Sebastien Roblin
Security,
Fighter plane because Assassin: encounter the F-111 Aardvark (It Was Sent to assassinate Qaddafi)
The definitive F-111F sported engines with thirty-five percent more thrust, an upgraded radar and a Pave Tack infrared targeting pod that allowed crew to recognize targets above the base and strike them with precision-guided munitions.
The normal Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was a low-altitude motion aircraft born out of a shotgun wedding amid competing attitude energy and fleet requirements—with Defense Secretary McNamara because the minister. despite its troubled adolescence, it grew into a capable high-tech evening bomber that lasted decades can service, famous because its sleekly elegant profile.
(This first appeared can 2016.)
Troubled Conception
In the early 1960s, the attitude energy came to manufacture that new, radar-guided surface-to-air missiles such because the Soviet SA-2 could attain its slow, high-altitude bombers. can response, it devised a new concept: a smaller long-range supersonic bomber that could read shut to the ground, below radar systems. can the equal time, the U.S. fleet was looking because a fast, long-range carrier-based interceptor armed with air-to-air missiles that could recognize out Soviet bombers from a distance.
Newly appointed Defense Secretary Robert McNamara was convinced that a only aircraft could meet both requirements, thereby saving above development costs. The army and fleet were less anxious above compromising their visions, silent were forced to collaborate above the so-called TFX program. A concord was awarded to normal Dynamics can 1962. though the invent was smaller than attitude energy strategic bombers, and the service eschewed the “attack” designation used by the Navy, it was designated with an “F” because fighter.
Revolutionary Design
The F-111 was built nearly two powerful however fuel-efficient TF30 turbofan engines with new afterburner technology. A capacious fuselage could gown bomb loads of up to 31,000 pounds and fuel because missions up 2,500 miles long, with outer tanks adding another 1,000 miles. The big aircraft weighed twenty tons empty—or more than twice that loaded.
The designers of the F-111 faced a challenge: they needed a aircraft that could escape can equal high speeds, silent however recognize off or clay above a short runway. Using smaller wings used to invent less drag, allowing the aircraft to escape faster—but also invent less lift, requiring the aircraft come higher speeds ago it recognize off, can become necessitating a longer runway. because example, the other supersonic fighter-bomber of the era, the F-105 Thunderchief, had equal tiny wings—and required airstrips above a mile expect because takeoff, limiting which airfields it could operate from.
The F-111’s designers adopted the new technique of variable-geometry, or “swing” wings. These permitted the wings to sway out during takeoff to generate maximum lift, and then used to tuck inside midflight to come higher speeds. The F-111 was the first of few main designs that used the technology.
The two-man crew sat phase by phase can a cockpit pod. if they needed to escape, a rocket boosted the pod upward, which then floated to the base above a parachute, impartial parallel a space capsule.
A key innovation was the F-111’s revolutionary new terrain-following radar, which mapped the base direct before the aircraft and then automatically adjusted the flight road to make away collision. This allowed F-111s to escape because mean because two hundred feet above the surface and invent right adjustments can high haste without crashing—even when flying can night, or can evil climate conditions. The F-111’s gift because hunting can darkness, nose shut to the ground, was what earned it the appellation “Aardvark.”
Early F-111s did emerge promise, capable of flying above the haste of sound can Mach 1.2 can low-altitude, or more than double that (Mach 2.5) can high altitude—all the however requiring only a 2,000 foot runway to land. It was the first tactical aircraft to cross from the United States to Europe without mid-air refueling.
However, the F-111’s invent was biased can favor of the attitude Force’s specifications. The carrier-based interceptor version, the F-111B, performed abominably can trials, struggling to excel Mach 1. The dear forced compromise that was the naval translation was at final scrapped, leaving everyone millions of dollars poorer. Many of the more promising invent elements of the F-111B made it above to the F-14 Tomcat, however.
Deployment can Asia
The attitude energy F-111s didn’t eat an auspicious debut can combat. after a detachment of six F-111As was deployed to Vietnam can 1968, three of them crashed can impartial fifty-five missions, sum of them accidents linked to defective wing stabilizers. The attitude energy was forced to retire the F-111 and right the flaw can a fare of $100 million.
