The one would be to overestimate our strength, and thus neglect crucially important actions in the period just ahead. The other would be to underestimate our strength. Thereby we might dishearten our friends, and to lose our national poise and perspective in approaching the complex problems ahead. Any orderly balance-sheet of military strength must be in two parts. The first is the position as of today. The second is the position in the period ahead.Eisenhower-State of the Union-1958
The United States has tremendous military power. But this power has been compromised in recent years. In 1985, under President Reagan, the United States Army had 27 divisions. Today, we have 10 divisions. In 1985, we had 37 Air Force wings. Today, we are down to 13 wings. In 1985, we had 546 ships in the United States Navy. Today, we have 339.
How does America's current strength match up with Russia's?
America's military superiority ought to be questioned.
Keeps the dream alive - fab vid. Great promo for a pair of RAAF F111 desk top models at scale 1:60 from GTrans International. One in original camo, the other in grey liveries and badging. Choose your own serial number. You can also have an engraved brushed steel squadron crest. Email for a brochure at john@gtrans.com.au or check out the website gtrans.com.au. Percentage donation for each sale to the Premier's Flood Appeal
considering that the RAAF is using the the Superhornets to replace the Aardvark i dont see why people are even bringing the F-35 into the equation
the F-35 may be a multi-role aircraft but its a "Strike Fighter" not a multi-role Fighter/Bomber like the Super hornets or Aardvark and its being mainly used for the navy as the "CATOBAR" vertical take off variant for close fleet defense and stealth recon.
Yeah I was at work that day.Didnt see it as we were evac. to a point away from the strip.The wheel came off the A/C & rolled through our carpark on takeoff.From there it travelled about 1/2k up to the top carpark at H410 & hit a car.The a/c then circled for a while burning fuel & allowing backup crews to work different landing solutions in the simulator..'Minimal' damage to the a/c.Certainly not much to speak of in the way of internal fuel tank damage.
I thought it was little hard too. But then I realised it trapped a wire (as intended to slow it down) and that pulled the aircraft down. So it was perfect!
Bloddy good flying the guy had only graduated 2 weeks ago!!!! he was a gud pilot im in hte AAFC (australian air force cadets) i wud hate to see an ardvark get smashed
whats with RAAF aircraft maintenance workers not putting wheels on properly?? I heard just a couple of months ago that maintenance inspectors realised that half the F-18 fleet at Richmond had their wheels on back the front correct me if im wrong. Of all things the wheels are the biggest wonder to maintenance workers ha!. too bad if we had an emergency enemy to intercept at the time, cant our planes have back the front wheels!
my friend told me about it... cant remember what base he said... but yeah thats what he heard. and yes squardron lol my bad... fleet ha! fleet is used for ships ay??
well my friends uncle is a pilot in the air force so if he said it then it must be true. or he could be just talking out of his ass just for the sake of talking... i cant remember what base he said though.
the main reason that australia isnt buying any f-22's is because america is not allowed to sell the raptors. It has too many secrets and thats the reason why the japan air force will buy f 35 lightning II.
yup, congress put a stop on it, not because its so secret, but because its such an effective aircraft, but with the financial situation at the moment with Lockheed and the US economy it wouldn't suprise me if in a few years they allow LM to export the F-22.
Never seen a belly landing that has ended badly. All credit to the pilots, but really they know what to do and these things are not as dangerous as most people think.
Case in point - I have never seen a belly landing with anyone with as much as a scratch.
Most pilots will tell you these landings are pretty routine.
They dump the fuel before landing and the fire tenders are always close at hand. I think these landings are over rated. Hey, the cat and the pan were funny.
They might be old but they are still one of the best strike aircraft in the world. Incredibly fast, ours have been upgraded and can be upgraded even further, and have longer range then most jets out there.
Unfortunately they might be replaced by the F18 Superhornet thanks to some bad decision making, a far less capable aircraft for the applications required.
They are retiring the F1-11's as they will become to costly and inefficient to upgrade beyond 2011. The Superhornets are great a/c - it's not unfortunate. We're purchasing the Superhornets only to bridge the gap between retiring the F1-11's and purchasing the F-35's (I think around 2018). The F1-11's are still amazing a/c. I think we got them back in the 60's and ever since then have been relatively inexpensive to maintain and upgrade to keep them on par with many of the world's best a/c.
what's REALLY going to happen with this aircraft? maybe you should look at history. the F-22 is a replacement for the F-15, an aircraft that was first sold overseas to ISRAEL and JAPAN, both countries that have expressed interest in the aircraft, however, both will receive watered down versions that are barely functional, Japan will accept this and make do, however Israel will flip em' the bird, and develop their own radars and weapon systems and make it better than the original aircraft.
