List of General Dynamics F-111 aircraft operated by the Royal Australian Air Force

This is a list of the General Dynamics F-111 aircraft operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) between 1973 and 2010. The RAAF's fleet of F-111s included 28 F-111Cs (of which four were converted to RF-111C reconnaissance aircraft) and 15 F-111Gs. Several more F-111s were purchased from the United States and used for ground training and testing purposes, or as a source of spare parts.

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Background

The Australian Government purchased 24 F-111Cs in 1963.^[1] These were completed during 1968 and early 1969, and the first of the RAAF's aircraft was handed over to the service on 4 September 1968. However, the entire fleet was grounded in the United States shortly afterwards while serious deficiencies with the F-111's design were corrected. The RAAF finally accepted the 24 aircraft during 1973, and they flew to Australia in four groups between 1 June and 4 December that year.^[1]^[2]

Four of the F-111Cs were modified to RF-111C reconnaissance aircraft. The first, A8-126, received these modifications in the United States between October 1979 and April 1979; the other three were converted in Australia between July and September 1980.^[3]

The RAAF purchased four ex-United States Air Force (USAF) F-111As in 1981 as attrition replacements. These aircraft were delivered to the service in 1982 and were subsequently converted to F-111C standard.^[1]

In 1992 the Australian Government decided to purchase up to 18 ex-USAF F-111Gs in order to extend the type's service life. 15 F-111Gs were eventually acquired, and they were delivered to the RAAF during late 1993 and early 1994.^[1]^[4] Three more ex-USAF F-111Gs were also held for Australia in the United States, but never delivered.^[5] Other ex-USAF F-111s were also held at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AKA The Boneyard) in Arizona as sources of spare parts for the RAAFs fleet of aircraft.^[6]

The Australian Government announced on 7 November 2003 that the RAAF's F-111s would be retired from 2010, and on 16 March 2007 it was announced that the type would be withdrawn by the end of 2010.^[7] The F-111Gs were retired before the F-111Cs, with the last leaving service on 3 September 2007.^[8] The F-111C fleet was drawn down, and the type was finally retired on 3 December 2010.^[9] Eight of the RAAF's F-111s (seven F-111Cs and one F-111G) were destroyed in crashes during the type's service, with ten airmen being killed.^[10]

Following the F-111s' retirement, 13 of the surviving aircraft (12 F-111Cs and a single F-111G) were preserved in aviation museums and RAAF air bases. The remaining aircraft were buried at the Swanbank landfill site outside of Ipswich, Queensland, between 21 and 23 November 2011.^[11]

