{"product_id":"academy-models-1-48-usaf-f-111a-aardvark-vietnam-war","title":"Academy Models 1\/48 USAF F-111A Aardvark “Vietnam War”","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003eGeneral Dynamics F-111 Aardvark\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eis a retired supersonic, medium-range,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Multirole_combat_aircraft\" title=\"Multirole combat aircraft\"\u003emultirole\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecombat aircraft. Production models of the F-111 had roles that included\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Attack_aircraft\" title=\"Attack aircraft\"\u003eattack\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(e.g.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Air_interdiction\" title=\"Air interdiction\"\u003einterdiction\u003c\/a\u003e),\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Strategic_bomber\" title=\"Strategic bomber\"\u003estrategic bombing\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(including nuclear weapons capabilities),\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aerial_reconnaissance\" title=\"Aerial reconnaissance\"\u003ereconnaissance\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eand\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Electronic-warfare_aircraft\" title=\"Electronic-warfare aircraft\"\u003eelectronic warfare\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ci\u003eAardvark\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ecomes from a\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aardvark\" title=\"Aardvark\"\u003eSouth African animal\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ethat has a long nose and hugs the terrain. It is an\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Afrikaans\" title=\"Afrikaans\"\u003eAfrikaans\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eword that translates literally as \"earth pig\"—hence the aircraft's \"Pig\" nickname during its Australian service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDeveloped in the 1960s by\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/General_Dynamics\" title=\"General Dynamics\"\u003eGeneral Dynamics\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eunder\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Robert_McNamara\" title=\"Robert McNamara\"\u003eRobert McNamara\u003c\/a\u003e's\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/TFX_Program\" title=\"TFX Program\"\u003eTFX Program\u003c\/a\u003e, the F-111 pioneered\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Variable-sweep_wing\" title=\"Variable-sweep wing\"\u003evariable-sweep wings\u003c\/a\u003e,\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Afterburner\" title=\"Afterburner\"\u003eafterburning\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Turbofan\" title=\"Turbofan\"\u003eturbofan\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eengines, and automated\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Terrain-following_radar\" title=\"Terrain-following radar\"\u003eterrain-following radar\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Nap-of-the-earth\" title=\"Nap-of-the-earth\"\u003elow-level\u003c\/a\u003e, high-speed flight. Its design influenced later variable-sweep wing aircraft, and some of its advanced features have become commonplace. The F-111 suffered problems during initial development, largely related to the engines. A\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fighter_aircraft\" title=\"Fighter aircraft\"\u003efighter\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003evariant intended for the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Navy\" title=\"United States Navy\"\u003eUnited States Navy\u003c\/a\u003e, the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/General_Dynamics%E2%80%93Grumman_F-111B\" title=\"General Dynamics–Grumman F-111B\"\u003eF-111B\u003c\/a\u003e, was canceled before production; it was intended for\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Carrier-based_aircraft\" title=\"Carrier-based aircraft\"\u003eaircraft carrier-based\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eroles, including long-range\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Interceptor_aircraft\" title=\"Interceptor aircraft\"\u003einterception\u003c\/a\u003e. Several specialized models, such as the FB-111A strategic bomber and the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/General_Dynamics%E2%80%93Grumman_EF-111A_Raven\" title=\"General Dynamics–Grumman EF-111A Raven\"\u003eEF-111A\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Electronic_warfare\" title=\"Electronic warfare\"\u003eelectronic warfare\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eaircraft, were also developed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe F-111 entered service in 1967 with the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/United_States_Air_Force\" title=\"United States Air Force\"\u003eUnited States Air Force\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(USAF). The\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Royal_Australian_Air_Force\" title=\"Royal Australian Air Force\"\u003eRoyal Australian Air Force\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(RAAF) also ordered the F-111 and began operating the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/General_Dynamics_F-111C\" title=\"General Dynamics F-111C\"\u003eF-111C\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ein 1973. As early as March 1968, the USAF were deploying F-111s into active combat situations; the type saw heavy use during the latter half of the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Vietnam_War\" title=\"Vietnam War\"\u003eVietnam War\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eto conduct low-level ground-attack missions, flying in excess of 4,000 combat missions while incurring only six combat losses in the theatre. The F-111s also participated in the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Gulf_War\" title=\"Gulf War\"\u003eGulf War\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e(Operation Desert Storm) in 1991; the F-111Fs completed 3.2 successful strike missions for every unsuccessful one, better than any other U.S. strike aircraft used in the operation. RAAF F-111s never saw offensive action, but were deployed periodically as a deterrent, such as for the Australian-led\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/International_Force_East_Timor\" title=\"International Force East Timor\"\u003eInternational Force East Timor\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBeing relatively expensive to maintain amid post-\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Cold_War\" title=\"Cold War\"\u003eCold War\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebudget cuts, the USAF elected to retire its F-111 fleet during the 1990s; the last F-111Fs were withdrawn in 1996 while the remaining EF-111s also departed in 1998. The F-111 was replaced in USAF service by the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/McDonnell_Douglas_F-15E_Strike_Eagle\" title=\"McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle\"\u003e\u003cspan class=\"nowrap\"\u003eF-15E\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eStrike Eagle\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003efor medium-range precision strike missions, while the supersonic bomber role has been assumed by the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Rockwell_B-1_Lancer\" title=\"Rockwell B-1 Lancer\"\u003eB-1B Lancer\u003c\/a\u003e. The RAAF continued to operate the type up until December 2010, when the last F-111C was retired; its role was transitioned to the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Boeing_F\/A-18E\/F_Super_Hornet\" title=\"Boeing F\/A-18E\/F Super Hornet\"\u003eBoeing F\/A-18E\/F Super Hornet\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eas an interim measure until the\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Lockheed_Martin_F-35_Lightning_II\" title=\"Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II\"\u003eLockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003ebecame available.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"HPD","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45937791631617,"sku":"ACA12360","price":59.99,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0018\/4644\/4092\/files\/aca12360.jpg?v=1736273252","url":"https:\/\/docs-hobby-shop.myshopify.com\/products\/academy-models-1-48-usaf-f-111a-aardvark-vietnam-war","provider":"Docs hobby shop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}