FIRE AND FURY: F-111 PIG

Commemorative print celebrating the F-111 ‘Pig’ in RAAF service from 1973 to 2010. 

The General Dynamics F-111 was originally designed to meet a USN and USAF requirement for a long-range strike aircraft. Australia made the decision to procure the F-111C as replacement for the ageing Canberra bomber in 1963. However continued delays, development issues and increasing costs deferred RAAF delivery until 1973.  

Despite these teething problems the F-111 remained the longest serving strike/bomber aircraft in Australian service with a final flight in December 2010 after nearly 37 years of duty. It was the first aircraft with variable geometry wing accepted into the RAAF. Flying at twice the speed of sound it was also the fastest. Australia was the only export customer of the aircraft, initially operating 24 of the F-111C version with longer wings. Four aircraft were modified with a reconnaissance pack and designated RF-111C while several ex-USAF airframes were later delivered as attrition replacements. A final supplemental acquisition of F-111G aircraft arrived in 1994.

82 WG including 1 and 6 SQNs at Amberley, Queensland remained operators of the F-111 throughout service with additional support from the Aircraft Research and Development Unit (ARDU). The RAAF’s F-111 fleet was never deployed operationally in a strike capacity although reconnaissance RF-111C variants did participate in missions over East Timor in 1999. Probably the greatest achievement, and lasting legacy of the F-111, was the status it held as a regional deterrent.

In US service the F-111 was called the Aardvark on account of a long nose and terrain following capabilities, in Australian service it was affectionately known as the ‘Pig’.

The F-111 had a special place in the hearts and minds of Australians. A popular spectacle at air shows and public events was the ‘dump and burn’ where fuel was jettisoned between the afterburners resulting in a large sheet of flame. A flypast few would forget!

✅ Hand signed and numbered by Drew Harrison, with a Certificate of Authenticity included!

✨ Archival inks on High Quality Photo Rag paper.

*Print on demand product. Please allow 2 to 3 weeks for delivery.*