F-111 Aardvark: General Dynamics Technological Marvel of the Cold War
F-111 Aardvark: General Dynamics Technological Marvel of the Cold War
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multi-role combat aircraft. Production models of the F-111 had roles that included attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons capabilities), reconnaissance and electronic warfare. Aardvark comes from a South African animal that has a long…
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McNamara cost us so many American lives.
↖️We were stationed at sunny RAF Upper Heyford 70-73..my dad was a USAF SSgt avionics tech. I got to sit in the Vark's left seat on the ramp..I was six yrs old. 🤭😍🛫
Cash back would be greatly appreciated 🩷🩶
Worked on in-shop avionics repair on FB-111A aircraft at Plattsburgh for 5 years. Mostly specialized in the Inertial Navigation System and associated flight control computers, but was fully qualified on all of the test stations and components that our shop serviced, including the Astro Tracker, moving map display, various RADAR systems (doppler, attack, and Terrain-Following), etc. A lot of the types of systems we worked on back then have been incorporated (in much-advanced iterations) into almost all modern generation aircraft. The 111 served very well as an advanced technology platform (for its time), and handily won the SAC Bomb-Nav competitions over several years. Too bad that there are none of these amazing birds still flying anywhere in the world…they were either destroyed and dismantled, buried (Australia), or made into museum exhibits. They were very impressive to watch, and I look fondly back at my involvement with keeping them flying.
Pretty sure it’s aardvark. Afrikaans
I had the pleasure of being a crew chief on F-111Fs at RAF Lakenheath, UK and Mountain Home AFB, ID from '77 to '81.
TSR2 was better
McNamara's pos, they should have named it the Tardvark
I lived in Las Vegas during the testing of the F111A at Nellis AFB. It was ugly for tge pilots that were tasked with it. Seemed like they were constantly grounded , or pounding into the ground. Within my neighborhood we lost 3 pilots. And there were even more deaths. As it was the deadliest plane ever to be proven air worthy from Nellis. But I remember the F111 as a runway paper weight for year's. All of the men from Nellis hated the damned thing. It was high maintenance
I believe that this video should be better labeled! I think it would explain the content of the video better if were labeled "F-111 Aardvark/ F-105 Thunderchief Technological Marvel of the Cold War"
Robert Strange McNamara was an evil man who cost more American lives than can be justified under any military doctrine. He was an armchair "general" playing at warfare with zero knowledge of the requirements thereof.
LBJ was a criminal of the lowest order.
You know, I was standing in the middle of no where's vile Utah. 2 f-111 blew over the top of me. The plane knocked me on my ass. That was a massive aircraft, which was bas ass..
Nothing but admiration for the F105 pilots that flew Nam. Was great seeing Lt Walter's after all these yrs. I knew him from Nellis in the 60s. My sister was heartbroken when he shipped out for nam.
Wish the Aussies would have refurbished the F-111C with new engines, new weapon systems, multi mode radar like on the newest F-15ES new 1760 weapon wiring bus, and a total rebuild for the 6 to 8 billion they paid for the super hornets spares and training etc.
Buy extra F-111 from the boneyard for spares and rebuild 28 or 32 x RAAF F-111C+ and 8 x EF-111C+ SEAD DEAD aircraft.
Even though not stealth if fitted out with extensive ESM, ECM and escort by EF-111 it could go low and hard hit the enemy and upon egress had the speed to out run even a F-15C during war games.
This was the first aircraft I worked on as a crew chief in 1975.
My uncle was a crew chief for one of the original Nellis ground crews that deployed to Thailand. Fascinating stories.
I had an interesting encounter with an FB-111 in 1985. I was 14 at the time, working on my brother's logging crew during summer vacation. This was in the northern Adirondacks in New York before restrictions were put on low-level military flights. That day, I was in pretty thick forest, falling trees. My brother had left with the skidder, bringing a hitch of trees to the header and I stopped to gas up my saw. The woods were quiet, save for the squirrels and birds. Remember half expecting Snow White to show up singing. Instead, an FB out of Plattsburgh AFB went over me very fast and very low. I heard it just in time to look up and catch a glimpse of it and see the trees getting thrashed by the jetwash. Then the dead tree limbs started raining down around me. Being young, indestructible, and wearing a hardhat, I just laughed the whole time.
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The F-111 is such a unique fighter jet. I love that the pilots sit side by side—it makes it easier to pass a beer!