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December 1964, and most of the current generation of F-111 aircrew are still in primary school as prototype No 1 undergoes its first flight. (General Dynamics)
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The True Story of the General Dynamics F-111, a Much-Maligned Aircraft That Went on to Become the Finest Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft in the Western Inventory
The F-111 must take credit for being the most misunderstood combat aircraft of the latter half of this century. Conceived as a nuclear strike aircraft, it was used very successfully in combat as a conventional bomber. It was meant to fulfil a wide range of missions, some as diverse as air superiority and naval air defence, yet it was optimised by design to air-to-ground precision strike. It was this fundamental conflict between the aircraft’s nominal role definition and actual design which has provided feed for two generations of critics, none of whom as it seems ever took the time to understand the aircraft in the first place.
The Tactical Fighter Experimental or TFX was conceived in the very late fifties, the child of the USAF Tactical Air Command (TAC). TAC is the arm of the USAF which is tasked with providing air support for United States ground forces; as such it is responsible for the roles of air superiority, close air support and interdiction. The three primary roles have however assumed varied priorities over the years, and in 1958 the uppermost of these was interdiction, employing tactical nuclear weapons. There were several reasons for that stance, both the doctrine of the day and internal USAF rivalry coming into play.
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