The IAF took a lot of the black boxes out themselves. The sensitive item on the f-22 is its steath quality. The Japs can duplicate and improve the electronics in an f-22. The IAF shot down 100+ Migs of all types with their watered down F-15's
haha, that was the point, the watered down version that the american's shipped them was modified to the point that it was better than the original, though no-one can touch the ROKAF F-15K SLAM EAGLE... even the name is awesome...
bloody amazing landing!... they only use the hook for high speed take off obortions i think lol... its a shame there going to be retired after 2010, such a great aircraft
Later models are exceptional aircraft. Us yanks should not have retired our spark varks. The US Air Force has Zero desire to fight an opponent with the F22's tech. The F-35 has better avionics with less range/payload. With no thrust vectoring.
I grew up watching the D model 'vark kill my friends fathers at Canon AFB in NM USA. One of my childhood heroes landed one with whole ass end on fire. He got a DFC and a fire extinguisher.
I think its incredible to see such precise flying, he hooked the plane on the runway cables. An amazing feat of flying, thats why it slammed down onto the runway, but at the same time minimized the damaged cause to the aircraft. Amazing nonetheless, since its such a large aircraft it would be somewhat hard to control at that low speed and alittude
Why is Australia spending $6 billion on 24 Super Hornets (as a stop gap)when the F-111 is still a formidable warplane???
The F-111 is full of Australian designed and manufactured high tech equipment, so can't we simply replace the airframes(or build new ones - must be less than $6 billion?
It would go hand in hand with 100 F-22's and allow us to maintain air superioty in our region!
Better than waiting 10 years for the F-35 fighters to be up and running?!
Actually the export of F-22 is illegal in the US, only the United States can have them for now, you can have F-35 but their not going to be out for a few years. Might as well take the Superhornets, they can actually go on aircraft carriers and are the next best things and don't require much maintenance like the F-111 and for the US the now retired F-14 Tomcats.
As redmustang03 said, the USA won't export the F-22 (with the possible exception of a very watered-down version to Japan).
The F-111 is a Çold War-era penetration aircraft and it's much less of a fighter than a bomber. The Super Hornet is exceptionally competent in both roles. The F-35 will be even better.
Perhaps Australia is becoming more like what Australians perceive America to be. I've found the foreign perception of the USA to be rather ill-informed and replete with inaccurate stereotypes.
But anyway, the F-22 has a lot of proprietary technology in it which the USA would rather retain from an corporate competitiveness perspective.
i hate the f-35. its the most stupidest plane ever! low payload, range, firepower and speed! wat an embarresment to the RAAF! the f-111 was wayyy better. the f-35 can only carry wat, like 2 bombs, and the f-111 over 35,000kg of bombs!
but wat if the targets are ALL spread out so far that not even cluster bombs could destroy them. and 2 bombs, wats that gonna do?!?!?? wat if there's more targets, they'll need escorts and that'll endanger more lives!!!!
@sigma957 to bad the F35 and f22 suck compared to the SU and MIGs. the RAAF wasnt to happy about the F35 but i think we still got/getting them. it looks like in the future we may be getting russian jets. thank the lord lol
@MokomaSusi well the JSF-35 was not made for air to air combat it was made from ground support and the F-22 was desinged in the 1980s during the cold war. and look at the status of the aircraft. the new MIGs win in pretty much every way. great stuff is also made in other countrys other then the US
@darkmaster010 I would suggest that you study some of the other specs of the aircraft before making an intelligent decision on whether or not the f-35 is "the most stupidest plane ever!" in particular the AESA radar and the Electro-Optical DAS system. The f-35 will have underwing store carrying capacity as well as internal bays. Range is multiplied with the RAAF purchasing KC-30 MRAA as well as time on station. The F-111 is a vintage aircraft, but like all things getting old, needs to retire.
Just curious if RAAF has ever considered keeping F-111 in service in a converted role as Tanker? Could internal bay and wing pylons be used for fuel-tanks to supplement increased tactical in-flight refuel capability?
I think one of the reasons to get rid of the F-111 is the amount of maintenance it requires. For every hour of flight time it requires many more hours of on ground maintenance apparently. I think the newer planes are a bit better designed in this respect.
Maybe 12 such 'reserve' tankers alone could refuel 24 Hornets in long-range intercept scenario?
