And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
F-111C, unique design for RAAF. Not sure what the differences were between the C and the F-111A. They stayed in service for decades, super useful in the Pacific due to the long range.
The Australian F-111C had longer wings from the FB-111A, different intakes, and beefed up landing gear from F-111D, along with an Australian long range radio if I recall correctly, a few other changes.
It was closer in configuration to the SAC FB-111A, minus the astrotracker I believe.
my oldest brother worked on them when he was in the air force. hydraulic system unique to that plane, operated at 5,000 psi in order to get the control surface reaction times required for the very early terrain-following radar. So every base that supported them, had to have special 5,000 psi test gear as everything else that flew was 3,000 psi design.
Cool looking aircraft, but I recall reading that no where in it's envelope was it superior to Warsaw Pact aircraft in that specific role: Fighter, Bomber, etc.
In Vietnam their second tour was very successful and I recall the pilots saying they would be flying irrespective of weather and were sometimes alone in the sky because everyone else was grounded. They would also surprise the NV defences and could see the blackout taking effect after they had flown over.
As a former targeting officer, the Aardvark was one of my two go-to's (along with the Navy's A-6 Intruder) for times I absolutely, positively, needed something to go away in any weather day or night.
An unarmed EF-111 got credit for one of the first kills in the Gulf war. Taking down a Iraqi Mirage just using the terrain following radar. The mirage hit the deck trying to follow the EF-111 at a very low ground hugging altitude.
Thank you Eric (ref tank killer comment above). Something not a lot of folks knew about. Awesome aircraft! Flew both A models and F models (and killed some of those tanks). Went from there to F-15Es, great aircraft also, but there was always something special about the "Vark".
Yup, the old switchblade mountain mover, McNamarra's Edsel, Aardvark, Whispering Death... Worked them at RAF Upper Heyford (F-111Es)74-77, and Mtn Home (F-111As & EF-111As) 77-80 & 86-91. A Really GREAT Bird. Good Times!
I'm glad the land -based version worked out, sort of. A plane so horrible, the Navy told SecDef to piss up a rope, and killed their version of it. One of numerous "McNamara's Follies". Then they adopted the F-14, to show what it should have been.
Australian F-111.
ReplyDeleteWandering Neurons
F-111C, unique design for RAAF. Not sure what the differences were between the C and the F-111A. They stayed in service for decades, super useful in the Pacific due to the long range.
DeleteThe Australian F-111C had longer wings from the FB-111A, different intakes, and beefed up landing gear from F-111D, along with an Australian long range radio if I recall correctly, a few other changes.
DeleteIt was closer in configuration to the SAC FB-111A, minus the astrotracker I believe.
my oldest brother worked on them when he was in the air force. hydraulic system unique to that plane, operated at 5,000 psi in order to get the control surface reaction times required for the very early terrain-following radar. So every base that supported them, had to have special 5,000 psi test gear as everything else that flew was 3,000 psi design.
ReplyDeleteJack of all trades, master of none.
ReplyDeleteCool looking aircraft, but I recall reading that no where in it's envelope was it superior to Warsaw Pact aircraft in that specific role: Fighter, Bomber, etc.
But it looked cool.
In Vietnam their second tour was very successful and I recall the pilots saying they would be flying irrespective of weather and were sometimes alone in the sky because everyone else was grounded. They would also surprise the NV defences and could see the blackout taking effect after they had flown over.
Deleteup turned snoot
ReplyDeleteAs a former targeting officer, the Aardvark was one of my two go-to's (along with the Navy's A-6 Intruder) for times I absolutely, positively, needed something to go away in any weather day or night.
ReplyDeleteMy father was on the cockpit pneumatics design team at General Dynamics - building them in the 60's.
ReplyDeleteMy dad was the first sergeant of the 493rd TFS when they still flew F-111Fs out of RAF Lakenheath in England. Those suckers were LOUD.
ReplyDelete#1 Airborne tank and vehicle killer of the first Gulf War.
ReplyDeleteHandsome sucker.
ReplyDeleteAn unarmed EF-111 got credit for one of the first kills in the Gulf war. Taking down a Iraqi Mirage just using the terrain following radar. The mirage hit the deck trying to follow the EF-111 at a very low ground hugging altitude.
ReplyDeleteThank you Eric (ref tank killer comment above). Something not a lot of folks knew about.
ReplyDeleteAwesome aircraft! Flew both A models and F models (and killed some of those tanks). Went from there to F-15Es, great aircraft also, but there was always something special about the "Vark".
Yup, the old switchblade mountain mover, McNamarra's Edsel, Aardvark, Whispering Death... Worked them at RAF Upper Heyford (F-111Es)74-77, and Mtn Home (F-111As & EF-111As) 77-80 & 86-91. A Really GREAT Bird. Good Times!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the land -based version worked out, sort of.
ReplyDeleteA plane so horrible, the Navy told SecDef to piss up a rope, and killed their version of it. One of numerous "McNamara's Follies".
Then they adopted the F-14, to show what it should have been.