Warplanes of the USA: Ohio, Dayton, National Museum of the USAF: General Dynamics aircraft

Warplane Survivors USA: Ohio, Dayton, National Museum of the USAF: General Dynamics

(NMUSAF Photos)

General Dynamics F-111A Aardvark (Serial No. 67-0067), NA, C/N A1-112.  The F-111A on display in the NMUSAF is marked as it appeared in 1972-1973 when it was assigned to the 474th Tactical Fighter Wing during "Linebacker II", conducting very effective night strikes against North Vietnamese targets.

General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark (Serial No. 70-2390), LN, C/N E2-29/F-29.

General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark (Serial No. 72-1448), LN, C/N E2-78/F-78.

(NMUSAF Photo)

General Dynamics EF-111A Raven (Serial No. 66-0057), CC, C/N A1-75.  EF-111A Ravens, known affectionately as "Fat Tails" and "Spark Varks," (the F-111 is known as the Aardvark), served as tactical electronic jamming aircraft in the 1980s and 1990s.  The USAF received 42 EF-111As between 1981 and 1985, and the aircraft supported several USAF operations in the 1980s and 1990s.  In the 1970s Grumman began modifying 42 F-111A fighters by adding jamming equipment to create the EF-111A.  A 16-foot-long, canoe-shaped radome on the underside for the fuselage housed high-powered transmitter antennas, and a fin-tip pod on the vertical stabilizer housed receiving antennas and other equipment, including a processor to detect hostile radar emissions.  This complex gear weighed about four tons.  Because the equipment required full-time attention in flight, the right seat crewmember, or Electronic Warfare Officer, no longer performed flight-related duties but instead monitored the jamming equipment.  In 1984 Grumman/General Dynamics Corp. began building additional modification kits for the EF-111A which enabled the aircraft to operate in three roles: standoff jamming, close in jamming and penetration/escort.  Ravens served first with the 390th Electronic Combat Squadron based at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho . Later, they were based at Cannon Air Force Base, New Mexico.  The USAF retired its EF-111As in June 1998, and this aircraft was placed on display in the NMUSAFin July 1998.

(NMUSAF Photos)

General Dynamics NF-16A Fighting Falcon (Serial No. 75-0750), c/n 61-5, AFTI testbed.  The USAF used this highly modified fighter for more than 20 years to test new ideas in flight control, electronic targeting, and cockpit design.  A one-of-a-kind aircraft, the Advanced Fighter Technology Integration (AFTI) F-16 made more than 700 flights in 10 different research programs between 1978 and 2000.  AFTI F-16 programs developed targeting lasers and computers, and new autopilot and ground-avoidance systems which allowed pilots to fly faster and lower while seeking and attacking targets.  Other AFTI advances included digital flight controls, a voice-activated maneuvering system that allowed the pilot to "point" the aircraft in unusual flight attitudes, and touch-sensitive cockpit displays.  The aircraft's last project tested new technology that reduced the F-35 Lightning II’s weight and increased its maneuverability.  One of the AFTI program's most significant achievements was the first-ever use of all-electric "power by wire" flight controls, with no hydraulic or mechanical backups to move the aircraft's control surfaces.  This milestone won the AFTI team the 2000 Aerospace Industry Award for Engineering, Maintenance, and Modification.  In 2001 the AFTI F-16 was retired and transferred to the NMUSAF.

(NMUSAF Photo)

(Martin McGuire Photo)

General Dynamics F-16A Fighting Falcon (Serial No. 81-0663), 1, C/N 61-344, Thunderbirds markings.  The F-16 on display in the NMUSAF was one of the first F-16s to be received by the Thunderbirds in 1982 when they transitioned from T-38s to F-16s.  The Thunderbirds continued to fly this aircraft until 1992 when they converted to F-16Cs.  It was then modified to operational condition and assigned to the Air Education and Training Command to train pilots at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.  In 1996 the Thunderbirds repainted it in Thunderbird colours at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada.  The museum placed it on display in October 1996.

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