Why was the F-111 called the aardvark?
Why was the F-111 called the aardvark?
The F-111 was given the name Aardvark due to its long and slightly overturned nose. The F-111’s design features variable geometry wings and is mostly built with aluminium, titanium steel. It has an internal weapons bay and a cockpit with side-by-side seating in escape crew capsule.
Why did the Air Force retire the F-111?
One of the reasons given for the F-111s’ retirement was the high maintenance time required for every flight hour; Crandall said that the USAF’s F-111 “was nine percent of Tactical Air Command’s fleet but ate up a whopping 25 percent of the maintenance budget”. The last F-111s were retired on 3 December 2010.
Was the F-111 A good aircraft?
The F-111 was a multipurpose tactical fighter bomber capable of supersonic speeds. The aircraft was one of the more controversial aircraft ever to fly, yet it achieved one of the safest operational records of any aircraft in USAF history and became a highly effective all-weather interdiction aircraft.
Why does the F-111 dump and burn?
Although the giant flame plume is cosmetic, the F111 can dump fuel like this in case you need to quickly reduce the weight of the aircraft; in-flight emergencies are one possible reason to reduce weight quickly. The fire is because the pilot lit the afterburners whilst dumping fuel.
Was the F-111 used in Vietnam?
The F-111 served in a number of combat operations. There have been 14 combat losses, only one of which was a confirmed shoot-down. The remainder of the losses were mid-air collisions, flight into terrain, or unknown. Ten United States F-111s were lost during combat action in Vietnam, Libya and Iraq.
What was the nickname for the F-111?
Pig
In Australian military and aviation circles, the F-111 Aardvark was affectionately known as the “Pig”, due to its long snout and terrain-following ability.
Why is it called afterburner?
An afterburner (or reheat in British English) is an additional combustion component used on some jet engines, mostly those on military supersonic aircraft. Afterburning injects additional fuel into a combustor in the jet pipe behind (i.e., “after”) the turbine, “reheating” the exhaust gas.
How fast does an F 111 go?
1,650 mph
General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark/Top speed
The F-111 was a trailblazer for aircraft tech, with examples being its afterburning turbofan engines, sweep-wing, and automatic terrain-following radar. With its pioneering characteristics and a top speed of 1,650 mph, this high-speed variable-sweep wing aircraft has earned its place in military history.