General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark

Updated: October 2026 – A long, pointed nose, wings that fold back in flight and two crew members sitting shoulder to shoulder: that is the General Dynamics F-111. For more than two decades it thundered over Europe from two bases in England; today it is history. Here you will learn where the swing-wing bomber came from, how to identify it, what happened at Lakenheath and Upper Heyford and where you can still see the Aardvark up close.

What is the F-111?

The F-111 is a twin-engine swing-wing combat aircraft, developed and built by General Dynamics in Fort Worth, Texas. Its roots lie in the TFX (Tactical Fighter Experimental) program of the early 1960s. The idea behind it: a common basic design for the Air Force and Navy, serving as a fast low-level attack bomber for the Air Force and as a carrier-based interceptor for the Navy. The Navy version, the F-111B, never got beyond testing, however. Seven were completed, the Navy pulled out in 1968 – and its place was later taken by the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which carried the swing-wing principle forward.

The first flight of the F-111A took place on December 21, 1964, and the US Air Force took over the first aircraft in 1967. By 1976 General Dynamics built 563 aircraft, including 76 FB-111As for Strategic Air Command. Power came from two TF30 turbofan engines from Pratt & Whitney with afterburner, rated at different thrust levels depending on the version.

Technically, the F-111 was a leap forward: swing wings, a terrain-following radar for low-level flight at night and in bad weather, and plenty of fuel on board for long range. The downsides were high costs, weight problems and a bumpy start. On its first combat deployment in Vietnam in 1968, three of the six aircraft sent were lost within a few weeks. Only with mature versions did the F-111 become the precision bomber it is known as today.

General Dynamics’ aircraft division in Fort Worth, which also produced the F-16 Fighting Falcon, went to Lockheed in 1993. Its legacy now lies with Lockheed Martin.

The versions at a glance

For museum visitors and photographers, the version is worth a look, because each aircraft’s history is closely tied to it.

Version	Role	Note
F-111A	first production version	159 aircraft, basis for the EF-111A
F-111B	interceptor for the Navy	7 test aircraft, canceled in 1968
F-111C	export version for Australia	24 ordered, in service until 2010
F-111D	version with upgraded avionics	96 aircraft
F-111E	improved air intakes	94 aircraft, including at Upper Heyford
F-111F	most powerful engines, precision bomber	106 aircraft, including at Lakenheath
FB-111A / F-111G	strategic bomber, later converted	76 aircraft
EF-111A Raven	jamming aircraft for electronic warfare	42 conversions from F-111A

A British version existed on paper as well: the Royal Air Force ordered 50 F-111Ks but canceled the order in January 1968. Two partially built aircraft never flew as F-111Ks.

The EF-111A Raven plays a special role. Grumman converted 42 F-111As into jamming aircraft for it, with a first flight in 1977. The crews called it “Spark Vark.” On the outside you recognize it by the long canoe-shaped radome under the fuselage, which housed the jammers, and by a teardrop-shaped receiver pod at the top of the vertical stabilizer. The last EF-111A retired in May 1998.

How to identify the F-111

Because it no longer flies, you will almost always identify the F-111 on the ground at an exhibition. Three looks are enough.

A special detail is the escape capsule. Instead of two ejection seats, in an emergency the entire cockpit separates from the fuselage and floats to the ground by parachute. For the crew this meant protection from wind and weather after impact – an interesting footnote for museum visitors, since individual capsules are displayed separately.

You are unlikely to mix it up with the USAF’s big swing-wing bomber, the Rockwell B-1B Lancer: it has four engines and is many times larger. For an overview of current and historic types, see the article Identifying fighter jets in Europe.

The F-111 in England: Lakenheath and Upper Heyford

For European spotters, the F-111 is inseparably tied to two bases in England. For more than two decades, most F-111s outside the USA were stationed here.

RAF Upper Heyford: F-111E and EF-111A

From 1970, Upper Heyford in Oxfordshire was home to the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing. The first two F-111Es landed in September 1970, and in November 1971 the wing reported operational readiness. From January 1972 to October 1993 the unit flew F-111 missions from here, spread across three squadrons.

In 1983 the 42nd Electronic Combat Squadron joined, and the first EF-111A Ravens arrived in February 1984. That put both bombers and jamming aircraft at Upper Heyford – a combination that played an important role in April 1986.

The last F-111Es left Upper Heyford on December 7, 1993. On September 30, 1994, the US Air Force returned the base to the British Ministry of Defence. Today part of the site has been built over as the Heyford Park housing development, and other areas are used commercially. Several hardened aircraft shelters have been protected as a monument since 2010, and a Heritage Centre opened in 2019 offers guided tours of the former airfield. If you are interested in Cold War history, it is a worthwhile detour – check current dates directly with the Heritage Centre.

RAF Lakenheath: F-111F

At Lakenheath in Suffolk, the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing swapped its F-4D Phantoms for the F-111F in 1977. The change was part of a large reshuffling of aircraft within the USAF. Besides several operational squadrons, the wing ran its own training squadron.

