SayethWhaaaa 245 Posted December 3, 2010 Of the 21 remaining Pigs, 4 will become static display aircraft and the remaining aircraft will be scrapped. It's been a good (re: long) run for them in the RAAF. So long, farewell! It's a shame one of it's legacies will be the victims of the reseal/deseal saga. Still, was an awesome aircraft to see fly! ABC Article Video from the The World Today (ABC) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast 153 Posted December 3, 2010 No more Varking around in the weeds then... sorry for the bad pun its that time precoffee and bad jokes are abounding... Saw Vark's round the UK on a couple of occasions US ones though... another old timer gets to retire gracefully... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nesher 628 Posted December 3, 2010 how can a plane be in the air force for nearly 40 years and never fire a single shot in combat? the aussies operated in both golf wars... <S> Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Riley64 0 Posted December 3, 2010 (edited) The aussie pilots of the new "super bugs" say that the F/A-18F's flies better, but lack the F-111's firepower. Edited December 3, 2010 by Riley64 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast 153 Posted December 3, 2010 The aussie pilots of the new "super bugs" say that the F/A-18F's flies better, but lack the F-111's firepower. And Range... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Silverbolt 104 Posted December 3, 2010 Bye , Vark ! the last remanescent of something of the tomcat flying today Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Derk 265 Posted December 3, 2010 Bye Varkies, thanks for a great time and many fantastic encounters, Hou doe, Derk Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stingray72 6 Posted December 3, 2010 When you say that they never fired a shot in combat, do you mean specifically the RAAF or Varks in general? Ther have been F-111's in combat, Vietnam and Libya!!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SayethWhaaaa 245 Posted December 4, 2010 When you say that they never fired a shot in combat, do you mean specifically the RAAF or Varks in general? Ther have been F-111's in combat, Vietnam and Libya!!!! RAAF Pigs have never been in combat. They have been deployed around the world (NZ, Malaysia, Red Flag etc) but they haven't flown any in-theatre combat sorties for mostly political & economic reasons. I'm pretty sure the only combat sorties the RAAF has been involved in since Vietnam was Operation Falconer (2003 invasion of Iraq)and even then F/A-18s were sent instead. Were it not for operational costs (something like 140 maintenance hours for ever flight hour for example) F-111s would have been a very decent CAS platform for our troops in Afghanistan or Iraq. Long loiter time, high payload, precision strike ability, etc. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GunnySonics 127 Posted December 28, 2010 I can remember being woken up in the middle of the night as a kid when I lived at an RAF base in Cyprus, the noise just happened to be a squadron of USAF F111's that had just bombed Tripoli in Libya, they were stopping over for a refuel before leaving, that was 24 years ago but I remember it like it was yesterday, that is the one and only time I have seen an F111 in the air in my life, a memorable time!!! My linkhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3975000/3975455.stm Subsiquently the base I live at was attacked by Libya terrorists a few months later a short history lesson on the F111 in combat... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheStig 39 Posted December 31, 2010 Sad... The F-111 was one of my favorite planes when I was a kid. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAKO69 186 Posted April 1, 2011 Could somone fill me in on the crew members and the health issues with the repairing of the fuel cells. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TX3RN0BILL 3 Posted April 4, 2011 how can a plane be in the air force for nearly 40 years and never fire a single shot in combat? the aussies operated in both golf wars... <S> I could swear I'd seen a video of a Vark dropping a big bomb on a ship suspected of carrying drugs or something... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MAKO69 186 Posted April 5, 2011 I believe their F-18s were deployed to the second Iraq War not sure about the 1st. The F-111 was their 1st strike aircraft, home defense. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Viggen 644 Posted April 5, 2011 I could swear I'd seen a video of a Vark dropping a big bomb on a ship suspected of carrying drugs or something... That was a North Korean freighter that had been caught carrying heroin. The RAN seized it after it ran off course or something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TX3RN0BILL 3 Posted April 6, 2011 That was a North Korean freighter that had been caught carrying heroin. The RAN seized it after it ran off course or something like that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
