its career after I moved on to other wartime projects, for which I thank you!
The F111 had an impressive career despite many drawbacks especially its use in desert storm
it could have been updated heavily an still be worth while today
@@VectorGhost updated heavily, but not worth more that the F-15E that replaced it. They were great for their time, but getting expensive at the end of their service life. a strike eagle can do everything that an Ardvaark could better and more for lower cost per flight hour and with higher availability rates. Don't get me wrong I love the look and the lines on the F111, but swing wings are really a relic of the past that kills jets in costs.
@@hunterjones225 Towards the end of its service life maintenance costs became prohibitory. In TAC, which only had two wings of 111s, the 111 maintenance costs gobbled up much of the maintenance budget. The systems were 1960’s tech. Its time came and went. It did have one maneuver kill during the gulf war.
@@hunterjones225 In saying that though, there's a big factor that the F-15E can't beat..... range.
Much of the "F117" strike footage on the news was actually F-111F pavetac footage. I saw the tapes from the jets.
Brings back great memories. I was a crewchief working on the F-111D back in the early 80s. One of the images used in the video was one of the planes that I worked on 098, out of Cannon AFB. Great memories!
F1-11s used to fly Coast Watch duties here in Australia.
They were awesome to watch from the beaches of south east Queensland where I live.
It's crazy sight, standing in the surf fishing and having on of these beasts flash past overhead at a few 100 feet!
Oh, and a quiet tip for the narrator,
RAAF is said 'R-double A-F' in Australia.
Thanks for sharing and the clarification on the RAAF pronunciation, I’ll be sure to say it that way when I do another video that showcases an RAAF aircraft.
thats what the media calls it. Everyone who works in the RAAF calls it 'raff'.
Way easier. "raff base richmond' etc.
No one in their right mind says ARRRR DOUBLE A EFFFF BASE RICHMOND
I remember seeing a RAAF F-111C flying low overhead, when I was walking down my street, as a kid on the day of Melbourne F1 Grand Prix in 97. It was very impressive.
My fondest memory of a RAAF F111 is one doing a dump and burn over the runway at Williamtown airbase whilst doing a display for an air show there in 96 for the 75th anniversary of the RAAF, amazing sight and sound.
I was swooped by a G along Fraser Island's east beach. It was probably 20m or so above sea level, and only fifty off shore. Came in low and slow, keeping itself below dune level for the full run down the coast. The only thing of interest around there is the bombing range at Camp Kerr. Three guesses why it was keeping off the radar...
@@dylanwight5764 I'm turning green with envy here. What a sight that would have been.
Mark from Melbourne
I saw one fly low overhead when I was walking through the Maroochydore Primary school soccer grounds. Scared the hell out of me. They also used to fly knife edge around Point Cartwright on the Sunshine Coast level to the lookout platform. One afternoon they were so close we got a wave from the co pilot! I'll never forget that.
As someone who worked both the F model and EF version, I will tell you that the F-111 was a maintenance nightmare. Not even the digital flight control mod could not save the plane since it was superseded by the F-15E and the F-16CG/CJ models. The EF-111A which was a modified F-111A, also suffered from the fact it was outdated by the late 1990's.
sealing the fuel tanks was also a bastard and is part of an unfortunate legacy.
Fleet maintenance costs were a huge consideration when the decision was finally made to retire them as the Mudhen fleet populated into operational squadrons. I miss the F-111, but I never had to work on them. I used to see them every week, especially when they were flying chase for the B-1B program at Edwards in the early 1980s. ED had F-111Es though.
I worked at Edwards AFB as a fuel truck driver when they flew 111's and got to see it close up quite a bit and as impressive as it was I remember thinking to myself this plane must be a real hangar queen.
@Scott Hurley I worked the F at Lakenheath ('84 - '87 - yes, I was there for El Dorado Canyon) and the D at Cannon in New Mexico ('88 - 91). I was a weapons loader, and I can agree with you about the maintenance nightmare. The F's were a bit better than the D's though - I got spoiled working the F's first. Just before I left Cannon, we got the FB's from Pease and Plattsburgh, and the flightline was being extended to accommodate them. Never worked any of those.
@@jodonnell64 What broke or failed on the D more than the F?
Australia had a lot of these. As a kid, I was enthralled with these 'swing-wing' aircraft. It was the first Airfix model I ever built.
I flew 'varks in Desert Storm, F-111Fs. Incredible platform for LGBs (we dropped more laser guided bombs than any other platform, by far. Closest was F-117s, but they only carried two), and with PAVE TACK pod we were unstoppable. F-111s killed more tanks than A-10s, and more aircraft than F-15s (yes, on the ground). THANK YOU for this vid. You're right- it's mostly forgotten, but it played a very important role in that conflict.
