General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark

General Dynamics · United States · first flew 1964 · bomber

A pioneering swing-wing strike aircraft with side-by-side seating, built for fast low-level penetration with terrain-following radar.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	High-mounted, swept
E — Engines	2 × turbofan, fuselage-mounted
F — Fuselage	Variable-sweep wings shoulder-mounted high on the fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Side-by-side two-seat cockpit in a jettisonable escape capsule
Variable-sweep wings shoulder-mounted high on the fuselage
Two afterburning turbofans paired in the tail with a single fin

The high-mounted variable-sweep wings, side-by-side cockpit and twin tail-mounted engines are key. It is smaller and cleaner than a Tu-22M, with a more compact fuselage and the distinctive escape-capsule cockpit.

Specifications

The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark has a length of 22.4 m (73 ft).
It has a wingspan of 19.2 m (63 ft).
Its maximum speed is 2300 km/h (1429 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Conceived under the controversial TFX programme to serve both the USAF and US Navy, the F-111 first flew in 1964; the naval version failed but the land-based strike aircraft matured into a capable deep-interdiction platform. It saw combat in Vietnam and famously flew the 1986 Libya raid from British bases.

Variants

Strike versions ran from the F-111A through the E and definitive F, with the long-span FB-111A strategic bomber for SAC and the EF-111A Raven electronic-warfare jammer.

Where you'll see it

Not an RAF type, but the F-111 has deep UK ties: USAF F-111s were based at RAF Lakenheath and Upper Heyford for decades during the Cold War and launched the Libya strike from England in 1986.

Related aircraft

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