This is a list of the General Dynamics F-111 aircraft operated by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) between 1973 and 2010. The RAAF's fleet of F-111s included 28 F-111Cs (of which four were converted to RF-111C reconnaissance aircraft) and 15 F-111Gs. Several more F-111s were purchased from the United States and used for ground training and testing purposes, or as a source of spare parts.

Background The Australian Government purchased 24 F-111Cs in 1963. These were completed during 1968 and early 1969, and the first of the RAAF's aircraft was handed over to the service on 4 September 1968. However, the entire fleet was grounded in the United States shortly afterwards while serious deficiencies with the F-111's design were corrected. The RAAF finally accepted the 24 aircraft during 1973, and they flew to Australia in four groups between 1 June and 4 December that year.

Four of the F-111Cs were modified to RF-111C reconnaissance aircraft. The first, A8-126, received these modifications in the United States between October 1979 and April 1979; the other three were converted in Australia between July and September 1980.Lax (2010), pp. 140-141

The RAAF purchased four ex-United States Air Force (USAF) F-111As in 1981 as attrition replacements. These aircraft were delivered to the service in 1982 and were subsequently converted to F-111C standard.

In 1992 the Australian Government decided to purchase up to 18 ex-USAF F-111Gs in order to extend the type's service life. 15 F-111Gs were eventually acquired, and they were delivered to the RAAF during late 1993 and early 1994.Lax (2010), p. 205 Three more ex-USAF F-111Gs were also held for Australia in the United States, but never delivered.Lax (2010), p. 203 Other ex-USAF F-111s were also held at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AKA The Boneyard) in Arizona as sources of spare parts for the RAAFs fleet of aircraft.

The Australian Government announced on 7 November 2003 that the RAAF's F-111s would be retired from 2010, and on 16 March 2007 it was announced that the type would be withdrawn by the end of 2010.Lax (2010), pp. 234-235 The F-111Gs were retired before the F-111Cs, with the last leaving service on 3 September 2007.Lax (2010), p. 204 The F-111C fleet was drawn down, and the type was finally retired on 3 December 2010. Eight of the RAAF's F-111s (seven F-111Cs and one F-111G) were destroyed in crashes during the type's service, with ten airmen being killed.

Following the F-111s' retirement, 13 of the surviving aircraft (12 F-111Cs and a single F-111G) were preserved in aviation museums and RAAF air bases. The remaining aircraft were buried at the Swanbank landfill site outside of Ipswich, Queensland, between 21 and 23 November 2011.Cuskelly (2014), pp. 26, 29-30