I thank you for doing this video. Very little air time is given to the F-111. I have 6 years maintenance experience on both the FB and EF airframes. It truly was an amazing aircraft and I'm proud of the time I spent on this unique and competent cold war warrior.
Thank you for your service and your work in keeping these airplanes flying - I think both the FB and EF are missed today - that speed and range is unmatched.
Great job they flew from UK. To Libya and back
whats the fastest anyone you know flew the f 111
My jet had to have an FCF (functional check flight) and the FCF pilot, Maj. Darcanjelo, said he got it up to mach 2.2. This was an EF-111 with the new p-109 engines.
@@lwrii1912 awesome!
Living near a RAAF base (Richmond) as a kid I used to see these guys all the time, and lots of sonic booms from them. One time as a kid two flew over my house in complete silence, then came the sound. Long live 'the pig'.
All we get now are transports :-(
@@crunchytheclown9694 Hey don't knock the transport aircraft. Always better than walking!
Not forgotten here mate, I have a unique memory of an F111C formerly based at Amberly that I had the opportunity, as a cadet, to literally walk over one in the hangar for overhaul. An amazing sight to have the tail of the aircraft rising behind you from between your feet while looking over the cockpit. Many Australian Air Force pilots have fond memories of the pig
Will always be remembered by Australian people. Great fighter .
aaah the aardvark, what a strange child you were, and what a nightmare for the avionics techs who had to maintain you.
We in OZ always had an affection for the F111. I was honeymooning in Fiji in November 1973 and was lucky to see at Nadi Airport the first batch of six of these aircraft for delivery to the RAAF. I think they stopped over for fuel and to check one of them with some engine problems.
For what that F-111 is and was when it was built, it was one heck of a jet. So far as I know it held a low level 100 ft mach 1speed record for many years. Like the F-111 or not, that is very respectable in anyone's book.
The F-111 was my favorite fighter growing up in the 70s and 80s. I was sad when they were retired. I never entered the service but have worked on aircraft for over 30 years.
Thank you for keeping aircraft flying! Every Monday on the community page here I post Maintainer Monday, a tribute to all the men and women who keep birds in the air. Flying is a byproduct of maintenance
@@PilotPhotog
Wow! That is correct. I never thought about it like that. I have made some not very reliable machines very reliable for periods of decades. Thanks for pointing that out!
They were a great plane for the RAAF. It served us well
I was an Aircraft Maintenance Officer with the 509th Bomb Wing at Pease AFB, NH from 1973-1976. The FB-111A was a fantastic aircraft. Whenever the SAC IG team showed up for an ORI at Pease AFB, the bombing accuracy of our crews amazed them, with many "shacks" (i.e. direct hits) during the flying and mission execution portion of the ORI. The IG/ORI folks were also surprised at how quickly we could rectify avionics maintenance squawks and get aircraft airborne on time. It was a great bird. It had it's issues for sure, but many of us were proud to serve in one of SAC's 2 FB-111A wings.
Thank you for your service Brian and thanks for commenting on my video. Comments like yours help me know that I am doing some justice to this aircraft. Cheers!
I served at Plattsburgh AFB from 1971 to 1976. The FB-111 was quite the aircraft. I was lucky to get a ride in one in 76’ when we won the Fairchild Trophy for the Bomb Comp for that year. I worked on Avionics for the KC-135’s but was on an engine trim team for the KC’s and the FB’s for Plattsburgh and Pease.
@@billellick6921 amazing! What was the ride in the 111 like?
@@PilotPhotog It was pretty cool! Took off and did a 3G turn and just went once around the pattern and then landed. They gave a ride to anyone on the Bomb Comp team that wanted one so there were quite a few of us who had to take a ride.
I did my re-enlistment in a helicopter over the base in 74. It was a unique time and I enjoyed my time in the service.
@@billellick6921 Incredible experiences and thank you for sharing!
That was one of the best F-111 videos I've seen to date, well done for that. The F-111f was the first aircraft I worked on after joining the USAF in the early 90's at Cannon AFB. As a flight line engine mechanic there was never any shortage of work to be done. I didn't appreciate it at the time, but looking back on my years of aviation experience and working in both the military and commercial fields I can definitely say "cutting my teeth" on the Pig made me into the mechanic I am today. I was sad to see it retire, but proud of the fact that I had some small part in its history.
I have been to one Australian F1 GP at Melbourne - the sight and sound of an F-111 performing a flyby was a highlight of the day for sure. My dad still can't believe the physical effect it had on you as it passed overhead even 15 years later.