Not sure what one such hypothetical tanker's capacity could be. No it's not alot but it would increase tactical capability quite a bit and hence multiply deterrence value of F-18 force. (and that of mid term new fighter/attack platforms)
Australia is buying 2 aircraft carriers with STOVL capabilities of either Spain of France and this is why we should get the F-35 STOVL, this would also compensate for the F-35s shorter range. But for some really lame and stupid reason Mr Robert Hill still wants to get the standard take off F-35!!!
Wrong about the best, we (Australia) though good friends with USA will NEVER get our hands on weapons equal to them. The USA always maintains an edge over those she supplies weapons to. Niave to think otherwise really.
Only the Australian Pilot are that good. I visted Amberley recently, we are still flying Caribu's or however it is spelt. When we went to Amberley they had 22 F-111's there but there we a few over in east timor. I visited Boeing and Amberley last week.
if these were real aussie men, the rio/bn would have shimmied his was back to landing gear bay, and used the fred flinstone method of landing...ps...God bless Steve Irwin.
who cares when this was designed it is still a kickass plane. Thing i don't like though is that the government is replacing 2 planes with 2 different roles with one plane not a good idea. Government should have bought 3 different planes, The JSF is a good strategic bomber but not to good dogfighter. This is what the government should have bought no doubts. 50 F-35II, 20 F-22, and 30 Eurofighter Typhoon. That would make one kickass airforce airforce.
littlejohny072 - the F-22 is not sold to foreign countries, and by buying both typhoons and F35's, you have to deal with servicing and maintaining different airframes, when one airframe (either JSF or Typhoon) would fill the role sufficiently.
JSF can't dogfight for shit compared to eurofighter and f-22 it's kinda like an f-16 with better computers and STOVL capability. And the F-22 was offered to Australia bye lockheed its from the same roll off as the F-35 II, it has the same technology as the F-22. Alot of pilots say they would actually prefer the F-22.
I don't think you understood my comment, US congress passed a bill prohibiting the sale of the F-22 & it's technology to ANY foreign country, INCLUDING allies. Japan has also publicly stated it wanted the F22, and it was publicy denied by the US Govt. Also the JSF cannot be compared to the F16, it's 5th gen warplane, enhanced avionics + stealth.
mm Whatever but i really douubt getting two planes replaced with one is a good idea, F-35 II isn't a great dogfighter i know that it is altough a very good strategic bomber, It has some good stuff but it can't dogfight as good as claimed, Australia seems to keep their hardware for ages so we should buy something good.
Strategic bomber? Do you have any idea what the hell a strategic bomber is?
As for the Eurofighter, the canards hamper the low-observability, and while the delta wings may provide an eye-watering first turn, the subsequent airspeed bleed mean that you'd BETTER get the first shot. Try sustaining 9-g indefinitely, like an F-16.
The F22 will be sold to Japan, The people who make the F22 are pressuring the US congress to sell it to them, especially since the Americans are only making just over 100 for themselves. To keep their jobs, the plane has gotta be sold abroad. Probably the only country that can afford it anyway.
Just need to get rid of the fucking Pro China's in the US congress and pentagon trying to undermine Japan.
btw, Australia should buy the Eurofighter over the shit box F-35.
The first production delivery was in 1967. I'm not sure when it was designed, but there was no need for it before 1957, so initial designing most likely began in 57 or 58.
Oh i just hit up the google and found that yeh it was designed in the 1940's. Sozz man, I was told this by someone who obviously doesn't know their shit, no hard feelings lol ;)
Yeah ill have to agree it was some great piloting skills.. and the pilot only got his wings a few weeks before it happened!
The F-111 is over 40 years old - we're replacing the lot with the F-35 JSF when it comes in. Until then we're filling in with F/A-18 Super Hornets as interim fighters.... what good theyll do i dont know, as far as my knowledge into their capabilites go it wont help us much in a future war.
PS. Americans have nothing to do with our belly landing.
Actually funny story, as I said I have taken off from the same runway, the arrestor cable was laid out for the day and only takeoffs were permitted. Me and my flight instructor taxied over the cable, she was so embarressed when after suggesting that I do it, we got stuck for 15 minutes and had to be rescued. lol so funny but it felt good being there on the same runway!
There is no way the f-111 is 60 years old. It was 60 years ago that they broke the sound barrier for the first time (1947). I would say it is approximately 40 years old, judging by it's technology and performance.
The pilot kept his cool the whole way making it a perfect bally landing. its a bitch that the f-111 (i think) is being replaced by teh f-35. feel free to corect me.
