PUBLISHED on August 7, 2025, 12:29 PM EDT – Key Points and Summary – The F-111 Aardvark was a much faster aircraft than its official specifications suggest.
-While its listed top speed was Mach 2.65, anecdotal evidence from a former F-111 Weapons Systems Officer reveals the fighter-bomber could fly much faster.
-The true limit was not engine power but the heat generated on the airframe. In one instance during a check flight, a stripped-down F-111 reportedly reached a blistering Mach 3.2 before the pilot had to slow down to prevent the canopy from melting.
-This legendary speed made the Cold War-era deep-strike platform truly formidable.
The F-111 Aardvark Was A Faster Fighter-Bomber Than Many Believe
The US-made F-111 Aardvark was designed with a variable-sweep wing design that allowed pilots to reduce takeoff and landing distances by extending the aircraft’s wings and sweeping them to reach supersonic speeds at both high and low altitudes.
The aircraft combined a terrain-following navigation system with the Pave Tack target designating system to attack ground targets with laser-guided bombs. The F-111 served in the United States Air Force from 1967 through 1996.
The name “Aardvark” comes from a long-nosed, insect-eating South African animal. The Aardvark was also much faster than many analysts believe.
The Aardvark Was Built For Speed
The F-111’s “official” top speed was Mach 2.65 or a blistering 2,033.26 mph. But it turns out that the F-111 was faster than that.
Although designed to fly fast and low and use its terrain-following radar to hug the ground, while avoiding Soviet air defense operators as it carried its nuclear cargo toward critical targets well behind the front lines of a potential war on Europe’s Central Front.
After dropping its bombload, it would then climb to altitude and use its speed to race out of danger.
However, F-111 Weapons Systems Officer Jim Rotramel, in a piece in the War Zone, recalled many pilots pushing the Aardvark much faster than its supposed “top speed.”
When the aircraft was at high altitude, it was capable of very high speeds, especially when flying ‘clean’ — stripped of any external stores, pylons, or targeting pods. The F-111 was fitted with a timer that would trigger when the outside of the aircraft reached 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Surface heating, rather than the engine, determined the top speed.
Rotramel explained, “When the timer reached 300 seconds, it’s time to slow down or melt the canopy. Very few crews ever started the timer; none saw it get even close to its limit, or have seen the aircraft stop accelerating! Sustained high-speed runs were only accomplished during periodic Functional Check Flights (FCFs).”
Apparently, during one particular FCF, several thousand pounds of equipment were removed from an F-111, piloted by a friend of Rotramel’s. The pilot noticed something amiss during the autopilot climb portion of the FCF, which called for a speed of Mach 1.1 or 843.99 mph. At that point, the F-111 started climbing alarmingly fast.
Passing quickly through 50,000 feet, the Master Caution and Total Temp warning lights illuminated, and the countdown timer started. The pilot recalled that the aircraft eventually leveled out above 60,000 feet with an indicated airspeed of Mach 3.2, or 2,455.2 mph. Rotramel recalled that another crew reached Mach 2.91 on a different occasion.
Brief History Of the F-111 Aardvark
Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics under Robert McNamara’s TFX Program, the F-111 pioneered variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines, and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight.
Its design influenced later variable-sweep wing aircraft, and some of its advanced features have become commonplace. The F-111 suffered engine problems early during its initial development.
Several specialized models, such as the FB-111A strategic bomber and the EF-111A electronic warfare aircraft, were also developed. The F-111 entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force and was used heavily during the latter stages of the war in Vietnam.
The F-111 featured variable-geometry wings, an internal weapons bay, and a cockpit with side-by-side seating. The cockpit was part of an escape crew capsule. The Aardvark flew with the Royal Australian Air Force until 2010; its crews nicknamed it “The Pig.”
Armament
The armament included a 20 mm cannon and 5,000 lb of bombs internally. At the same time, added pylons could carry up to 25,000 lb of bombs or two nuclear weapons internally and four AGM-69 SRAM nuclear weapons externally.
El Dorado Canyon And Desert Storm
On April 14, 1986, four EF-111A Raven electronic warfare variants took part in the longest fighter mission in history. The aircraft took off from RAF Lakenheath and flew a circuitous route to bomb Libya, and then back again, a distance of 6,400 miles during Operation El Dorado Canyon.
The mission took 13 hours. The EF-111s had to be refueled four times each way due to flight restrictions. One aircraft was lost over Libya and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea.
Less than five years later, the F-111s flew over 2,400 sorties during Desert Storm against strategic Iraqi targets.
The F-111 was retired in 1996 and replaced by the B-1B Lancer Bomber.
About the Author:
Steve Balestrieri is a National Security Columnist. He served as a US Army Special Forces NCO and Warrant Officer. In addition to writing on defense, he covers the NFL for PatsFans.com and is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA). His work was regularly featured in many military publications.
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