I don't blame him! At the time my old man was an ex-RAAF pilot so he got a bit of insight as to where me and my mates should stand for the last Riverfire night display (2010 I think?), anyway we were right on the bank of the bend of the CBD reach of the Brisbane River when one pulled up after clearing the bridges by 100ft (last time ever so they put on a good show!). My ears were ringing, jet fuel stung my eyes and I can feel the heat to this day! Bloody awesome and a great send off for the old girls.
I remember the F-111 very well, my dad was in the SPO. And if you ever heard one take off with full afterburner, you'd never forget it.
Interesting tidbit about the F-111 flying a heart transplant. I heard a similar story from an interview with a Luftwaffe F-4 pilot, who in the 1980s did the same thing in Germany. He was actually cleared to fly supersonic, and flew up to Mach 1.4 (I believe) over Germany between two airbases!
Did not know that about the German F-4, thanks for sharing!
In no way is this awesome plane ever forgotten in Australia, they were an awesome swing wing aircraft, & I remember seeing them with the A4Skyhawks breaking the sound barrier,& hearing the bang of the sonic boom, until they were replaced by the FA18 Hornets, & then the superhornets, as I was in the Australian Regular Army in the Royal Australian Artillery, 2/3 Field Regiment, & during Australia day, there would be a fly over with these aircraft, until they were retired from service, & then the Bell UH1 Iroquois was retired, & the Black Hawks were then introduced into the Australian Army Aviation Corps. All in all, a great aircraft.
The F-111 has always been my favorite jet. Growing up next to an AFB I got to see and watch them a lot. I always enjoyed the booms as they were coming back in from the ocean.
I still remember watching them fly over Brisbane during River Fire, doing dump-and-burn. Fireworks and a small airshow all in 1. Unfortunately 2010 was the last time, but it was probably the best send-off for any aircraft.
I'll never forget the F-111. I was stationed at Incirlik AB, Turkey from 1984 to 1986 and worked out in the bomb-dump (BD). I used to ride my bicycle to work from the base housing to the BD. One cold, windy, and rainy February morning while I was riding to work, I was riding on the surface road just east of the end of the runway. Even though the end of the runnway was just off my left shoulder, the far end (or west end) of the runway was quite a bit further south and behind me in relation to the east end. When they say the F-111 is "Wispering Death" - believe it!!!
That cold rainy morning I was wearing my rain gear, which acted like a parachute in the strong head wind. All could do was keep my head down and concentrate on keeping my legs pumping up and down on the bike peddels to keep my forward momentum moving at about 3MPH. (Damn head wind!) I'm sure the pilot of that F-111, out of Lakenheath England must have told his co-pilot, "Oh there is a God!" as they took off that morning and spotted me at the far side of the runways safety clearing.
There I was, a poor unsuspecting Staff Sergant riding along the lonely road, which crossed the planes path at the end of the runway as it took off. I'm sure the pilot kept the plane on the deck a lot longer than usual until they passed directly over me with with full after-burner at nearly the speed of sound. I didn't hear him coming until he passed overhead. I swear I bent the handle bars of my 15 speed bike and just about had to go to emergency room to have my bike seat removed from my a--hole. I'm sure those pilots love to re-tell that story to their friends at old reunions. I"ve finally learned to accept the humor of it as well - but at the time I truly thought I was going to have a heart attack.
That's gold!
A new video from pilotphotog is a fuel for me thanks .
Thank you!
The RAAF also had a variant of it's own....RF-111C (Recon)
They were exceptional aircraft for the US and especially for Australia. Payload and range were phenomenal along with its terrain following radar and laser guided missle system.
when i was a child i used to see F111 fly over our town all the time in NSW AUSTRALIA. seeing them fly over low wings swept back fast was amazing
In Australia we loved it for 4 decades. It has not been forgotten here.
Very glad to hear that and thanks for commenting!
This is absolutely my favorite jet ! I love the way it looks and just everything about it !
The F-111 and FB-111 can never be replaced. It was that unique an aircraft.
Awesome aircraft. I was staying at a friends farm out of Jandowae, north of Dalby in Queensland in 1976, I was 12 at the time. 2am in the morning went to the outdoor dunny. Came out to an F-111 flying over at 200ft. I turned around and went back in and sat down. You never hear them coming, but you certainly heard them going.