Aircraft Variant RAAF serial number Delivery/acceptance FateCuskelly (2014), p. 29 Comments Image F-111A N/A January 1995 Buried 22 November 2011 Ex-USAF aircraft used as a training aid.USAF serial 63-9768 F-111A N/A November 1999Lax (2010), p. 162 Tested to destruction by the DSTO, with the teardown of the airframe being completed in late 2003Lax (2010), p. 214 Purchased for airframe testing purposesUSAF serial 67-0106 F-111A N/A N/A ? Stored at the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group in the US for possible RAAF use from 1981 USAF serial 67-0108Lax (2010), p. 163 F-111A/C A8-109 13 August 1982 Preserved at the Historical Aircraft Restoration Society Final F-111 to shut down its engines. F-111A/C A8-112 13 August 1982 Buried 23 November 2011Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley F-111A/C A8-113 1982 Preserved at the Australian Aviation Heritage Centre F-111A/C A8-114 1982 Buried 24 November 2011Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley F-111C A8-125 16 March 1973Lax (2010), p. 111 Preserved at the RAAF Museum First F-111C to arrive in Australia, and final aircraft to land at the type's retirement ceremony F-111C/RF-111C A8-126 6 September 1968 & 6 April 1973 Preserved at the RAAF Amberly Aviation Heritage Centre Accepted in 1968, but grounded while major structural problems with the F-111s were resolved.Accepted for a second time in 1973.Prototype RF-111C, converted to this variant between October 1978 and April 1979Lax (2010), p. 141 F-111C A8-127 6 April 1973 Destroyed in a crash at Guyra, New South Wales on 13 September 1993Both aircrew killedLax (2010), p. 135 F-111C A8-128 30 April 1973 Destroyed in a crash at Tenterfield, New South Wales on 2 April 1987Both aircrew killed F-111C A8-129 18 April 1973 Preserved at the Queensland Air Museum F-111C A8-130 27 April 1973 Preserved at the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor F-111C A8-131 ? 1973 Buried 23 November 2011Crew escape module preserved at the Australian National Aviation Museum F-111C A8-132 8 May 1973 Preserved at the South Australian Aviation Museum F-111C A8-133 27 July 1973 Destroyed in a crash at Evans Head, New South Wales on 29 September 1977Both aircrew killed F-111C/RF-111C A8-134 8 June 1973 Preserved at the Australian War Memorial Converted to RF-111C during 1980 F-111C A8-135 29 June 1973 Buried 23 November 2011Crew escape module preserved at the Caboolture Warplane Museum F-111C A8-136 27 July 1973 Destroyed in a crash at Armidale, New South Wales on 28 April 1977Both aircrew survived F-111C A8-137 ? 1973 Destroyed in a crash at RNZAF Base Ohakea on 24 August 1979Both aircrew survived Crew escape module, rudder and fin preserved at the Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre F-111C A8-138 26 July 1973 Gate guardian at RAAF Base Amberley F-111C A8-139 ? 1973 Crashed into the sea and destroyed off Moruya, New South Wales on 28 January 1986Both aircrew killed F-111C A8-140 3 August 1973 Buried 24 November 2011Crew escape module preserved at the Aviation Heritage Museum, Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley F-111C A8-141 ? 1973 Crashed into Auckland Harbour and destroyed on 25 October 1978.Both aircrew survived Crew escape module preserved at RAAF Base Amberley F-111C A8-142 22 August 1973 Preserved at RAAF Base Wagga F-111C/RF-111C A8-143 6 September 1973 Buried 24 November 2011Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley Modified to RF-111C standard in 1980 Suffered damage in a belly landing at Amberley on 18 July 2006 and never repaired F-111C A8-144 18 September 1973 Buried 23 November 2011 Carried special "city of Ipswitch" scheme on tail and forward section F-111C A8-145 27 September 1973 Buried 23 November 2011 Repair of Fatigue crack in lower wing during 1996. The fatigue crack was a chordwise 48 mm crack in the critical, non-failsafe, port lower wing skin at approximately 2/3 semi span. The crack had reduced the wing's residual strength to below Design Limit Load and the repair was therefore critical. F-111C/RF-111C A8-146 ? 1973 Buried 24 November 2011Reconnaissance pallet donated to the Australian War Memorial, fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley Modified to RF-111C standard in 1980 F-111C A8-147 26 October 1973 Preserved at the Evans Head Memorial Aerodrome F-111C A8-148 4 December 1973 Preserved at Fighter World, RAAF Base Williamtown F-111G A8-259 ? Buried 22 November 2011 F-111G A8-264 ? Buried 23 November 2011 F-111G A8-265 ? Buried 21 November 2011 F-111G A8-270 ? Buried 22 November 2011 F-111G A8-271 ? Buried 23 November 2011 F-111G A8-272 ? Preserved at the RAAF Museum Nicknamed "The Boneyard Wrangler", as it was revived from a USAF graveyard salvaging parts from various other F-111s. Only Complete F-111G in Australia to be preserved F-111G A8-274 ? Buried 23 November 2011 F-111G A8-277 ? Buried 21 November 2011 F-111G A8-278 ? Buried 22 November 2011 F-111G A8-281 ? Buried 22 November 2011 F-111G A8-282 ? Buried 23 November 2011 F-111G A8-291 ? Destroyed in a crash on Pulau Aur, Malaysia on 18 April 1999Both aircrew killed F-111G A8-506 ? Buried 22 November 2011 F-111G A8-512 ? Buried 23 November 2011Fin and rudder preserved at RAAF Base Amberley. Fin on display at entrance to HQJOC. F-111G A8-514 ? Buried 22 November 2011 FB-111A N/A ? On display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum since November 2014 The forward section only of the ex-USAF FB-111A 68-0246 was acquired by the RAAF as a recruitment aid

See also List of aircraft of the Royal Australian Air Force

References

Citations

Works consulted