F-111 Aardvark: One of the Most Successful Fighter-Bombers in Air Force History
Key Points and Summary – The F-111 Aardvark, a long and sleek fighter-bomber known for its variable-sweep wings, was one of the most successful aircraft in U.S. Air Force history.
-This versatile workhorse proved its mettle across multiple conflicts. In Vietnam, it excelled at night and all-weather bombing.
-In 1986, it conducted the longest fighter mission in history during a daring raid against Libya.
-Finally, in Operation Desert Storm, its innovative Pave Tack targeting system allowed it to devastate Iraqi armored divisions with laser-guided bombs, cementing its legacy as a pivotal and highly effective combat aircraft.
Meet the F-111 Fighter-Bomber
The F-111 Aardvark was one long and sleek beast. Best known for its sweep wing configuration, the Aardvark oozed speed, sneakiness, and survivability at a time when these traits were badly needed during the Cold War and beyond.
The F-111 could extend its wings and sweep them to raise and lower its velocity. This allowed for high-speed operation at both low and high altitudes and enhanced the capability to land and take off on shortened runways.
One of the First Uses of Laser-guided Munitions
The F-111 flew numerous missions during the Vietnam War and even served during Operation Desert Storm when it dropped laser-guided munitions on Saddam Hussein’s hordes. To make the laser-guided bombs more accurate, the Aardvark had the innovative Pave Tack target designation system.
Payback Against Libya
One engagement the F-111 participated in that does not get wide recognition is Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libyan targets in 1986. The Libyans were seen as terrorists, and they provided a clear and present danger to US interests. They also smuggled weapons and conducted espionage activities against the Americans.
The Libyans had bombed a disco in West Berlin in 1986 that killed one American service member, killed a Turkish woman, and wounded more than 200 people, including 79 Americans. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was considered responsible for ordering the terror attack.
F-111 In USAF Museum July 2025 NSJ Image Taken by Harry J. Kazianis.
Ten days after the disco bombing, President Ronald Reagan ordered F-111s to bomb Libya. The fighters were based at Royal Air Force Lakenheath in Suffolk, England. This journey was going to be the longest combat fighter mission in history and the first time that US airplanes would fly from the United Kingdom since World War II. The US Department of Defense was ready for this contingency. Air Force battle planners had put the plan in motion for months to attack Libyan military targets, and the F-111s were prepared for action.
The mission was complicated, though. France, Germany, Italy, and Spain refused to take part in the attack and to use their bases for support of the bombing mission. The F-111s had to avoid their airspace and fly over the narrow Strait of Gibraltar and then head east over the Mediterranean.
Once the mission plans were adjusted, 24 F-111s took off from Lakenheath. Five additional EF-111 Ravens were also launched from Royal Air Force Upper Heyford to jam enemy radars. The US Navy joined these carrier-based EA-6B Prowlers to blind surface-to-air missile launchers. KC-10 Extender tankers were airborne, refueling the F-111s eight times during the operation. There was so much refueling required that KC-135 Stratotankers refueled the KC-10s.
The attack run was successful in hitting military barracks and a terrorist training camp. The F-111s also destroyed a military air base. The Aardvarks were effective because they could fly low underneath radar and use their Pace Tack target designator to full effect.
While not all F-111s hit paydirt, the mission was considered a success with only one F-111 sustaining damage to an enemy SAM. But that airplane went down, and Captain Fernando Ribas-Dominicci and Captain Paul Lorence perished during the crash. By the time the F-111s came back to England, the pilots were utterly exhausted from the ultra-long mission. Ground crews and other personnel greeted them with jubilation. The F-111s were considered a symbol of US military might and global reach.
Helping Win the First Gulf War
The F-111 had an excellent service record during Operation Desert Storm. The Aardvarks flew 5,000 sorties. Many of these missions eliminated over 1,500 Iraqi tanks, armored personnel carriers, and artillery pieces. This made the ultimate ground attack successful. The EF-111 paved the way as it did against Libya by jamming enemy air defenses to keep Iraqi aircraft from responding. This was one of the most fruitful uses of countermeasures in the war.
It was the F-111 that dropped the first GBU-28 bunker-busting bomb. The Pave Tack system was again triumphant. The F-111 pilots were able to sense the heat signatures from the armored vehicles since the rest of the desert had cooled off at night. Then the laser-guided bombs took over and brought ample death and destruction.
One time, the F-111 was used for a curious mission. The Iraqis had sabotaged their own energy infrastructure, and this was causing problems for the environment. F-111s eliminated a number of pipelines so the oil would not be burned off, keeping the defenders from damaging the environment even more.