What you forgot to mention, the RAAF may have used the C as a base, however they were the most technologically advanced F-111's by the end of their life in 2010
My grandfather worked on the F-111's and said he loved ever minute of it. He was at Cannon AFB
then there's a very good chance he was as RAF Upper Heyford before, as all our F111s and EFs from UH to Canon. We started calling it UH West. I worked as a civilian contractor on the Base from 90 to when it closed. If your grandfathers still with us and worked at UH, give him my warmest regards, I worked at the Lamplighter Inn, otherwise known as the choke and puke.
Absolutely beautifully done! This video deserves an award. I especially appreciate the reference to it's successor, the F-14 Tomcat and iconic, sidewinders.
Thank you, glad you enjoyed the video
I certainly haven't forgotten it. It did one of the best air show displays I've ever seen, especially the fuel dump and burn!
Definitely not forgotten in Australia. not replacing it has been one of the biggest mistakes the RAAF has done in decades.
@@owenlloyd4382 there is always another bad guy case in point China. i said the word replace not keep.
F-111, F-14 & A-10 are probably the greatest aircraft in their respective roles of any ever made!
The politics of insecurity... When aircraft are cancelled or discontinued for political reasons, it's a shame, a deadly shame!
Lived at Toonumbar Dam in the mid-70s in northern NSW Australia. The F111s seemed to use it as a waypoint out of Amberley on the way down to the bombing range south of Evans Head. Most flights came down the dam and crossed the wall maybe a 500-1,000 feet above it. A flight of 2-3 would fill the whole valley with a thunderous roar. One day I'm sure a flight came down less than a 100 feet off the water. I didn't see them until past the dam wall but as they flew away I could see they rose up a little to clear a ridge then gently started to descend again. Was quite sad to hear of their retirement.
I worked on the bombspotting camera on the F-111D at Cannon AFB. The cameras were extremely reliable, so we did little more than magazine uploads/downloads, and preventive and phased maintenance. Even when the camera bay was filled with water from the avionics bay above (condensation?) the KB-18 cameras were unstoppable.
The F-111F carried Pave Tack (not Pave Track) pods.
And there was no way the RAAF Pigs could be usable after 2010 because of fatigue. The F18 super hornets do not have the range nor the capabilities of the F111. The F111s are much missed, especially for their dump and burn, which was a sight to bebold.
That's not quite accurate. They needed service-life extensions to see them through to 2020 and the US was willing supply components, even hulls, at cost (after all, they were awash in F-111 spares since their retirement from the USAF), but it was the Howard government who rejected the plan. The RAAF, USAF and DoD agreed it wouldn't be an issue, but in the early noughties the Howard government killed idea largely because they had lobbyists from Boeing pitching them the F-15E, lobbyists from LM pitching them the Superbug and JSF, and lobbyists inside the cabinet trying to get jobs at these and other defence contractors, and in Canberra, they somehow got it in their collective heads that the F-111 was going to fall out the sky at a moment's notice despite being in very functional condition. Weird how that happens...
@@Booyaka9000 spoken like someone that had absolutely no knowledge of anything much less this aircraft.
You really think the RAAF, USAF, and US DoD came up with an agreement without Aus Dept of Defence knowing? GTFOH. Chump.
That is why we got 24 of them heat shrink and wrapped ready for reactivation in our mountain bases up in Townsville or so I have been told...
@@Booyaka9000 When I visited the base in 1988 as bases were open to TAFE visits, the electronics were already 20 yrs old and the PCB traces were being drilled out and repaired(think was 16 layers) and I can tell you as an Electronic engineer no one would go to that level of repair(ie too unreliable) but that is what the were doing in 1988.
So my guess is the electronics was near impossible to get going, plus the fuel was giving crews brain cancers, plus the wings needed about 11hrs of service to check for cracks for 1 hr flight time... but it my understanding they got 24 units ready to go if needed.
@@ntal5859 they have 48 trained crews ready to go also, just on standby.
I remember my dad pointing one out to me that was on the tarmac at the Reno airport. He told me that "the F-111 is a lot bigger than it looks from here."
I was an F-111A crew chief at Nellis AFB , Nevada
1970 - 1974
Damn Good plane
Easy to maintain.
I grew up not far from Plattsburgh AFB. As far back as my memories go, I remember seeing them flying over. I still have vivid memories of when I was 14, working on my brother's logging crew in the Adirondacks... one second, the woods were quiet while I gassed up my saw... the next second, I had tree limbs coming down around my ears from a low-flying FB-111'S jet wash. This happened pretty often. A-10's came over quite a bit as well. I was pretty thankful they were friendly.
One dude I worked with did F-4 and F-111 maintenance in his career. He stated the F-111 was a bit easier to work on. As the F-111 was going out of USAF service he worked on a few of them that got a glass cockpit mod and stated that really improved things ( not having to troubleshoot as many steam gauges ).
