AARDVARKS LAST FLIGHTS OF THE F-111

摘要

High-speed, low-level passes, tight formations, and the glow and roar of the flaming "dump-and-burn" procedure marked the final flight of the F-111 over the skies of Australia in December 2010. For 43 years the needle-nose, swing-wing plane was relied upon for all-weather, all-terrain interdiction and tactical strike bombing for the U.S. Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force. Its two-man crews flew over Vietnam, supported NATO's priorities during the Cold War, completed the longest combat mission in history, provided coastal defense reconnaissance for Australia, and participated in the Gulf War. With the ability to adjust the wings' angles while in flight, it could tuck the wings close to the fuselage and use terrain-following radar to swoop at 200 feet AGL at supersonic speeds.