"Tell the Vietnamese they've got to draw in their horns or we're going to bomb them back into the Stone Age. And we would shove them back into the Stone Age with Air power or Naval power - not with ground forces."
- General Curtis LeMay, May 1964

The General Dynamics F-111 "Aardvark" is a medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft that also fills the roles of strategic bomber, reconnaissance, and electronic warfare in its various versions. Developed in the 1960s and first entering service in 1967, the United States Air Force (USAF) variants were officially retired by 1998. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the sole remaining operator of the F-111.

The F-111 pioneered several technologies for production military aircraft including variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines, and automated terrain following radar for low-level, high-speed flight. Its design was influential, being reflected in later Soviet aircraft such as the Sukhoi Su-24, and some of its advanced features have since become commonplace. During its inception, however, the F-111 suffered a variety of development problems, and several of its intended roles, such as naval interception through the F-111B, failed to materialize.

In USAF service the F-111 has been effectively replaced by the F-15E Strike Eagle for medium-range precision strike missions, while the supersonic bomber role has been assumed by the B-1B Lancer. In 2007, the RAAF decided to replace its 21 F-111s in 2010 with 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale rendition of a RAAF General Dynamics F-111G Aardvark strike aircraft that was attached to No.6 Squadron, then deployed to Amberley, Australia, from 1994-20. Now in stock!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 12-1/4-inches
Length: 10-1/2-inches

Release Date: April 2020

Historical Account: "Amberley" - No.6 Squadron's first F-111Cs arrived at Amberley on June 1st, 1973, and the unit flew its first sorties with the aircraft on the 13th of the month. The squadron's main role remained that of an operational conversion unit, though it had a secondary strike role. From August 1979, No.6 Squadron gained a photo reconnaissance role when it was issued with four aircraft which had been modified into RF-111Cs. These four aircraft were concentrated the squadron's Reconnaissance Flight, which included photo analysts as well as specialized aircrew. Training was conducted in Australia and nearby countries, and the RF-111Cs occasionally deployed to the United States to take part in exercises held there. In June 1982, No.6 Squadron was expanded to include a Survey Flight, which undertook photo survey flights in co-operation with the Army's Royal Australian Survey Corps using a leased Learjet. The flight conducted surveys of south-eastern Australia, northern Australia, Fiji and parts of Indonesia and Malaysia until it was disbanded on May 15th, 1987.