Bager1968http://adf-serials.com.au/3a8.shtml
A8-130 F-111C Delivered to RAAF 01/06/73. First Flight 15/09/1968. Participant of Indycar 2006 on practice day. In Service 1Sqn. Transferred to 6Sqn. Dropped live ordinance for the final time during Exercise Chong Ju over Puckapunyal on 12-13/05/2010
Retired by 3/12/2010. Noted wingless in fenced off dump on 11/03/2011 and did appear destined to be scrapped. Placard beneath cockpit canopy reads “This aircraft has been prepared for destruction and all access is denied”
However noted outside RAAF Amberley Aviation Heritage Centre 26/07/2011 with wings reattatched.
Believed to have been allocated for preservation.
The RAAF ordered 24 F-111C (F-111A with longer wing of FB-111A) in 1963, delivered 1973.
In 1981, four US Air Force F-111As were purchased to act as attrition replacements. On delivery in 1982, these aircraft became A8-109, A8-112, A8-113, & A8-114. They were subsequently modified to full F-111C standard.
In October 1992 the Minister for Defence announced the proposed acquisition of up to 18 surplus US Air Force F-111s to extend the type’s service life. Ultimately 15 F-111G models were selected as the most suitable for introduction to RAAF service. The F-111G does share commonality with the F-111C, with the longer wings and heavier undercarriage. The G also shares some of the avionics fit that was fitted during the F-111C AUP, notably the same terrain-following radar, attack radar and multi-function displays for the aircrew. However, other aspects of the F-111C are different. The avionics will not be fully compatible with the AUP, and also the G is powered by Pratt & Whitney P-107 turbofans. These cannot be standardised with the F-111C’s P-103s due to the different intake and fuselage shape. The extent of these differences is not considered to be insurmountable.
RAAF serials of F-111Gs (match last 3 of their USAF serials).
A8-259
A8-264
A8-265
A8-270
A8-271
A8-272
A8-274
A8-277
A8-278
A8-281
A8-282
A8-291
A8-506
A8-512
A8-514
Bager1968really clean inside, cleaner than some other
Wait until the 4th month of a 5-month “cruise around the Indian Ocean and visit Burma/Pakistan/Zimbabwe” deployment and see how those spaces look.
That will be the true picture.
Bager1968It brings things up to date aesthetically, but in functional terms it’s still the same bloated mess that it always was.
Note that I’m referring here to vBulletin, not the site implementation.
“Just because its new, doesn’t mean its good.”
I have seen this “new visual aesthetic” before… and it is ALWAYS HARDER to read, and harder to find the various functions.
Not to mention the miniscule text block available in the “quick reply” function.
Bager1968That is the dumbest thing you’ve said yet!:rolleyes:
In many respects that is not the case! As for the F-35 its 2013 and your talking 2018. Plus, the first USMC Squadron of F-35B’s in forming up now!
Those F-35s are undeployable. They cannot be deployed to a warzone. They’re test subjects and training aircraft.
USMC declared IOC with undeployable aircraft
Provide a source……..(squadron just received first aircraft).
The USMC is eager to emphasize that the VMFA-121 is an operational unit.
“It is an operational squadron, it is not a test squadron-it’s not developmental test or operational test, it’s not a fleet replacement squadron like VMFAT-501. You can’t call it anything else other than an operational squadron,” says Col Kevin Killea, the USMC’s aviation requirements officer at the Pentagon. “That being said, the Marine Corps certainly is not putting out a banner today that says it’s operationally capable.”
The aircraft at MCAS Yuma are operating with a Block 1B hardware and software configuration, Killea says. That means that the aircraft currently has a limited flight envelope with no dynamic maneuver capability and no air-to-ground strike capability.
“We’re going to grow with the airplane,” Killea says. VMFA-121, he says, will form a base of experience from which the USMC can grow its F-35 community. The USMC aviators who will be flying with VMFA-121 are handpicked conversion pilots with thousands of hours of flight time in tactical fighters-the F/A-18 and Boeing AV-8B Harrier II. As the Marines increase the size and capabilities of the F-35 fleet and more squadrons are converted to the new jet, those elite VMFA-121 aviators will be transferred as needed to form the core of those new units. “Our ultimate goal is to build a cadre of pilots here,” Killea says.
The next squadron to transition to the F-35B will be VMA-211, which currently flies Harriers, late in 2014.
The USMC is fielding the F-35B to its operational squadrons before the aircraft has completed its operational testing. The Pentagon’s Joint Operational Test Team (JOTT), consisting of US Air Force, US Navy and USMC testers, will start evaluating the F-35’s Block 2B configuration in 2015 at Edwards AFB, California. Block 2B is the configuration the USMC intends to declare the F-35B operational with; the USAF and USN will declare initial operational capability (IOC) with the full Block 3 system. “Certainly, the Marine Corps is not tied to the end of operational test to declare initial operation capability,” Killea says.
That does not necessarily mean the USMC will declare IOC before operational testing is complete, but Killea says that the service could do it. The Marines have certain criteria that must be met, which include enough equipment and trained crews for two shifts of maintainers, 10 deployable jets with all required modifications and a working and deployable autonomic logistics information system (ALIS) before the service will declare the F-35B as operational. “We’re not restricted by OT [operational test] results to declare an operational capability,” Killea says. “It’s not uncommon for weapons systems and aircraft systems to be fielded with deficiencies in operational test that have to be addressed.”