The F-111 was considered a pivotal airplane during Operation Desert Storm. The jamming capability of the EF-111 Raven was top-notch. The Pave Tack laser designator, so useful against the Libyans, was a key to success. The Aardvarks demonstrated their ability to fly at night with great skill. The Iraqis never knew what hit them. Without the F-111s, Operation Desert Storm could have lasted longer, as Saddam’s tank forces would have required more time to destroy.
Excellent Service Record During the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, F-111s played a crucial role in Operation Rolling Thunder in 1965. The Air Force required an effective fighter-bomber that could fly at night and in all weather. The Americans also needed a fighter-bomber that could penetrate cloud cover, flying low and fast during its bombing runs.
The swing-wings of the F-111 were an excellent remedy for these mission requirements. The airplane could speed up when the wings were shifted at low altitude. This allowed them to rain down the bombs on North Vietnamese targets.
F-111 Photo from the USAF Museum in Dayton. Image Credit: National Security Journal.
The F-111s had an extended range, and they did not need aerial refueling to strike the North. The night-fighting capability was a strength, and during the rainy season, F-111s showed that poor weather conditions would not stop their bombing runs. The enemy did not even see the fighter-bombers, and the pilots could drop munitions without visualizing the targets. They could strike on the first pass without early warning.
The Aardvarks had an outstanding run during the early 1970s. “Between October 1972 and March 1973, F-111A crews flew over 4,000 combat sorties but lost only six aircraft in combat,” the National Museum of the Air Force recounted. Less than ten were shot down in the entire war.
The F-111s worked great against SAM launchers and enemy air bases. After the war, the F-111 took on a dangerous mission in 1975. The Cambodian communists took control of the SS Mayaguez. The original aircraft sent to find the ship was unsuccessful. But due to the F-111’s excellent radar, the Americans were able to locate the vessel. Enemy gunboats were protecting the ship, but one F-111 sank a watercraft to help the overall rescue mission.
Quick Look at Specs of the F-111
The F-111 had a crew of two who sat side-by-side with a main pilot and weapons systems officer. The swept wing could extend from 32 feet to 63 feet. The airplane was 74 feet in length and 17 feet in height. It had two Pratt & Whitney TF30 afterburning turbofan engines. This pushed out 25,100 pounds of thrust with afterburners and enabled a blistering top speed of over MACH 2.5 or 1,452 miles per hour.
The Aardvark could also carry nuclear weapons. These, of course, were never needed, but it showed just how versatile and valuable the airplane was.
The F-111 also utilized the critical terrain-following radar that was so effective at guiding the airplane to targets at night and in bad weather. This allowed the airplane to fly high or low to identify and lock onto the mission objectives.
The airplane’s range was a massive advantage during Vietnam and other conflicts. It had a combat radius of 3,632 miles. Its ceiling was 57,000 feet. It could carry 24 conventional bombs, which gave it excellent combat power. The F-111 had one 20mm M61A1 Vulcan cannon.
The F-111 served amazingly well during its run. But by the 1990s, it was running out of steam. The end of the Cold War necessitated budget cuts and the decommissioning of many types of military hardware. The conventional bombing and nuclear-capable bombing were not needed as much. The F-111 had been growing long in the tooth, and enemy air defenses were considered much improved. The Aardvark was not going to be as survivable.
The 1990s were also a time when the “peace dividend” kicked in. Removing the Soviet Union as the main threat allowed the Department of Defense and the Air Force to choose older airplanes to retire, and the F-111 was finally taken out of service in 1996.
The Bottomline
The F-111 was a great workhorse throughout its service life. While designed as a nuclear-capable fighter-bomber, it was mainly used for ground strike.
That was just fine for the Air Force as it exceeded expectations in combat. Whether it was in Vietnam, other parts of Southeast Asia, over the skies of Libya, or during the First Gulf War, the F-111 left its mark on history.
Many pilots look back longingly on when they flew the F-111, and it will go down as one of the most effective fighter-bombers in Air Force history.
About the Author: Brent M. Eastwood
Brent M. Eastwood, PhD is the author of Don’t Turn Your Back On the World: a Conservative Foreign Policy and Humans, Machines, and Data: Future Trends in Warfare plus two other books. Brent was the founder and CEO of a tech firm that predicted world events using artificial intelligence. He served as a legislative fellow for US Senator Tim Scott and advised the senator on defense and foreign policy issues. He has taught at American University, George Washington University, and George Mason University. Brent is a former US Army Infantry officer. He can be followed on X @BMEastwood.
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