aviation - the past, present and future of flight

USAF IN THE UK SPECIAL

T

he General Dynamics F-111

‘Aardvark’ had the hardest and

probably the most acrimonious

gestation of any modern jet

 ghter to enter service with the USAF. Its

development was plagued by negative media

attention and wallet-watching politicians.

But, despite this, the F-111 emerged as one

of the most successful  ghter-bombers the

USAF has ever  own;  ghting in Southeast

Asia and later displaying its prowess over

Libya on Operation El Dorado Canyon and

in the  rst Gulf War. Almost everything about

the aircraft was innovative from its variable

sweep wings to its Mach 1+ ultra-low altitude

terrain-following capability.

Two F-111 tactical  ghter wings (TFW)

were assigned to USAFE during the Cold

War and both were based in the UK: the

20th at Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire and the

48th based at Lakenheath in Suffolk. The

former received the F-111E and the latter the

’F model.

The F-111F was the  nal version of the

Aardvark produced. Upgrades of the previous

models included enhanced navigation and

digital computer systems, AN/APQ-144 attack

radar, improved undercarriage and Pratt &

Whitney TF-30-P-100 engines with more

thrust. The 48th received its  rst two F-111Fs

on March 1, 1977, replacing its McDonnell

Douglas F-4D Phantom IIs.

The 48th TFW had four tactical  ghter

squadrons (TFS) assigned: the 492nd,

493rd, 494th and 495th. Capt Jim Jimenez

 ew with the 48th from August 1984 to

December 1986. “I well remember my  rst

impression of the F-111. The cockpit was

very ‘switch intensive’, which combined

with the heavy hatch and limited visibility

reminded me of the  rst space capsules.

Plus, the two crewmen sat side-side.

“The F-111 was very good at  ying fast,

low, and delivering ordnance at night or in

adverse weather. But, it was big, with high

wing loading and poor visibility – it was

impossible to see past about 5 o’clock to

the rear. Also, the airplane had this huge

canopy rail down the centre of the cockpit

• when  ying I was constantly shifting in
  the seat to see around the rail. Although it
  was extremely fast and stable at low-level,
  it bled-off airspeed at an extraordinary rate
  when turning.”

Doug Gordon charts the F-111F’s time with 48th Tactical Fighter Wing.

LAKENHEATH’S

F -111Fs

48 Aviation News incorporating Jets July 2018

48-53_usaf_f111DC.mfDC.mf.indd 48 06/06/2018 11:19