Simviation Forums

The Aardvark served as a tactical interdictor, strategic bomber, electronics platform, and reconnaissance plane. Did anyone ever use it as a fighter?

The F-111 could carry a 20mm autocannon in the weapons bay, but it was almost never fitted. Does anyone know of an instance where it was carried?

It never suited the role as a fighter. It was considered briefly by the US navy as a long range intercepter and defence fighter, but it couldn't keep up in dog fighting so that idea was scrapped. It was a good heavy strike fighter though, wreaking havoc on the enemy in the gulf war. It was highly successful in that campaign.

Given the choice though, if offered a F111 to go into an air to air fight, I'd probably decline and stay home.

Not sure if it was Robin Olds or Jim Boyd, both famous US Air Force fighter pilots, who said that swing-wing technology was a poor choice for fighter aircraft.

From the Wiki:

While variable-sweep provides many advantages, particularly in takeoff distance, load-carrying ability, and the fast, low-level penetration role, the configuration imposes a considerable penalty in weight and complexity. The advent of relaxed stability flight control systems in the 1970s negated many of the disadvantages of a fixed platform. No new variable-sweep wing aircraft have been built since the Tu-160 (produced until 1992), though it has been noted that the F-14's replacement - the F/A-18E - has a reduced payload/range capability largely because of its small fixed wings.