General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark aircraft move. | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

General Dynamics F-111F Aardvark In all, 566 F-111s of all series were built; 106 of them were production F-111Fs. The F-111F on display flew in combat with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing in 1991 during OPERATION DESERT STORM. It arrived at the museum in May 1996. | National Museum of the U.S. Air Force

Inside the F-111 Aardvark Cockpit | The Aviationist

The jet with a cockpit that could detach midair, the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was a Cold War bomber with a jaw-dropping feature: a crew escape module that acted like a mini spacecraft. Instead of ejector seats, the entire cockpit detached and parachuted down as a sealed pod. It even had built-in flotation systems if the jet went down over water. This system saved lives in multiple real crashes, including one where the jet exploded and the module landed safely with both pilots alive. No ot

Welcome to Warbird Wednesday! Today we are visiting another strategic bomber aircraft, the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark. The F-111 was produced in the 1960s, pioneering several technologies, including variable swept wings, afterburning turbofan engines and automated terrain-following radar. It was able to carry several bombs, as well as one nuclear weapon. In fact, it dropped 80% of the bombs in the Gulf War. Its name Aardvark was given due to its similarities to the animal, like the long nos

F-111 Aardvark: The Bomber Built for Long-Range Missions | US Military News