Features

The F-111 in RAAF service – yesterday, today and tomorrow

Air Commander AVM John Kindler

By Air Commander AVM John Kindler

THE F-111 purchase in the 1960s was intended to send a strong message to the region at a time when Australia was committed to stopping the spread of communism in South East Asia and there was the spectre of conflict on our northern doorstep.

While the initial impetus for purchasing the aircraft passed quickly, regular technical upgrades and its inherent ability to carry a variety of weapons over long distances has ensured the F-111 has remained relevant to Australia’s defence needs over the intervening three decades.

On the 30th anniversary of the arrival of the F-111C in Australia, the aircraft’s characteristics of precision strike, excellent range, persistence and expansive weapons inventory make it ideally suited to the expeditionary operations that are seen as the Air Force’s prime mission for the future.

The F-111 remains the “heavy hitter” of the Air Force’s airstrike capability with the ability to deliver Harpoon, laser-guided bombs and other precision munitions over long distances. Currently, the 3000-lb class AGM-142 missile is being fitted to the F-111, which will provide the aircraft with an extremely long range stand-off capability as well as the ability to hit hardened targets.

While parts of the aircraft are 30 years old, the new avionics and electronic warfare equipment installed over the past decade have breathed new life into the platform. Probably more important are the doctrinal changes that have accompanied the physical evolution of the F-111 over the past three decades while in RAAF service. While the F-111 started its career as a “dumb bomber”, the addition of the Pave Tack targeting and designation system provided the
Air Force with its first true all-weather precision strike capability. It was a portent of the future when the US used the precision strike capabilities of the F-111 to strike terrorist camps in Libya in 1986, and during the first Gulf War the US F-111s established an enviable reputation as a precision strike aircraft.

In the early 1990s, the concept of using RAAF F-111 precision capabilities in novel ways, such as in direct support of land forces and in assisting Special Forces operations, were first mooted. Of note, these types of near real-time air targeting operations have now almost become the norm as evidenced by the recent conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The advent of Air Combat Group has seen the organisational as well as doctrinal integration of the F-111 with the other air combat elements. In particular, the synergies between the F/A-18 and F-111 are being exploited, and a composite force of F-111 and F/A-18 aircraft must now be considered as the optimum air combat option for situations where a balanced precision strike and air control capability is required.

While the planned retirement date for the F-111 is 2020, the ADF must continually reassess the most cost-effective way of providing for Australia’s defence. Options for earlier retirement of the F-111 will continue to be evaluated in light of changes in the strategic environment and the costs and availability of alternative capabilities. However, despite the future of the F-111 being put under the microscope many times over the past decades, each time the Government has determined that the F-111 capability represents a cost-effective means of providing for the defence of Australian interests. In 2003 the F-111 represents a truly formidable Defence capability, and one that the men and women who support it can be proud to be a part of.

Three decades of service is a significant milestone for any platform, and all indications are that the F-111 will continue to serve Australia exceptionally well until retirement. My congratulations go out to all the men and women who have flown or supported the F-111 force over the past 30 years for a job very well done!