F-111A
Contents
Description
Following the exposition of the shortcomings of the current fighter aircraft of the United States in the 1960s, particularly shown during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Department of Defense set out to procure a versatile, long-range strike aircraft to meet the demands of the Cold War for both the US Navy and Air Force. The F-111 project was born as a joint effort between the Air Force and Navy, aiming to create a multi-role aircraft capable of performing both strategic and tactical missions in USAF doctrine and for Navy "fleet defence and strike" doctrine, resulting in the F-111 development program being one of the most comical rollercoaster rides in the world of military aviation. After many shortcomings, failures, and cancellations of certain aspects of the program, primarily the F-111K (UK export variant) and F-111B (US Navy fleet defence fighter) being cancelled, the development shifted to solely focus on the USAF frontline-bomber variant. Though the F-111 program faced numerous challenges and controversies, it eventually evolved into an impressive aircraft known for its adaptability and innovative technology. The initial chapter in this story, the F-111A, was just the tip of the spear, and the advent of a long and notable history of the "Aardvark" family.
The F-111A Aardvark is a heavy frontline bomber and low-altitude interdictor, introduced in Update "Kings of Battle". Building upon the doctrine and playstyle of previous aircraft in the bomber line, primarily the previous F-105D, the F-111A borrows many of its mission profiles, and as such has a similar set of advantages and disadvantages against its adversaries. The F-111 is characterized by being the extreme of most ends in-game, being the fastest aircraft in-game at the time of its introduction, at a Battle Rating where nothing can even dream of catching you at your max speed. However, reaching that max speed is another story, as the Pratt & Whitney TF-30 engines, familiar to pilots of the F-14A Early, have abysmal acceleration, which when coupled with the high-drag airframe, means that the F-111A bleeds energy dangerously quickly in any manoeuvre. However, do not let these donwnsides deter you from the venerable 'Vark, as in the hands of a more experienced player, it can be a very dangerous fighter at its battle rating, utilizing its good top speed and great manoeuvrability at low speed to win almost all engagements it finds itself in. If all else fails, the F-111 can resort to bombing bases thanks to its highly respectable ordnance load, capable of leveling up to seven bases in Air Realistic Battles when fully loaded with bombs. In ground battles, the F-111 can function as a precision interdictor thanks to its small selection of precision weapons and bomb computer, or more likely, as an area-level frontline strike aircraft, thanks to its capability to carpet bomb with up to fifty bombs, or hammer a smaller area with its 456x FFAR rockets.
Players must take caution when taking any ordnance on the outermost four pylons, as this configuration locks the wings in forward sweep and turns the F-111 into a subsonic bomb truck.
General info
Flight performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at _,___ m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | ___ | ___ | 12192 | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ___ |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 611 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | - |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| _____ | _ | _,___ kg | ___ kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Gross Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | ||
| ___ kg | ___ | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | ___%/WEP | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | MGW |
| Stationary | ___ kgf | ___ kgf | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Optimal | ___ kgf (_ km/h) |
___ kgf (_ km/h) |
_.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Survivability and armour
Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The F-111A is armed with:
- 52 x large calibre countermeasures
Suspended armament
Describe the aircraft's suspended armament: additional cannons under the wings, bombs, rockets and torpedoes. This section is especially important for bombers and attackers. If there is no suspended weaponry remove this subsection.
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Pros and cons
Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".
Pros:
Cons:
History
Devblog History
The prototype of a new American bomber was born from the conditions of a complex and constantly changing technical specification. The first flight of the F-111A prototype took place at the end of 1964 with serial production being established only 3 years later. While the initial priority for avionics development was the use of nuclear weapons, the Vietnam War dramatically changed the Aardvark's purpose towards a low-altitude bombing aircraft that could fly deep into enemy territory beyond the reach of anti-aircraft weaponry. The F-111 was in service with the U.S. Air Force until 1996 and was widely used in various military operations.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| USA jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | |
| F9F | F9F-2 · F9F-5 · F9F-8 |
| F-80 | F-80A-5 · F-80C-10 |
| F-84 | F-84B-26 · F-84F · F-84G-21-RE |
| F-86 | F-86A-5 · F-86F-25 · F-86F-2 · F-86F-35 |
| F-89 | F-89B · F-89D |
| F-100 | F-100D |
| F-104 | F-104A · F-104C |
| F-4 | F-4C Phantom II · F-4E Phantom II · F-4J Phantom II · F-4S Phantom II |
| F-5 | F-5A · F-5C · F-5E · F-20A |
| F-8 | F8U-2 · F-8E |
| F-14 | F-14A Early · ▄F-14A IRIAF · F-14B |
| F-15 | F-15A · F-15C MSIP II · F-15E |
| F-16 | F-16A · F-16A ADF · F-16C |
| Other | P-59A · F2H-2 · F3D-1 · F3H-2 · F4D-1 · F11F-1 |
| Strike Aircraft | |
| FJ-4 | FJ-4B · FJ-4B VMF-232 |
| A-4 | A-4B · A-4E Early |
| A-7 | A-7D · A-7E · A-7K |
| AV-8 | AV-8A · AV-8C · AV-8B Plus · AV-8B (NA) |
| A-10 | A-10A · A-10A Late · A-10C |
| F-111 | F-111A · F-111F |
| Other | A-6E TRAM · F-105D · F-117 |
| Bombers | |
| B-57 | B-57A · B-57B |
