Australia Working With Lockheed Martin To Keep F-111s Flying Till 2020
FORT WORTH, Texas --- They called it "Whispering Death'' during the Vietnam War, so named for its ability to go in low and fast, drop a load and be on its way before the enemy knew what hit. For decades, the long-range F-111 has been a trusted warhorse in many campaigns; and now, much like that whisper from the past, the F-111 has become a relatively quiet program with only one customer -- the Royal Australian Air Force. They plan to keep their fleet ready and able to fly at least another 20 years. "Obviously, Australia likes the F-111,'' said Charles S. Bogle, F-111 program manager, RAAF Support Services, at Lockheed Martin Tactical Aircraft Systems (LMTAS), Fort Worth, Texas. "They need its long-range capabilities, and the veteran F-111 has proven to be a very durable aircraft. The RAAF's goal is to keep it in service until 2020.'' Australia has a fleet of 35 F-111s, along with other aircraft that include F/A-18s, C-130Js and P-3s. The F-111s are a mix of F/RF-111Cs and F-111G models. The U.S. Air Force retired its fleet of F-111Fs in 1996 and EF-111As in 1998. As a result, Australia embarked on a Sole Operator program to ensure support of its fleet. In late 1997, LMTAS sent two of its most experienced structures engineers, Joe Morrow and Tom Urquhart, to meet with Aircraft Structural Integrity representatives in Melbourne and RAAF Base, Amberley, home of the 82nd Wing, which operates the F-111, fondly referred to as the Pig by the RAAF. "The meetings helped define efforts to increase the in-country expertise to support this marvelous aircraft,'' Bogle said. The Australian/LMTAS team is halfway through the two-year program. The company currently has engineers at Tactical Aircraft Systems from Aerostructures Technologies Pty Ltd., as well as the Australian DoD's Defense Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratories. "They're looking at what we do at LMTAS that will help them support their fleet, the things that will make them more self-reliant in the years ahead,'' said Bogle, who began his career in 1967 as an F-111 engineer at the Fort Worth plant. "People are surprised any of us are still working on the F-111.'' Some of the target areas include internal finite element technologies and D6AC fatigue crack growth analysis. As a product of the '60s, the F-111 has some very unique characteristics, such as the D6AC high-strength steel, the only aircraft in existence today that is made of this material. Something old with many things new -- that's an accurate description of today's F-111. It's an aircraft that attributes its longevity to a number of factors, including a dedicated program of modernization over the years. And the upgrades continue. "There is a modernization program under way that includes the LMTAS digital flight control system on the fleet,'' Bogle said. "The F-111 is still the first line of air defense in Australia. We stay with our customers from beginning to end; I think that speaks volumes about our commitment as a contractor. '' The first flight of the General Dynamics F-111 occurred on Dec. 21, 1964. It was the world's first supersonic fighter/bomber with a variable sweep wing, a configuration that provided aerodynamic efficiency from the slowest to the fastest operating speeds. With wings fully extended, the F-111 can takeoff and land in as little as 2,000 feet. With wings swept fully back, it can reach supersonic speeds at high or low altitudes. The aircraft can fly transoceanic distances without refueling. In 1973, the RAAF received 24 F-111Cs. Fort Worth built a total of 562 various models of the aircraft, with production ending in 1976.
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Australia Working With Lockheed Martin To Keep F-111s Flying Till 2020