You are right the F-35 is planned to replace the F-111's (and eventually the F-18s I believe).
But since the F-35's are taking so bloody long to get delivered, Australia has purchased some F-18 Super Hornets to replace the F-111's in the interim.
True, the F-35 will eventually replace the F-111 and F/A-18. Although not as fast as the F-111 or as long-ranged, the F-35 has stealth capabilities comparable to the F-117, making it good for penetrating enemy airspace; it also has decent air-to-air capabilities, making it able to self-escort, unlike dedicated bombers like the F-111.
The F-35 will only be replacing the F/A-18A's not the Super Hornets thankfully... I think we are still ordering 24 Super Hornets in, not much compared to the USAF 3000+ military jets...
P/Appleboy, get educated before you draw conclusions as to how Austrlia with its pigs would fare against the rest of the 'developed world'. The ADF is mighty good at what we do. We have our own flavour of warfare, and if that means that wheels and shit fall off then so be it! Caramello ftw! ;)
Ive been to RAAF base amberely so many times now and ive taken off from the same runway that the F-111 belly landed on and you can see a gigantic scrape along it. Great fun.
Great airmanship on the part of the pilot! The pig is a long range strike aircraft that has a range/payload/speed capability that most (if not all)newer jets can't match. They just don't make 'em like they used to!
he is a dick the f 111 is a snazy looking and great plane with lots of power, manuverability and capabilities. the reason it wasnt successful was because not soon after the f-14 took it place which was 10 ft shorter and a faster, more devloped plane, but th 111 is a beautifal plane.
is that the most intelligent comment youre capable of? maybe you shouldnt read these if youre afraid of your beloved ancient aircraft being criticised.
I would disagree they will sell them to allies, but your right wikipedia is not accurate its probably someones speculation, I think its the F-35s we're getting.
The United States Government has repeatedly stated they won't sell this thing to allies (at least not in the foreseeable future). Japan asked for them a month or two ago, and the US turned them down.
Looks like this was made to land on an Aircraft Carrier? or does all the F 111's come with the hook for safety?
Indianmalujl 1 week ago
change of underwear required in 3-2-1
andysim232 2 months ago
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SomeUselessGeek 4 months ago
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SomeUselessGeek 4 months ago
they were trained well.
i miss ian ross. get him back on the evening news
xDjAsOnF 7 months ago
The one would be to overestimate our strength, and thus neglect crucially important actions in the period just ahead. The other would be to underestimate our strength. Thereby we might dishearten our friends, and to lose our national poise and perspective in approaching the complex problems ahead. Any orderly balance-sheet of military strength must be in two parts. The first is the position as of today. The second is the position in the period ahead.Eisenhower-State of the Union-1958
dardingz 8 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
The United States has tremendous military power. But this power has been compromised in recent years. In 1985, under President Reagan, the United States Army had 27 divisions. Today, we have 10 divisions. In 1985, we had 37 Air Force wings. Today, we are down to 13 wings. In 1985, we had 546 ships in the United States Navy. Today, we have 339.
How does America's current strength match up with Russia's?
America's military superiority ought to be questioned.
dardingz 8 months ago
Well done guys.
BTW, they look Russian... o_O
PraiseEducation 9 months ago
I woulda opte to eject
vk45de 11 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Keeps the dream alive - fab vid. Great promo for a pair of RAAF F111 desk top models at scale 1:60 from GTrans International. One in original camo, the other in grey liveries and badging. Choose your own serial number. You can also have an engraved brushed steel squadron crest. Email for a brochure at john@gtrans.com.au or check out the website gtrans.com.au. Percentage donation for each sale to the Premier's Flood Appeal
TheGTrans 1 year ago
well done
raymondwong01 1 year ago
considering that the RAAF is using the the Superhornets to replace the Aardvark i dont see why people are even bringing the F-35 into the equation
the F-35 may be a multi-role aircraft but its a "Strike Fighter" not a multi-role Fighter/Bomber like the Super hornets or Aardvark and its being mainly used for the navy as the "CATOBAR" vertical take off variant for close fleet defense and stealth recon.
