By Kris Osborn, President Warrior
The United Kingdom’s Royal Air Force decided to keep the classic F-111 Aardvark all the way until 2010, yet the US Air Force retired the aircraft in the 1990s, a nearly 20-year disparity which raises questions about the long-term value and viability of the Vietnam-era plane.
Both the US Air Force and RAAF’s approach to the classic aircraft would seem to make sense for a number of reasons, as there are key factors supporting both perspectives. One reason for the varying assessments of the aircraft is that it dates all the way back to the 1960s, yet it brought an interesting multi-role mixture of performance possibilities.
Fighter-Bomber-Recon “Multi-Role”
The Aardvark was arguably ahead of its time in some respects as it was designed as a hybrid-kind of single aircraft functioning as a multi-role fighter, bomber and reconnaissance platform. The configuration of the aircraft seems to reinforce this concept, as its airframe looks a bit like a precursor to the B1-B bomber; it has a thin, angular front end shaped like a fighter jet and a bomber-like wing-body shape.
The exact reasons for the US Air Force cancellation may be difficult to discern, yet it appeared to involve a mix of variables such as budget, the pace of technological advancement and the particular “mix” of aircraft needed by the service at that time. For example, the first flight of the B1-B bomber took place in the mid 1970s, something which may have influenced the Air Force decision to “sunset” the F-111. Also, in some cases the technological configuration of an aircraft may make it difficult to upgrade or at least introduce some modernization limitations. Interestingly, one 2024 essay from “The Aviation Geek Club” argues that the F-111 retirement may have been due to the many challenges associated with maintaining the aircraft.
However, when it comes to other legacy aircraft from decades ago, the Air Force indeed found ways to upgrade and modernize platforms for years beyond the intended service life.
Service Life Extension
Specifically, the US Air Force’s F-15, F-16 and B-52 have all lasted decades beyond what may have initially been anticipated, and all three aircraft have arguably become entirely different aircraft due to massive upgrades. Air Force weapons developers have for years explained that airframes themselves can remain viable years beyond what may have been expected, and the overall functionality or combat performance of an air platform pertains to a number of performance parameters such as communications, avionics, sensing and fire control. Both the F-15 and F-16, for example, have received new computing, Advanced Electronically Scanned Array radar and a suite of new sensing technologies. In some cases, such as the C-130 and B-52, some structural reinforcement has proven effective, and the air frame themselves have remained highly functional.
Certainly one might be inclined to argue that, in similar fashion, a multi-role fighter such as the Aardvark could arguably have been impactful. For instance, as a reconnaissance platform, the Aardvark might have been positioned to perform some J-STARS type aerial surveillance missions.
As a bomber, the F-111 might have been upgraded to perform B1-B types of missions. Sure enough the Aardvark looks similar to a B1-B configuration in some respects. The B1-B emerged in the mid 1980s, and has been modernized with a new bomb-rack unit, electronics and weapons bay capable of transporting hypersonics, so it stands to reason that perhaps the F-111 could have continued to add value to the service’s air-combat strategy.
Of course the F-111 lacks stealth, much like the B1-B, B-52 and 4th-gen fighter platforms such as the F-15 and F-16, yet it seems it might have proven quite helpful for decades beyond the 1990s in circumstances where the US Air Force had established air superiority.
Kris Osborn is the Editor of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.