An interesting article about the F-111 and why it can keep going until 2020…
And no its NOT from Carlo Kopp…. lol
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The proposed early retirement of the F-111 announced by the Defence Department in early 2003 is naïve at best, negligent at worst. The costs of maintenance and operation of the RF-111C/G fleet are constantly over estimated, with the F-111 portrayed as an intolerable financial burden on the defence budget and the most expensive aircraft in the RAAF’s inventory, this is in-fact untrue.
If one analyses the Defence Annual reports from FY 1998-2003, one will find that it is indeed the F/A-18 Hornet, the nation’s tactical fighter that is the most costly airborne platform to operate, costing the Australian taxpayer $1, 398.1 Million Dollars a year, 30.7% of the RAAF’s annual budget followed by the C-130H/J, B-707 at $892.6 Million (19.6%) and AP-3C Orion at $788.4 Million (17.3%) with the F-111 fleet costing the public $787.1 Million Dollars a year, 17.3% of the RAAF’s annual budget. (1)
According to the September 2005 edition of Defence Today magazine, the total project cost of ownership for the F/A-18A/B was $8,032.40 million ($113.1 million per aircraft) compared to $2,023.00 million ($72.25 million per aircraft) for the RF-111C/G.
Another myth perpetrated by Defence is that the F-111 is a decrepit old bird, constantly at danger of falling out of the sky, yet it’s airframe has a longer structural fatigue life than the F/A-18 because of the it’s tough mission requirements, 10,000 hours compared to the Hornet’s 6,000, allowing it to go to 2020 without any major problems. In addition, 82nd Wing’s current supply of Pratt and Whitney TF-30 engines will last the fleet until 2020. (2)
This is not to mention the almost inexhaustible number of spare parts and airframes located at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Centre (AMARC)—the Boneyard—at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Arizona.
Now we have ascertained the F-111 fleet can indeed go to 2020, the date determined by the Defence Science and Technology Organisation under its Sole Operator Program, there are a series of upgrades that can be undertaken to insure the F-111’s retains it’s edge as the most potent strike aircraft in the region, these include:
• Retrofitting the F-111 fleet with a glass cockpit arrangement comprising of AMLCD Function Panels and rebuilt SU-46 HUDs from old USAF F-111D’s
and a 14-15” Fusion Display for RHAWS Threat Footprint, Track/Target/Fuel/Time, JTIDS Tracks, Digital Moving Map.
• Reallocating funds for AIR 5391 EW Upgrade.
• Replace TF-30’s with GE-F110-GE-129 engines which would extend range out to 1,400nm and is low risk considering US Navy replaced the F-14’s TF-30’s with the same engine.
• Reskin F-111 wings, replacing original aluminium honeycomb skins with DSTO-designed carbon fibre composite skins.
• Use the Block C-4 Mil-STD-1760 upgrade to integrate the latest family of digital weapons including JDAM, JSOW and JASSM.
• Reinstate the F-111 as the AIR 5418 candidate aircraft and scrap ridiculous AP-3C missile carrier idea.
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