Pigs can’t fly

December just witnessed the most significant transformation in Australia’s airpower disposition in a generation. Not since the F/A-18A/B Hornet replaced the Mirage a quarter of a century ago have we seen a transformation as significant as the retirement of the F-111 and the standing up of the F/A-18F Super Hornet.

December 2/3’s retirement ceremonies and celebrations at Amberley for the F-111 (dubbed Pigs’ Tales) put the full stop on a remarkable career for a remarkable aircraft. The F-111 has never been far from controversy – from its ordering off the drawing board, to its wing carry through box fatigue issues that saw deliveries of Australia’s jets postponed, to cost blowouts, to the push to retire it in the 1980s, to the debate over whether to retire the aircraft in 2020, or 2010, and the push from some quarters for a sort of super F-111 with upgrades to everything from new engines to a new AESA radar and weapons.