Iconic F-111s to be sold as scrap

Brisbane Courier-Mail ^ | 14th March 2011 | Ian McPhedran

[naturalman1975]

PUBLIC aviation museums have been virtually banned from acquiring any of the RAAF's retired F-111 strike jets.

The iconic planes, that never fired a shot in anger but spent years entertaining crowds with their spectacular dump-and-burn routines, will only be displayed at secure RAAF bases and inside RAAF museums due to cost, red tape and asbestos concerns.

Five of the 34 jets will be preserved as museum pieces at bases at Amberley, west of Brisbane, Point Cook in Victoria and at Edinburgh, South Australia.

Three more could be preserved for ``defence heritage'' and two may be given to a US Air Force museum. The remaining planes will be scrapped and sold as lumps of metal.

It is understood one was offered to the Australian War Memorial in Canberra but it declined due to the $1 million or more cost to ``demilitarise'' the aircraft.

The Defence Department said providing aircraft to public or private museums would require US Government approval and the removal of all asbestos.

The recipient would have to pay remediation, demilitarisation and placement costs, which could amount to several million dollars, putting them out of the reach of museums such as the Sunshine Coast's Queensland Air Museum at Caloundra airport.

Museum vice-president Ron Cuskelly said the Defence Department had created a ``smoke screen'' to prevent the aircraft from being displayed at non-military museums.

Queensland Air Museum already has a Canberra bomber, two Meteor bombers, a Vampire, a Sabre and a Sea Venom, two Hunters and one Sea Vixen in its military collection.

``We have never been given anything by the military or the government who would rather see them scrapped than displayed for the public to see and touch,'' Mr Cuskelly said.

[gorush]

These fly by wire, high speed, low altitude fighter/bombers killed a dear friend, the computer apparently didn’t have the required information to keep it from hitting a hillside.

[chaosagent]

F-111s flew in VIET-FRIGGING-NAM !!!

Not Australian F-111s. The RAAF flew Canberras in Vietnam.

---

Don’t know about the RAAF Canberras, but the US version, the RB-57’s that I worked on in the 70’s was the only jet I ever saw that had BUICK jet engines.

[Calvin Locke]

I remember the FB-111s from Plattsburgh, back in the day.

[Dick Bachert]

I supplied equipment to General Dynamics, Fort Worth for the F-111/TFX swing-wing which was a dual purpose craft that McNamara’s “Whiz Kids” insisted be used by both the Navy and USAF. The Navy found they were too heavy for carrier operations and had to be extensively modified. Spent hours in that plant watching them being built. Even though they were not all that successful, still sad to see them scrapped out.

[Yo-Yo]

I remember the FB-111s from Plattsburgh, back in the day.

I was at Mtn. Home from 1978-1981, working on the F-111A. The FB-111As were at Plattsburgh, and at Pease, NH.

[Jack Hydrazine]

Our F-14s were cut up and sold for scrap and now they are doing this to another swing wing. What gives?

[Bean Counter]

The Air Force used Aardvarks to hit Kadaffy back in the mid 80s.

Ugly SOBs but excellent penetration bombers in the days before “brilliant” weapons. They had laser target illumination but that’s about it...

[NCC-1701]

There’s an Aardvard sitting in the parking lot of a military surplus store just off of I-30 in Leary, Texas. Nice plane, horrible state of disrepair.

[RayChuang88]

The reason why the F-111 was retired was the fact that the F-15E Strike Eagle could do almost as much as the F-111, but the F-15E could be fitted with more modern air-to-ground weapons and once the bombs were dropped, became a very viable air-to-air fighter--the modern equivalent of the de Havilland Mosquitos from World War II.

[thatjoeguy]

Interesting, my brother was stationed in Mtn Home around that time although I’m not totally sure what he did, I think he worked on the jets though (17 years my senior) and while there the family visited him for a couple of weeks between 76-78 not sure when. All I remember was the camping in the mountains and fishin’, it was a good time for sure.

Oh and a day or two before leaving since my Dad was an old retired AF sarge they had a little fun celebrating with some of the guys. Kinda like a delayed retirement party for Dad I guess. Never seen him drunk before or since and almost wouldn’t have noticed ‘cept for the fact that although he didn’t say much he just sat there on the couch afterward with this goofy grin on his face. He sure had a good time but Mom didn’t care much for it. :)

[Oztrich Boy]

I thought the RAAF bought them used?

24 Bought new as F-111C in 60s. Upgrade (Digital avonics Pacer Strike equivilent) late 90s

4 exUSAF F-111A purchased as attrition replacements late 70s

15 exUSAF F-111G (exFB-111A) purchased early 90s for training missions

[org.whodat]

True, and they were the planes that went after daffy duck Also know as Qaddafi in Libya.

[org.whodat]

Replaced temporarily by F/A-18Fs, eventually to be replaced permanently by F-35As.

All of which will shortly be replaced by drones.

[Bean Counter]

That makes sense....my background is Navy so the whys and wherefores of the US Air Force often escape me...

Personally, I’m a big fan of the ‘Varks...coolest ejection system ever invented in my view, although I’m not sure I’d like to test ride it.....

[SJSAMPLE]

The F-111 is almost as much a product of the Navy as it is the Air Force. It began as a joint fighter, before the F-14, but disagreements on performance and mission characteristics caused the Navy to bail and start work on the F-14.