The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is the best program ever conducted in military aviation history. Developed in the 1960s as part of the Tactical Fighter Experimental Program, it was supposed to be a variable sweep-wing Cold War tactical strike fighter able to meet all requirements both for the Air Forces and the Navy. It was an extremely versatile piece of machinery, very advanced technologically; the potential for its use in many combat roles, including strategic bombing or electronic warfare, seemed almost unlimited.
This, among many other innovations, dragged a lot of technologies into service for the F-111, which have since become commonplace on modern aircraft. Variable-sweep wings gave it flexibility either for high-speed performance or extra lift during takeoff and landing. Power was provided by two Pratt & Whitney TF30 afterburning turbofan engines, giving the aircraft the capacity to attain speeds over Mach 2.5 and a combat radius of about 1,200 nautical miles.
Perhaps its finest innovation was the terrain-following radar that enabled this F-111 to fly so low, avoid enemy radar, and strike with accuracy. This was a capability required for missions against hostile targets in hostile environments wherein avoiding detection became paramount.
It was engaged with the F-111 in various conflicts, with very impressive notes for its accuracy and reliability. During the Vietnam War, it flew more than 4,000 combat missions with very few losses, thus being proved as a very strong and efficient machine. Heavy engagement in Operation Desert Storm by the model F-111F also proved very successful with the astonishing strike success rate of 3.2 successful sorties for everyone not successful.
In 1986, the F-111 was the mainstay of Operation El Dorado Canyon—the U.S. airstrikes on Libya. Eighteen Aardvarks, among them historic aircraft #178, flew the longest fighter combat mission ever: 6,400 miles in 13 hours. This mission showed the long-range F-111’s strategic importance to U.S. military operations.
The contributions of the F-111 to military aviation did not stop there, merely with its combat performance. Its design and technological advances influenced succeeding aircraft, such as the F-14 Tomcat and the B-1 Lancer. Not least of these, the variable-sweep wing concept pointed the way toward high-speed performance with multi-mission versatility.
Development was not, however, without its problems, especially with the engines. These were finally sorted out, and the aircraft indeed proved highly capable for the missions it was tasked with. During the 1990s, the F-111 was retired from U.S. Air Force service, being replaced by the multi-mission F-15E Strike Eagle and the swing-wing B-1B Lancer. The F-111C served with the Royal Australian Air Force until its retirement in 2010, thus completing a long career.
This makes the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark a millstone of military aviation history. The innovative design, coupled with technological innovation and operational versatility, makes them almost indelibly stamped in aerospace engineering. From its very concept in the 1960s to its decommissioning at the end of the 1990s, very few people realize that the F-111 has played a central role in modern air warfare.