|
|
Technology update
Another 20 years for the F-111
-
The Royal Australian Air Force has made plans to modify its F-111 fleet and keep it operational for at least the next 20 years.
|
According to Lockheed Martin, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has just made plans to keep its F-111 fleet ready and able to fly for at least another 20 years. Australia has a fleet of 35 F-111s, along with other aircraft that include F/A-18s, C-130Js, and P-3s. The F-111 fleet is 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 has embarked on a Sole Operator program to ensure support of its fleet.
"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, TX. "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."
The Australia/LMTAS team is currently halfway through the two-year program. The team consists of engineers from Tactical Aircraft Systems, Aerostructures Technologies Pty Ltd., and Australian DoD's Defense Aeronautical and Maritime Research Laboratories. The team is investigating ways of supporting the fleet and making it more self-reliant. Some of the target areas include internal finite element technologies and D6AC fatigue crack growth analysis. According to LMTAS, D6AC high-strength steel is very unique to the F-111 in that it is the only aircraft in which the material is still in use.
In addition to these technologies, the F-111's use will be lengthened with a modernization program that includes the addition of the LMTAS digital flight control system to the fleet. The aircraft has undergone a number of modernization programs over the years and its upgrades continue.
The General Dynamics F-111 made its first flight on Dec. 21, 1964. It was the world's first supersonic fighter/bomber with a variable swept wing. With the wings fully extended, the F-111 can take off and land in as little as 2000 ft. With the wings swept back, the aircraft can reach supersonic speeds at high or low altitudes and can fly transoceanic distances without refueling. A total of 562 various models of the aircraft were built at the Fort Worth plant, with production ending in 1976.
Frank Bokulich
|
|
|