Aircraft

Variant	RAAF serial number	Delivery/acceptance	Fate^[12]	Comments
F-111A	N/A	January 1995^[12]	Buried 22 November 2011	Ex-USAF aircraft used as a training aid. USAF serial 63-9768^[12]
F-111A	N/A	November 1999^[13]	Tested to destruction by the DSTO, with the teardown of the airframe being completed in late 2003^[14]	Purchased for airframe testing purposes^[13] USAF serial 67-0106^[12]
F-111A	N/A	N/A	?	Stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in the US for possible RAAF use from 1981^[13] USAF serial 67-0108^[15]
F-111A/C	A8-109	13 August 1982^[15]	Preserved at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society	Final F-111 to shut down its engines.^[16]
F-111A/C	A8-112	13 August 1982^[15]	Buried 23 November 2011 Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley
F-111A/C	A8-113	1982^[15]	Preserved at the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre
F-111A/C	A8-114	1982^[15]	Buried 24 November 2011 Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley
F-111C	A8-125	16 March 1973^[2]	Preserved at the RAAF Museum	First F-111C to arrive in Australia, and final aircraft to land at the type's retirement ceremony^[9]
F-111C/RF-111C	A8-126	6 September 1968 & 6 April 1973^[2]	Preserved at the RAAF Amberly Aviation Heritage Centre	Accepted in 1968, but grounded while major structural problems with the F-111s were resolved. Accepted for a second time in 1973.^[17] Prototype RF-111C, converted to this variant between October 1978 and April 1979^[18]
F-111C	A8-127	6 April 1973^[2]	Destroyed in a crash at Guyra, New South Wales on 13 September 1993 Both aircrew killed^[10]
F-111C	A8-128	30 April 1973^[2]	Destroyed in a crash at Tenterfield, New South Wales on 2 April 1987 Both aircrew killed^[10]
F-111C	A8-129	18 April 1973^[2]	Preserved at the Queensland Air Museum
F-111C	A8-130	27 April 1973^[2]	Preserved at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor
F-111C	A8-131	? 1973^[2]	Buried 23 November 2011 Crew escape module preserved at the Australian National Aviation Museum
F-111C	A8-132	8 May 1973^[2]	Preserved at the South Australian Aviation Museum
F-111C	A8-133	27 July 1973^[2]	Destroyed in a crash at Evans Head, New South Wales on 29 September 1977 Both aircrew killed^[10]
F-111C/RF-111C	A8-134	8 June 1973^[2]	Preserved at the Australian War Memorial^[19]	Converted to RF-111C during 1980^[18]
F-111C	A8-135	29 June 1973^[2]	Buried 23 November 2011 Crew escape module preserved at the Caboolture Warplane Museum
F-111C	A8-136	27 July 1973^[2]	Destroyed in a crash at Armidale, New South Wales on 28 April 1977 Both aircrew survived^[10]
F-111C	A8-137	? 1973^[2]	Destroyed in a crash at RNZAF Base Ohakea on 24 August 1979 Both aircrew survived^[10]	Crew escape module, rudder and fin preserved at the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre
F-111C	A8-138	26 July 1973^[2]	Gate guardian at RAAF Base Amberley
F-111C	A8-139	? 1973^[2]	Crashed into the sea and destroyed off Moruya, New South Wales on 28 January 1986 Both aircrew killed^[10]
F-111C	A8-140	3 August 1973^[2]	Buried 24 November 2011 Crew escape module preserved at the Aviation Heritage Museum, Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley
F-111C	A8-141	? 1973^[2]	Crashed into Auckland Harbour and destroyed on 25 October 1978. Both aircrew survived^[10]	Crew escape module preserved at RAAF Base Amberley
F-111C	A8-142	22 August 1973^[2]	Preserved at RAAF Base Wagga
F-111C/RF-111C	A8-143	6 September 1973^[2]	Buried 24 November 2011 Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley	Modified to RF-111C standard in 1980^[18] Suffered damage in a belly landing at Amberley on 18 July 2006 and never repaired^[12]
F-111C	A8-144	18 September 1973^[2]	Buried 23 November 2011	Carried special "city of Ipswitch" scheme on tail and forward section
F-111C	A8-145	27 September 1973^[2]	Buried 23 November 2011	Repair of Fatigue crack in lower wing during 1996. The fatigue crack was a chordwise 48 mm crack in the critical, non-failsafe, port lower wing skin at approximately 2/3 semi span. The crack had reduced the wing's residual strength to below Design Limit Load and the repair was therefore critical.
F-111C/RF-111C	A8-146	? 1973^[2]	Buried 24 November 2011 Reconnaissance pallet donated to the Australian War Memorial, fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley	Modified to RF-111C standard in 1980^[18]
F-111C	A8-147	26 October 1973^[2]	Preserved at the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome
F-111C	A8-148	4 December 1973^[2]	Preserved at Fighter World, RAAF Base Williamtown
F-111G	A8-259	?	Buried 22 November 2011
F-111G	A8-264	?	Buried 23 November 2011
F-111G	A8-265	?	Buried 21 November 2011
F-111G	A8-270	?	Buried 22 November 2011
F-111G	A8-271	?	Buried 23 November 2011
F-111G	A8-272	?	Preserved at the RAAF Museum	Nicknamed "The Boneyard Wrangler",^[12] as it was revived from a USAF graveyard salvaging parts from various other F-111s. Only Complete F-111G in Australia to be preserved
F-111G	A8-274	?	Buried 23 November 2011
F-111G	A8-277	?	Buried 21 November 2011
F-111G	A8-278	?	Buried 22 November 2011
F-111G	A8-281	?	Buried 22 November 2011
F-111G	A8-282	?	Buried 23 November 2011
F-111G	A8-291	?	Destroyed in a crash on Pulau Aur, Malaysia on 18 April 1999 Both aircrew killed^[10]
F-111G	A8-506	?	Buried 22 November 2011
F-111G	A8-512	?	Buried 23 November 2011 Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley. Fin on display at entrance to HQJOC.
F-111G	A8-514	?	Buried 22 November 2011
FB-111A	N/A	?	On display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum since November 2014	The forward section only of the ex-USAF FB-111A 68-0246 was acquired by the RAAF as a recruitment aid^[20]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to General Dynamics F-111 in Australian service.

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "A8 General Dynamics F-111". RAAF Museum. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y Lax (2010), p. 111
^ Lax (2010), pp. 140-141
^ Lax (2010), p. 205
^ Lax (2010), p. 203
^ "General Dynamics F-111A/C/G and RF-111C".
^ Lax (2010), pp. 234-235
^ Lax (2010), p. 204
^ ^a ^b "F-111 flies into history". Australian Aviation. 3 December 2010. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Lax (2010), p. 135
^ Cuskelly (2014), pp. 26, 29-30
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Cuskelly (2014), p. 29
^ ^a ^b ^c Lax (2010), p. 162
^ Lax (2010), p. 214
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Lax (2010), p. 163
^ Huntsdale, Justin (27 November 2019). "Aviation fanatic dusts off retired F-111, one of Australia's most important fighter bombers". ABC News. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
^ "F-111". RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre. Retrieved 23 March 2014.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Lax (2010), p. 141
^ "Australian War Memorial to add RF-111C to its collection". Australian Aviation. 20 April 2018. Retrieved 21 April 2018.
^ Crick, Darren; Edwards, Martin. "RAAF A8 General Dynamics F111C/G & RF111C". ADF-Serials. Retrieved 15 March 2015.

Works consulted

Cuskelly, Ron (April–June 2014). "Preserving the Pig". Aero Australia (42): 22–30.
Lax, Mark (2010). From Controversy to Cutting Edge: A History of the F-111 in Australian Service. Canberra: Air Power Development Centre. ISBN 9781920800543. Archived from the original on 30 May 2012.

This page was last edited on 16 September 2023, at 10:06