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From: mick@tasis.eecs.utas.edu.au (Michael Purvis)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: F111
Summary: Info on F111
Keywords: F111, Aardvark
Message-ID: <1990Aug10.010635.29467@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 10 Aug 90 01:06:35 GMT
References: <1990Jul27.015630.22235@cbnews.att.com> <1990Jul31.023053.20098@cbnews.att.com>
Sender: military@cbnews.att.com (William B. Thacker)
Organization: Elec Eng & Comp Sci, Uni of Tasmania, Australia
Lines: 33
Approved: military@att.att.com



From: mick@tasis.eecs.utas.edu.au (Michael Purvis)


There was some talk a little while ago about the F111...to quote "Fighting
Jets":

	"The genesis of these superplanes (F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, 
	etc...) of the 1970's and 1980's went back nearly 20 years-to the 
	emerging saga of Vietnam, and to an interim aircraft that was 
	embroiled in controversy from its inception.  The U.S. DoD wanted an
	all-purpose plane to outduel any jet that tried to shoot it down.  It
	also had to deliver bombs as reliably as the F-105 but to take off in
	half the distance.  It should have the latest in electronics to skim
	automatically a few hundred feet above mountainous terrain and find a 
	target no matter how miserable the weather.  The DD (Defence Department)
	seeking a long production run to lower the cost of each jet, decreed
	that this new wonderplane should be the frontline fighter for both
	the Navy and Air Force.  The result-was the General Dynamics F111, a
	50-ton monster that was promptly dubbed the Aardvark.  Its most unusual
	feature was the variable-sweep wing...at high speeds they automatically
	swept back into a delta shape for optimum performance beyond Mach 1.

	From the start, the Aardvark had problems.  It was too unwieldy for 
	dogfighting and far too big and heavy for the Navy's carriers.  Its 
	engines tended to lose power suddenly, and its smart new terrain-
	following radar often went awry.  Gradually the new plane's mechanical
	troubles were eliminated, and the Aardvark became a reasonably effective
	all-weather attack aircraft."


Hope this was informative...