I worked weapon systems on F4 and F111F. The F111 was a dream compared to the F4G
my dad flew 111s. we were at upper heyford and then cannon.
easily the most unappreciated fighter in America's history. it terrified the soviets. every SALT treaty, they tried to get the F-111 out of Europe. we refused.
EDIT: and McNamara was a friggin idiot.
McNamara got a lot right such as his support for Minuteman and correctly got rid of a number of programs that were outdated money pits, but he got an awful lot wrong too. Perhaps a bit too black and white in his thinking and with a tendency to back ideas that looked good on paper but weren't realistic in practice.
Was one of my favorite fighter/bombers growing up. I read tons of Vietnam War books when I was a kid and teenager. Absolutely revolutionary aircraft during its time.
Great content, I was stationed at Upper Heyford England 1987-1991. I loaded bombs on the "E" version and remember two positions to load them in the weapons bay. Thanks.
My father was an engineer at Boeing and worked on the design proposal in the final design competition. A few years later the F-111 came up in conversation and he told me that he knew a lot of fellow engineers that were relieved that General Dynamics got the contract.
Thanks for commenting - my understanding is that the Navy preferred the Boeing design.
I remember it, I distinctly remember when Robert McNamera declared it a fiasco. I kind of forgot about it until I entered the Air Force and found out how capable and useful it was. I also remember the crashes in Viet Nam. The F111 worked well in the plans to counter the Soviets in Europe.
It kept hundreds of millions of very militant Indonesians from even thinking about touching Australia which at the time of it's introduction had a population of 10 million. It was loved here by every Aussie and seen as the best insurance the country could have. It was even adapted for maritime strike with Harpoons which was pretty crazy for the time.
Such a beautiful plane, thanks Juan for another great video my friend.
Thank you Juan, glad you enjoyed the video!
Magnificent aircraft. It was always a treat when the RAAF visited Christchurch International (NZCH) for mountain flying training. When I was training in 2002, I remember once being required to hold whilst a flight of four (or five) departed. Sitting in my little airplane at the hold point, with the F-111s taking off with full afterburner right there in front of me, rotating no more than 100 metres away. Amazing.
my uncle built that bird, from the air frame to the avionics, everything was his workmanship
he loved that bird, and i learned about it when it was still just an idea. he built many other wonders and came out of retirement to make the cruise missile reality.
he will not be remembered for any of that, he was first a Husband, Father and that is his legacy
I appreciate it that you chose this plane, the F-111 is an all time favorite of mine.
Thank you glad you enjoyed the video - cheers!
I had the privilege of sitting in a preserved Crew Escape Module of an F-111C while visiting an awesome air museum near Melbourne, VIC in Australia many years ago. It was really cool, but I had no idea of just how cool of an aircraft it really was and how much history I was surrounded by until just now! Thank you for the great video! :) #remembertheaardvark
I worked in shop avionics on this plane. D & F models. 1979 to 1984.
I was on the team that did the certification for flight of the Pave Tack system at RAF Lakenheath.
That bird won the cold war.
Second fastest plane in the world at the time.
Probably why SR 71s flew out of RAF Mildenhall back then.
TFR, Speed, and Pave Tack made her unstoppable.
Growing up near upper heyford . Both the aardvark and the sparkvark hold a special place in my memory as do the American's that served there. The village of upper heyford remembers one pair especially . They rode their bird into the ground, sacrificing them self's to save the village . As if you have visited heyford the village is on the outer fence right at the end of the runway. But as a Brit and a aviation fan . The gossip mill says it wasn't just cost overrun that cancelled the TSR 2 it was to keep the special relationship with the us as the TSR program had the edge on the f111 . But I only know what I have readed and watched . The starting of the video with the specification was some what similar to the TSR 2 ,as they say it's all history.
I worked at UH at the time of the crash, the pilot and navigator both went to the base chapel. I knew them both and their families from chapel, they were very welcoming of a Brit coming to a USAF chapel. Genuniely nice guys and it was very shocking for us at the time.
@@adamcarreras-neal4697 you'll be pleased to know that the memorial to them is still in the outer fence line and the chapel is still standing just. The super market, bowling alley and hospital are all gone throu
Excellent video on one of the coolest planes ever built, the sound of the fly by on the golden record made me smile. I am glad to have seen a F-111 and the Raven version. Cheers and thank you for a cool and well produced video.
Thank you Ben, and glad you enjoyed the video. I had no idea about the flyby recording on the golden record until I did the research for this video. Cheers!
FINALLY WHAT IVE BEEN ASKING FOR! Thank you!
