General Dynamics F-111 Walkaround Gallery
General Dynamics F-111C A8-125 Avalon 2007
The F-111 is one of the few US aircraft that was not given an official name. The USAF nicknamed theirs “Aardvarks” and the EW version was named the Raven. Here we call them “Pigs”. The RAAF is the only non-US operator of the F-111. Due for retirement prior to 2010, the Pigs have been in Australian service since late 1970, so they will have served us well for 30–40 years. The F-111’s long range, low level, high speed attack capability has been ideally suited to Australias vast distances and relative isolation. It gave us a deterent capability that will be sorely missed. The RAAF has operated a total of 43 Pigs in A, C and G configurations. This includes a batch of 15 low-hour USAF F-111Gs in 1992. The F-111s are to replaced, eventually, with JSF 35s, and in the meantime, with F/A18E Super Hornets.