The F-111F was the most powerful version, with the strongest TF30 engines, and at Lakenheath it became a precision bomber with laser-guided weapons. From 1992 the F-15E Strike Eagle replaced it; the last F-111 left Lakenheath on December 16, 1992. Today the 48th Fighter Wing flies F-15Es and F-35As there. The tail code LN has remained – it was already on the F-111Fs.

Missions: Libya 1986 and the Gulf War

The best-known mission flown from England was Operation El Dorado Canyon on April 14, 1986. Eighteen F-111s of the 48th Wing from Lakenheath attacked targets in Libya together with four EF-111As from Upper Heyford. Because overflight rights over several European countries were missing, the aircraft had to fly a long detour: the outbound and return flights added up to around 10,300 kilometers and about 13 hours with several aerial refuelings. One F-111 was lost.

In the 1991 Gulf War the F-111F played to its strengths. The 66 F-111Fs deployed dropped a large share of the war’s laser-guided bombs and went specifically after armored vehicles. F-111Es from Upper Heyford also took part in the war – the aircraft that stands in Duxford today is a Desert Storm veteran.

After that, things moved quickly: the FB-111A disappeared from service in the early 1990s, and the fighter-bomber versions followed by 1996. At the farewell ceremony on July 27, 1996, the Air Force made the nickname Aardvark official. The EF-111A held on until May 1998.

Australia: the last home of the “Pig”

Australia was the only export customer. The government announced the order of 24 F-111s as early as October 1963, but structural problems delayed acceptance by years. Only on July 1, 1973, did the first six F-111Cs land at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland. Later, former USAF aircraft supplemented the fleet, including 15 F-111Gs, which were used mainly for training and retired in 2007.

Australians affectionately called the F-111 the “Pig.” It became famous there for the dump and burn: the crew dumped fuel at the rear and ignited it with the afterburner, producing a long trail of fire behind the aircraft. The most famous appearance was probably that of an F-111C over the Sydney Harbour Bridge at the closing ceremony of the 2000 Olympic Games.

On December 3, 2010, the era ended with the last flights of No. 6 Squadron over southeast Queensland. Because the airframes contained asbestos, 23 F-111Cs and F-111Gs not selected for museums were buried in a landfill near Ipswich in November 2011. A few examples were preserved, for instance at the RAAF Museum Point Cook, the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre and the Queensland Air Museum in Caloundra.

Where you can see the F-111 today

There are no flying F-111s anymore. Instead, numerous examples stand in museums and on military bases worldwide. For spotters from Germany, the two British museums are closest.

Place	Aircraft	Background
IWM Duxford (England)	F-111E 67-0120	Flew with the 20th Wing at Upper Heyford, Desert Storm veteran, in the museum since 1993
RAF Museum Cosford (England)	F-111F 74-0177	Lakenheath aircraft with code LN
National Museum of the USAF, Dayton (USA)	including F-111A 67-0067	Large collection on the history of the US Air Force
Pima Air & Space Museum, Tucson (USA)	one F-111	Large collection with plenty of outdoor space in Arizona
RAAF Museum Point Cook (Australia)	F-111C and F-111G	Remembrance of the Australian F-111 era

Great Britain

In the American Air Museum at the Imperial War Museum Duxford stands F-111E 67-0120. It flew with the 20th Wing at Upper Heyford until 1993, saw action in the Gulf War and is on loan from the US Air Force museum. How best to get there and where the good photo positions are can be found on the spot page IWM Duxford. If you want to combine the visit with an airshow, the article IWM Duxford and its airshows helps.

The RAF Museum Cosford in the West Midlands shows F-111F 74-0177 with the Lakenheath code LN, assigned to the 492nd Squadron. You will find visitor information on the spot page RAF Museum Cosford.

According to available information, an F-111F stands at Lakenheath base itself as an exhibit, but it can be seen only with access to the base.

USA

The National Museum of the US Air Force in Dayton shows the F-111 in its halls, including F-111A 67-0067. The spot page National Museum of the U.S. Air Force helps with planning. At the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson an F-111 is on display as well; because many aircraft there stand outdoors, a look at the light is worthwhile; more on the spot page Pima Air & Space Museum. The very first F-111, 63-9766, is preserved at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Why Arizona is also a magnet for fans of retired military jets is explained in the article Aircraft graveyards and boneyards.

Photo tips for the F-111 in a museum

A displayed jet is patient, but halls have their own pitfalls.

For outdoor examples, by contrast, the sun position counts. You can work out in advance when the light falls on the side with the code – the guide Planning the sun position for your photo spot shows how.

Common mix-ups and how to rule them out

If you want to research the history of individual aircraft in more depth, military databases like Scramble help. And if you prefer to experience military jets in the air, the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford shows the F-111’s successors in flight.

Conclusion

The F-111 was an ambitious, expensive and initially controversial project that in the end became one of the most effective attack aircraft of its time. Swing wings, side-by-side seats and the long nose make it unmistakable. For spotters in Europe it remains tied above all to Lakenheath and Upper Heyford, where it shaped the skies from 1970 to 1993. Today you meet it only in museums – in Duxford and Cosford even with a genuine England past.