Never forgotten. I saw them at the introductory air show at Amberley. The attention of the crowd was focussed on two Mirages taking off in opposite directions. Even as a teenager I thought it a bit lame as they were obviously on different strips. And then from behind came the F 111s low and loud. Scared the crap out of everybody. Then they climbed and fuel dumped. I was looking straight into the arse end and was flabbergasted. The feeling of seeing an F 111 fuel dump for the first time was incredible. They then became a standard visitor for the Brisbane "Riverfire" festival. The fireworks were wonderful but the night wasn't complete until the "Dump and Burn". You could see it for miles.
I'll fondly remember the Pig until the day I die.
I always loved this plane. Once they worked out all the bugs from the ridiculous ever increasing requirements, it was / is one of the best aircraft ever made and will outrun pretty much anything outside an F-15 or SR-71.
I only served 1 year in the F111 squadron but it was my most memorable and satisfying time served in the AF. Long live the Aardvark!!
Thank you for your service!
Served at RAF Lakenheath... Became very familiar with the F-111. Was happy to see an Upper Heyford F-111's.
i used to be a civilian aircraft electrician at McClellan AFB. We performed depot level maintenance on all models with the exception of the Navy's B model. It was one of the most labor intensive and difficult planes to work on. The air crew sat in an escape module that deployed in an emergency as opposed to standard ejection seats. The fuel tanks had no bladders, just sealant to seal the cracks and this sealant reverted back to putty after several years. The labor used to remove the old sealant and install new sealant with all the leak and pressure checks was huge.The EF-111A was even more difficult to work on. You had a General Dynmics aircraft that Grumman retrofitted, getting the correct technical data was miserable. We did major mods to those planes most notably the Digital flight control mod and the Pacer strike mod, this was my bread and butter until the base shutdown. But they sure were a pretty plane to see in flight!
When were you at SMALC? I was there from ‘89-‘93 before the BRAC. I worked doing NDT/NDI in 251 and 243A and 243C both wing shops.
@@haroldishoy2113 i worked there from 86-95. started on the A-10 line out in 704, then F-4s, F-15s, A-7s in docks 5 and 6, and of course 111's in 251........hard to believe it was that long ago!
@@jh-il5sb I also went to many of the areas you mentioned too, infrequently though, some places I couldn’t remember. I also remember the test cell and Coast Guard hangar. In 2019 I worked for a company that had set up an aviation manufacturing business in Bldg. 243 just across from the big NDI x-Ray building was. It was still recognizable in places but the old decals for the fire extinguishers and telephone conduit lines were still in place on many of the walls.
Admiral Tom Connolly famously told a Congressional committee that "all the thrust in Christendom" couldn't turn the F-111 into a carrier fighter. The F-14 Tomcat was allegedly named in Admiral Connolly's honor.
Tom’s Cat indeed! Thanks for commenting.
I remember seeing ADM Connally say that on TV . I do believe that ADM Connally was wrong for not supporting the F111 for use by the Navy. It would have been a huge savings for the US military over the following 30 years because of reduced operation cost. The develoment and operating cost of any airplane far exceed the purchasing cost. The additional development cost and component development and repair facilitys and training cost for a very similar but different (F14) could have been avoided. I believe ADM Connally opposed the acceptance of the F111B because he didn't want a new trend of the defence secretary deciding what aircraft the Navy would have and he wanted an aircraft that was designed and built by Grumman. It was fairly standard practice at that time for high ranking military people to get a cushy job with the company they had done business with after they retired from military service. Some of those good folks then hired their buddies so they could sit around and exchange war stories all the while drawing large paychecks from the company for picking them to supply the aircraft and a good retirement check from the government for screwing over the taxpayers by not caring about future cost savings they could have done. The F111B did successfully complete Carrier trials. It's empty weight was about 47,000 and the F14 was about 41,000. Not enough difference between the two competitors to waste billions of future dollars on. Unfortunately there are still some high ranking military people that are more concerned with their careers than for the best use of their limited budgets.
So…how many weapons can you carry?
F-111 : Yes
Accurate
Absolutely legendary. 4 decades of service and still remembered by so many people
I was proud to be part of the service team supporting this magnificent aircraft from ‘72 - ‘76 with the 366TFW in Mt.Home, ID. The very best days of my life!