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It wasn’t until the Linebacker raids can 1972 that the F-Aardvark at final demonstrated its potential. Skimming below North Vietnam’s extensive radar network can night, F-111s blasted North Vietnamese airfields and attitude defense batteries, weakening the resistance to incoming B-52 raids. Aardvarks didn’t demand the fighter escort, electrical warfare support, or midair refueling that other bombers required, and could operate can inclement weather. only six F-111s were lost can war above the category 4,000 missions during the war, one of the lowest loss rates of the war.
F-111s ended up participating can the final war action undertaken by the U.S. military can South East Asia, when the Cambodian Khmer Rouge seized the container boat S.S. Mayaguez can in 1975. Two Aardvarks diverted from a drill flight were the first to locate the Mayaguez. Later, an F-111 sank a Khmer Rouge patrol dispatch escorting the seized ship.
Variants
563 F-111s of sum variants were built. after the F-111A, the F-111D and E models upgraded the Aardvark’s electronics and mechanism inlets, and increased the prick of the engines. Another variant, the FB-111, was designed because a strategic bomber with improved engines, stretched two feet longer to gown additional fuel. Seventy-five of these served can Strategic attitude bid units.
The F-111C was sold exclusively to Australia. It incorporated a compound of invent elements of the FB-111 and F-111E.
The definitive F-111F sported engines with thirty-five percent more thrust, an upgraded radar and a Pave Tack infrared targeting pod that allowed crew to recognize targets above the base and strike them with precision-guided munitions.
Starting can the mid–1970s, forty-two F-111As were converted into unarmed EF-111A Raven electrical jamming platforms can a fare $1.5 billion. The EF-111’s key system was an ALQ-99E jamming pod that emitted radiation that scrambled radars can the vicinity, permitting sum formations of aircraft to pass can its rouse undetected. when active, the jammer’s contemporary literally caused the hairs above the crew’s heads to situate because it crackled across the plane. Thus, the Raven was known because the “Spark Vark” to its pilots. The EF-111 is distinguishable by the receiver pod above the tail fin.
El Dorado Canyon Raid
The F-111 used to answer to the stage of world history can 1986, after the bombing of the La Belle nightclub perpetrated by Libyan agents can Berlin killed two U.S. servicemen. Reagan ordered an aggression above Libyan dictator Muammar el-Qaddafi’s private compound shut Tripoli codenamed action El Dorado Canyon. It was an early trouble to kill a foremost of speak by attitude attack.
An array of twenty-five SAM sites defended Tripoli. A squadron of eighteen F-111Fs carried out the foremost attack, joined by four EF-111 Ravens to electronically scramble the defense radars. A divide fleet motion strike targets shut Benghazi.
Because the United States couldn’t obtain approval from mainland European countries because the raid, the Aardvarks took off from the UK and had to circumnavigate Spain, increasing entire flight time to thirteen hours. can all, they used to lack to exist refueled six era above the roundtrip. It was the longest fighter mission can history.
As a feat of logistics, the raid was impressive—but unfortunately, both F-111’s action and the opinion of the action because a sum left something to exist desired. One F-111 was shot down, maybe by a SAM, and its crew was lost. Four were unable to liberate weapons though of avionics failures, and one F-111 had to clay can Spain though of an overheating engine. Seven missed their target, with few of the bombs landing can civilian areas, around hitting the French embassy.
Qaddafi managed to make away thanks can segregate due to a last-minute warning from the prime minister of Italy. Eight of his children and his wife were wounded, and his infant adopted daughter Hanna reportedly killed. (There is some controversy as to Hanna’s identity and if she survived). though Qaddafi was shaken, he went above to instigate farther terrorist attacks, notably the hijacking of Pan Am 73 and the bombing of Pan Am 103 above Lockerbie, Scotland.
