F-111 in Desert Storm

[robyoung]

Jeff Guinn chats about flying the USAF F-111 Aardvark. He includes his training, being based at Upper Heyford and flying in operation Desert Storm.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-hrrMlksNA&t=25s

[Drinkmat]

Thanks for posting that link. The F-111 will always be one of my favourite aircraft types.

One thing I like about the design is that on capsule ejection, if landing in water, the pilots control column becomes the bilge pump. Very practical.

[paddyboy]

Thanks for yet another great link

Always loved the 'Vark b-I-g time

Paddyboy

[22A]

I know the F111 was used in Vietnam & the Gulf War. Also saw action over Libya in the mid 80's. Has it seen subsequent use over Iraq and/or Afghanistan and was it used over Serbia? I read than a F117 pilot over Baghdad on the first night thought it was all so peaceful; than an EF111 arrived and jammed all radars for miles around. That was when the Iraqis realised what was happening so started shooting AAA at any noise or light in the sky.

[Thunder]

EF-111's were certainly used over Yugoslavia during Op Deny Flight and then Op Deliberate Force. No F-111's saw action over Afghanistan or Iraq, they were long gone in the USAF and the RAAF never deployed them. The RAAF did however forward deploy them to Tindal and had them armed ready to attack Indonesian forces during the East Timor crisis in 1999.

[Stroudy]

The best episode yet, really enjoyed that. Thanks for posting.

[T_J]

Excellent interview. It is amazing how many people don't know about the initial 3 day low-level phase during Desert Storm for many of the participants. Even B-52Gs were down in the weeds!

[robyoung]

Glad you are all enjoying it!

[toom317]

I was working in Saudi at the time of the Gulf War, and days before it all kicked off, we had a Swinger in at Khamis with a bomb on it I'd never seen before, (a GBU15 I think). I tried all sorts to try and get a pic of it, but there were to many Saudi guards around. First morning into work after it had kicked off the night before, we had a Swinger parked away in an isolated part of the airfield. Turned out it had flown through a cloud of something, at a target it had been attacking. It left later that day.

Had quite a few of them in at Lossie, in my time there, and saw many at Spadeadam as well. Always thought it was a very photogenic aircraft, and it was big.