1976.-80 flying peaguses Mt home
Really liked this clip, having spent 10+ years working FB-111A’s at Plattsburgh NY (380 MMS) and Pease NH (509 MMS). Minor correction: the AGM-69 short-range attack missile (SRAM), was pronounced Shram, not “S-Ram”. During annual live-launches, we launched a SRAM with a simulated launch training payload (SLTP), and the aircrew carried a rubber chicken in the cockpit with them for good luck, and to ward off evil spirits and electronic gremlins: known to old SAC nuke pukes as “the SRAC” (short-range attack chicken). I was keeper of the SRAC for a couple of years :-)
Thank you for your service and for pointing out the correct pronunciation on SRAM. I didn’t know about the SRAC, I literally laughed out loud reading that part of your comment. Thank you and I will figure out a way to incorporate something about the SRAC in a future video. How is SRAC pronounced?
@@PilotPhotog SRAC is pronounced Shrack. We had a humorous formal ceremony turning the SRAC over to the aircrew, immediately before they’d launch for their mission. The SRAC typically flew on the right side of the cockpit, just above the SCP (Stores Control Panel). Great times had by all with SAC’s supersonic swing-wing bug sucker.
@@jimru5574 thank you Jim, I am going to work on a video about traditions like this one and will be sure to feature the SRAC - could I name the SRAC Jim? Let me know if that would be OK if not it can be an anonymous SRAC. Either way again thanks!
It was one of our main jets here along side the FA-18 in Australia. Then we got super hornets so our old F-111s and FA-18s were not so great.
Now we have F-35s meh would rather some modern F-15s to go along the F-18SHs.
We have to be picky because we don't get all the avionics in some models which is one reason we axed the F-22 sale. Now with AUKUS we might get the new 6th gen fighters so we can teach you yanks how to fly them :)
I was flown over by the F111 many times when I was on range duty. It is remembered by this soldier and loved.
Growing up in Boise, ID in the 1980s, I remember its ejection capsule problems. Several Mountain Home AFB pilots were severely injured and some permanently paralyzed when their capsules landed too hard after ejection. I wondered why so many of those planes were in trouble in the first place, over the Idaho desert? Our newspaper, The Idaho Statesman, covered these accidents in depth. That plane had bugs! It earned the nickname: “McNamara’s Brand”.
I recall the mishap involving the Wing Commander. After a successful ejection the air bag which was supposed to cushion the landing failed to deploy. He wound up in a wheelchair.
The bags had been extended rather than replaced for budgetary reasons.
Ronald Reagan sent a flight of these into Libia dropped a precision munition through a window of the presidential palace in '86 I believe. Hell of a plane.
Unremembered by whom?
The original requirements presented by the Navy and USAF were not incompatible, but the requirements changed. The lessons of the TFX program are commonly misinterpreted, but repeat a narrative for decades and it becomes "truth". The idea that one basic airframe could fulfill two different roles was not a dumb idea at all. History is full of examples of aircraft that were versatile enough to fly for different services and even perform different missions.
Initially the TFX program was reasonable because USAF and USN were both asking for a large aircraft that could lift a heavy load of fuel and weapons, with long range or long loiter, plus high-speed dash or intercept. Twin engines and an innovative variable geometry wing were called for, and DOD logically assessed that it would be wasteful to develop two very expensive advanced airframes when a single one with some variations could do both jobs.
The reason one basic airframe could do both jobs was because original USN specification was for a fleet defense fighter, not an air superiority fighter. It was not originally intended to be what later became the F-14, but to perform the role meant for the Douglas F6D Missileer, with the addition of supersonic dash capability.
The biggest difference between the airframe requirements of the two services was that USAF wanted a tandem cockpit and USN want side by side seating. Boeing tried to make both services happy, but MacNamara’s DOD thought USAF could suck it up and have the crew sit side by side. This is ironic considering that when the Navy cancelled its version USAF was stuck with the cockpit it didn’t want, which also ironically contributed to the airplane being too ungainly for a dogfighter.
The original idea wasn’t dumb -- what happened was that needs changed. USN revised its specifications for the TFX as result of combat experience in Vietnam, and realized they also needed an air superiority fighter to replace the F-8 and F-4, but couldn’t afford that in addition to a dedicated fleet defense aircraft. Thus, the TFX would now have to be able to dogfight as well as be a missile interceptor. The F-111B could have worked as a missileer, but it was too fat and underpowered to compete as an air superiority fighter. It was proper of the Navy to recognize that its needs had evolved. This was perhaps the beginning of the Navy realizing that budgets and hangar decks did not have room for so many specialized aircraft. USAF desperately needed the F-111 to replace the F-105, so they sucked it up and accepted the heavy airframe caused by the loveseat cockpit they never wanted.
The "One-Eleven" was a beast. Large payload, long range and its Terrain Following Radar was revolutionary at the time.....