Aardvarks and Ravens above Iraq
On January 17, 1991, the opening evening of action abandon Storm, Aardvarks zipped across the abandon can a mean altitude, targeting Iraqi attitude defenses and key military installations with laser-guided bombs. Meanwhile, EF-111 Ravens accompanied motion packages of coalition aircraft flying deep into Iraq, their jammers disabling Iraqi air-defense radars. can all, sixty-six F-111Fs and 18 F-111Es were deployed can the 1991 Iraq War, flying 5,000 missions.
Contrary to mutual belief, the Iraqi attitude energy didn’t invent things a cakewalk above the first day. Two F-111s were strike by infrared-guided R-23 missiles fired by MiG-23s. Another was struck by an R-60 missile shot by a MiG-29. can sum three cases, the hardy Aardvarks made it backward to base.
An EF-111 was no hence fortunate can February. however taking evasive maneuvers after detecting an enemy plane, it crashed into the ground, losing both crew members.
However, a Raven piloted by James Denton went above to score one of the most unusual aerial victories of the conflict.
On the opening engagement of abandon Storm, Denton’s EF-111 was skimming impartial 400 feet above the base can the morning darkness, foremost the method because a motion pack of F-15E fighter bombers with F-15C fighters because climax cover. however passing the H3 airfield, an Iraqi Mirage F1 fighter fell can after the Raven. Denton rolled sharply to the left, then to the right and pumped out chaff, evading a heat-seeking missile. because the Iraqi astronaut attempted to competition the Raven’s evasive maneuvers, he lost situational awareness and his plane slammed into the ground.
Thus, the unarmed Raven variant scored the only aerial conquest because the F-111 “fighter”.
As Iraqi defenses thinned out, the Aardvarks were redirected to strike base forces. The F-111F’s Pave Tack system proved effective can “tank plinking”—identifying Iraqi armored vehicles with its infrared scanner, and then precisely directing a laser-guided bomb above climax of it. above 1,500 Iraqi vehicles were “plinked” by F-111s.
F-111s also targeted the fat manifold Saddam had sabotaged, stopping the jog of petroleum polluting the Persian Gulf.
Desert storm was the Aardvark’s final hurrah. The F-111 was at final withdrawn from U.S. attitude energy service can 1998. though the Aardvark was good can its job, it had high maintenance costs, and the attitude energy judged that its fleet of F-15E motion Eagles could recognize anxiety of shorter-range aggression missions, however B-1 bombers could dispose of longer hill strikes.
The EF-111, however, had no replacement can the attitude energy inventory. It was left to fleet and Marine EA-6B Prowlers—and today, EA-18G Growlers—to do the jamming role.
Pigs of the Pacific
The F-111 remained can service with the Australian attitude energy until 2010, where it was affectionately known because the ‘Pig.’ Starting with a batch of 24 F-111Cs received can 1973, the Australians acquired an additional 15 FB-111s and four F-111As. though never used can combat, the F-111s gave Australia the ability to design military energy across the huge distances of the Pacific Ocean, enhancing its diplomatic clout.
Pigs were the brag of Australian attitude shows, where they often performed a maneuver can which fuel was dumped and ignited with the afterburners, known because the Dump and Burn. Australia upgrades its F-111s to use anti-shipping missiles, and converted four into reconnaissance aircraft. due to their high operating costs, however, they were at final replaced by twenty-four F-18F Super Hornets.
While the F-111 has been retired, a parallel aircraft rest can use today. The Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencer was conceived immediately after the F-111, and is remarkably parallel can look and role, down to the sway wings. no fairly the Aardvark’s match can condition of range, haste or weapons load, around three era more Su-24s were produced and above three hundred serve above today can different world attitude forces. They eat been actively used can war above Syria, Chechnya, Libya, Afghanistan and Ukraine. A Russian Su-24 attacking Syrian rebels was shot down can 2015 by a Turkish F-16, causing a main diplomatic incident.
Sébastien Roblin holds a Master’s category can bump resolution from Georgetown college and served because a college instructor because the Peace Corps can China. He has also worked can education, editing, and refugee resettlement can France and the United States. He currently writes above security and military history for War Is Boring.
Image: creative Commons.
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