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Message: <blockquote data-quote="AL1717" data-source="post: 6364338" data-attributes="member: 51115">ADA Defender - Are the F-111 <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111C-Avalon-2009-3S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> By far the best recent example of bureaucratic incompetence and dishonesty in Australia's DoD is the completely arbitrary decision to prematurely retire Australia's F-111 fleet, which at full strength accounted for over 50 percent of Australia's striking capability <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/DFA_71.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111C-AUP-A8-129-1ES.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> F-111C A8-129 in legacy and current camouflage. <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111C-A8-129-Grey-1S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111C-AGM-142E-1.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://AGM-142E Popeye Stand Off Weapon on F-111C" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111C-AGM-142E-2.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> AN/ASW-55 Datalink pod on F-111C <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/000-JSF-vs-F-111-1A.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/ALCM-F-111-vs-FA-18A-2A.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111F-Pave-Tack-USAF.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The F-111F was the most capable US Air Force variant, this example armed with four GBU-10 laser guided bombs and with its AVQ-26 Pave Tack electro-optical targeting pod deployed. The F-111 played a pivotal role in the destruction of Saddam's forces in 1991, as well as distinguishing itself during the Linebacker II campaign and El Dorado Canyon strikes. Around 70 F-111Fs, a large fraction with new Pacer Strike avionics, are mothballed now at AMARC <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111F-72-1450-GBU-15.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/FB-111A-SRAM.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> US Strategic Air Command FB-111A aircraft carried nuclear armed AGM-69 SRAM defence suppression missiles in the internal weapon bay, which all F-111s were built with. Australia's F-111 has played an important role as a test platform for clearing a wide range of new internally carried munitions being developed for the F-22A and later JSF <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/EF-111A-dvic239a.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The U.S. Air Force prematurely mothballed its Electronic Attack force of 40 Grumman/GD EF-111A Ravens in 1999, after an acrimonious public debate. The lost capability is now being reconstituted using even older B-52H airframes, equipped with external jamming pods, unlike the compact internal variant of the ALQ-99 carried by the Ravens. The traditional defence penetration related  roles performed by electronic attack aircraft are increasingly broadening to encompass communications and network jamming <img src="http://www.ausairpower.net/F-111-Leverage.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /> The F-111 is an unusually versatile high performance aircraft, and has been used as a strike fighter, support jammer and also a testbed vehicle for carrying a long range SAR/GMTI radar in high threat environments. With over 200 mothballed airframes available in AMARC, the aircraft has the potential with upgrades to remain in service well past 2020, and fulfill a much wider range of roles than currently used for. </blockquote>

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