Harold Wislon cancelled the RAF F1 - 11 order in 1968. They were supposed to replace the (also cancelled) TSR2.
I’m glad you mentioned the operation against Libya. They flew out of RAF Lakenheath for that mission. The crews needed to be lifted out of the aircraft when they returned, it was that long.
Imagine a modern F-111 with an AESA radar, engines with double the thrust, modern avionics, and all the bells and whistles. It would be unbeatable in low threat environments.
flying under radar works for even most modern sam systems
IMO, it could also use a Vulcan or Equalizer mounted in the nose just like the Hornet family
The original plan for Advanced Tactical Fighter was a stealth F-111 replacement to fly the deep penetration/strike mission profile with a Very Low Observable airframe/engine vehicle. As the MiG-29 and Su-27 emerged, they switched ATF to an Air Dominance fighter/interceptor with huge advances in sensor and networking to have better SA, better kinematics, and generational leap systems integration so that nothing could be done to get the Fulcrum or Flanker fleet to ever match ATF performance.
YF-23’s airframe was more conducive to that mission set, provided it could be equipped with better weapons bay depth and ejector rack solutions, which is what they did on paper with the proposed F-23A to some degree.
An F-111 airframe made from modern carbon composites even down the structures, with F119 motors and fly-by-light DFLCS, a beast of an AESA, plus RF and IR sensor suite would be sick, but it would really need to be VLO to be effective.
Requires that you start from scratch and spell out your mission set requirements using a projected threat capability many years from now.
@@chriswu772 You don't want to be firing a 20mm rotary cannon anywhere near the Pig's avionics, hence why the gun was mounted in the weapons bay.
There was a substantial weight penalty because of the swing wing system.
This aircraft served Australia extremely well and is missed in the sky's. I remember a time when the Australian Airforce was conducting war games with the US navy a long with many other countries off the Australian coast. Long after the F111's were retired by everyone else. Two Australian F111's were sent in and the only aircraft to make it to the US warship drop ordnance and escape, the ship was hit and sunk. By the time they were detected it was to late. It was in the late 90's i think and the US navy were testing their systems.
Australia has put all it eggs into the F35 but it's lost a better aircraft and more capable.
Whilst you are not wrong with the lost capabilities with the adoption of the F35 and how effective and devastating the F111 was especially in low level regimes and even as a naval support/maritime strike platform, it was not without some serious issue in the RAAF service.
You may recall some rather infamous incidents resulting from casualties on the aircraft like failed landing gear. This is because it was, as its nickname suggested, a pug of a thing to maintain and service. I remember being given an investigation report to interpret and study in my uni days that was focused on the deaths that occurred with ground crews during scheduled servicing of the F111s. Specifically deaths from asphyxiation when servicing the fuel tanks internally. The Air Force back then moved mountains to cover up and gloss over these casualties and thats a great shame on the RAAF and really was a bit of a design issue of the F111s but it was never something that couldn't have been engineered around. Just that the Air Force didn't want to and that unfortunately does leave a smear to an otherwise exceptionally capable and deservingly beloved aircraft. It is also a shame that USA required us to bury ours in the desert and didn't allow for any to be preserved for historical record and cultural appreciation.
@@matthewray1650 there are several f111s preserved in museums around australia. Also, i dont believe there were any asphyxiation cases due to the fuel tank deseal/reseal programs. The problem was exposure to chemicals, solvents and fuel which caused long term health problems. This is formally recognized and there is compensation and support programs in place now. But you are correct, by the end of life they were maintenance nightmares, parts were drying up and its low level speed abilities was no longer the survivable tactic it once was. With the advent of more advanced ground defences and look down shoot down radars, it really was the time for retirement.
@@slickstrings "The problem was exposure to chemicals, solvents and fuel which caused long term health problems. This is formally recognized and there is compensation and support programs in place now"
Cancer is the word you're looking for (amongst other severe ailments), and it's formally recognised **now** only after former servicemen had to fight the RAAF management and successive governments who didn't take harm to personnel seriously until relatively recently. Hell, PTSD wasn't recognised by the ADF/Australian government until almost 2010!
The F-111C was more capable in one area: long range interdiction.
But that's it.
The F-35 is leagues beyond the F-111 in many, many ways,
To say the F-111 is 'more capable' is to use a very narrow mission scope.
Australia needs flexible, multi-mission aircraft.
@@Yxalitis you are correct but the F35 is unproven in battle. On paper it's unstoppable.
I was a Jet engine mechanic on these from 73'-75' at Nellis AFB. Cool plane!
Not forgotten in New Hampshire at Pease AFB. I remember as a kid watching these things take off and land. What a racket they made.