Nonetheless, Killea says the USMC will examine the data from operational testing carefully and will implement any needed fixes. The service says the F-35B’s IOC date is “event driven” and will not commit to a firm timeline.
So to summarize what the USMC itself says:
1. IOC HAS NOT YET BEEN DECLARED FOR VMFA-121!
2. The current software is Block 1B… which has a limited flight envelope with no dynamic maneuver capability and no air-to-ground strike capability.
3. IOC cannot be achieved until the “full flight-envelope & air-to-ground strike capability” Block 2B software is available, but can be achieved before the testing of that software is complete if the USMC decides on its own it is working well enough.
4. Since testing of Block 2B software will not begin until 2015, IOC is at least 2 years in the future.
5. VMFA-121 has received its aircraft for the purpose of preparing pilots and maintenance personnel to form the core of each squadron that will receive the F-35B in the future, but is NOT a training squadron. If needed it will be available for combat deployment as soon as it has: A. enough pilots & maintainers B. a deployable maintenance/supply capability C. combat-capable software.
6. VMFA-121 will develop the operational procedures that will be used by the entire USMC F-35B community!
7. The next USMC squadron to receive the F-35B (VMFA-211) will only begin receiving them about 1 1/2 years from now.
Bager1968Fixed… I don’t know what happened.
Bager1968The newest one I know of is from 1 April 2013… over 200 photos from that one and older can be found here: Flikr site for HMS QE
Bager1968Kuwait is looking for an F/A-18 replacement. Apparently they (and the Qataris) are waiting for the UAE to make a selection between Typhoon and Rafale. Kuwaiti requirement is for 28 a/c (Qatari is 24-36).
Australian F/A-18s have just been upgraded and they are meant to start to be retired from 2020. Same with Canada’s F/A-18s which were upraded by 2010 (including an uprade from APG65 to APG73 from memory).
Finland will apparently start looking at an F/A-18 replacement from 2015.
Switzerland’s F/A-18s will operate alongside JAS-39E/F. The F/A-18s are being upgraded with completion date oin 2016. No AESA radar is included as far as I am aware.
No idea about Malaysia’s 8 F/A-18Ds.
Most of the F/A-18 operators don’t require an AESA upgrade or hope to get it with via current fighter procurement process.
It will have to be a different AESA radar than the AN/APG-79 of the Super Hornet… the first 137 Super Hornets built retain their AN/APG-73 radars because they were built with the original forward fuselage. The remaining 135 of the 272 “Block I” Super Hornets were built with the AN/APG-73 but with the modified forward fuselage… these have been retrofitted with the AN/APG-79 AESA radar.
The forward fuselage of the F/A-18A/B/C/D simply won’t take the AN/APG-79 AESA radar.
Bager1968Oh… I thought you were asking about the F11F-1F… I have something for that, but I know nothing about Rollasons.
Bager1968I understand that they had been on the verge of being grounded for airframe fatigue, and that that is why they were retired before their replacements were purchased.
Bager1968So a plane that could make that round-trip could be said to have intercontinental range? 😀
Bager1968How far is the intercontinental flight between RAF Gibraltar and Morocco?
Bager1968https://www.agustawestland.com/news/agustawestland-unveils-aw169-aas
Article with more explanation and pics/drawings.
A reworked super-Lynx to compete to replace the Bell OH-58D Kiowa as the US Army’s Armed Aerial Scout (AAS).
Just in time for the possible cancellation of the AAS program.
AgustaWestland is In — But is There an AAS Program?
Bager1968Information on what squadrons were aboard which carriers when from after the end of WW2 on can be found on this site: http://navysite.de/carriers.htm
Click on the carrier you want to look at, then find a sentence like this:
Click here to get a view of the deployments of USS ORISKANY
and click on the hyper-linked word and you will get a page like this: http://navysite.de/cv/cv34deploy.htm
And we see that the first deployment of USS Oriskany CV-34 in 1951 included a Marine fighter squadron (VMF-122, flying McDonnell Banshees):
Date of Departure – Date of Return – CVW – Squadrons (Aircraft) – Tail code – Area of Operations – Battle Group – Operations/Exercises – Ports of Call
May 15, 1951 – October 4, 1951 – CVG-4 – VF-43 (F4U-5), VF-62 (F2H-2), VA-45 (AD-2), VMF-122 (F2H-2), VC-4 Det. 8 (F4U-5N), VC-12 Det. 8 (AD4-W), VC-33 Det. 8, VC-62 Det. 8-51 (F8F-2P), HU-2 Det. 8 (HO3S-1) – F – Mediterranean – Operation Beehive – Augusta, Sicily, Italy; Athens, Greece; Iraklion, Crete, Greece; Tripoli, Lybia; Naples, Italy; La Spezia, Italy; Cannes, France; Izmir, Turkey; Genoa, Italy; Gibraltar
Bager1968I think Israel already has a sufficient number of missiles and UAV products that it could relatively easily create a UAV/missile carrier to use for fleet support as a force multiplier.
For what possible purpose?
The Israeli Navy is (with the exception of its submarines) purely a coastal defense force operating along its own coast (or for short periods along the Lebanese or Egyptian coast)… and will therefore always be operating inside the air cover provided by the Israeli Air Force operating from bases in Israel.
Bager1968Works fine for Colorado, USA.
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northamptonchron.co.uk/community/community-news/italian-archaeologists-search-for-family-of-decorated-northamptonshire-combat-pilot-1-4971631
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