TehWingman69 1 year ago
ive been there and sat in the f111
TheDudeFrom0Z 1 year ago
The F - 35 is a dud IMO, australia shouldn't get it.
minerofblood 1 year ago
tomorrow is my first interview with the RAAF :):)
THEROLLINNGDICE99 1 year ago
thats why RAAF pilots are considered some of the best in the world
kingdarey 2 years ago
Aous traaaalian
oyePhoker 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
hahahaha it looks so weird landing on the ground with out landing gear
looks like they dident know the weals wernt there so they gused and lannded on belly
coolpiggy94 2 years ago
Fk I remember all this on the news
PolxenTwo 2 years ago
Yeah I was at work that day.Didnt see it as we were evac. to a point away from the strip.The wheel came off the A/C & rolled through our carpark on takeoff.From there it travelled about 1/2k up to the top carpark at H410 & hit a car.The a/c then circled for a while burning fuel & allowing backup crews to work different landing solutions in the simulator..'Minimal' damage to the a/c.Certainly not much to speak of in the way of internal fuel tank damage.
goop352 2 years ago
Nice landing. couldnt have done it better
grumpyzrp 2 years ago 2
damn that pilot so intelligent to land in that way awesome,cheers.
BikerYamahaR1 2 years ago
You need skill not intelligence to do that :) But both helps!
jlebesis 2 years ago 2
there was no other way apart from ejecting in the middle of the ocean.
MTran0708 2 years ago
lol tunk! nice landing tho just a little hard
riflelord2 2 years ago
I thought it was little hard too. But then I realised it trapped a wire (as intended to slow it down) and that pulled the aircraft down. So it was perfect!
slopit12 2 years ago
"The mechanics said to come back thursd-y, we came back. They were still cleaning the same bloody part they were last saturday..."
Just kidding, that was a fantastic save!
Viewindo 2 years ago
God, such a lovely plane
amsterdamacrylics 2 years ago 2
RIP the Pig. Gunna be sad to see the old girl go.
bluedog1976 2 years ago
haha yep
liveonthebeat 2 years ago
Bloddy good flying the guy had only graduated 2 weeks ago!!!! he was a gud pilot im in hte AAFC (australian air force cadets) i wud hate to see an ardvark get smashed
liveonthebeat 2 years ago 2
or a kangaroo
robert0joe 2 years ago 2
Wat great pilots!!!!
warbird417 2 years ago
Great job all around!
iowa61 2 years ago
Was a main not a nosewheel I was there when it happened that was my SQN.
Trendywun 2 years ago
Nice work boys!!!
kiabgirl 2 years ago
the f-18 or either f-a-18 are based at williamtown near newcastle and raaf tindal near katherine
xekid 2 years ago
you are wrong a fleet of f-18 its called a squadron by they,do not even exist at richmond raaf base
xekid 2 years ago
whats with RAAF aircraft maintenance workers not putting wheels on properly?? I heard just a couple of months ago that maintenance inspectors realised that half the F-18 fleet at Richmond had their wheels on back the front correct me if im wrong. Of all things the wheels are the biggest wonder to maintenance workers ha!. too bad if we had an emergency enemy to intercept at the time, cant our planes have back the front wheels!
Tourettes91 2 years ago
there arnt any f-18s in richmond
and yeh its called a squadron wat xekid said
aaronharun 2 years ago
my friend told me about it... cant remember what base he said... but yeah thats what he heard. and yes squardron lol my bad... fleet ha! fleet is used for ships ay??
Tourettes91 2 years ago
lol... but is it true? wheels back to front? lol i can imagine that!
aaronharun 2 years ago
well my friends uncle is a pilot in the air force so if he said it then it must be true. or he could be just talking out of his ass just for the sake of talking... i cant remember what base he said though.
Tourettes91 2 years ago
ha! i wanna be raaf! ihope they dont screw up wen im flyin
aaronharun 2 years ago
ive met the navigator on this plane he likes to jet ski
Quoc011 2 years ago
perfect! You saved yourself and the plane.
belgianhorst 3 years ago
Absolutly stunning landing. Textbook stuff
Ibbotson1987 3 years ago
Outstanding landing!
osuengineer2012 3 years ago
Damn good landing for a rookie pilot
Scottser 3 years ago
:D has to think we were so close to buying the F-4 phantom
Mrbob200 3 years ago
Haha, nice job, pro piloting!
Enoppixz 3 years ago
What happed to the wheel why did it broke off
Ryan2best1man 3 years ago
the main reason that australia isnt buying any f-22's is because america is not allowed to sell the raptors. It has too many secrets and thats the reason why the japan air force will buy f 35 lightning II.
Kakashitoshiba 3 years ago
yup, congress put a stop on it, not because its so secret, but because its such an effective aircraft, but with the financial situation at the moment with Lockheed and the US economy it wouldn't suprise me if in a few years they allow LM to export the F-22.
aussieairlinepilot 3 years ago
God forbid countries other than the USA get the F-22, then they just might have to rely on pilot skill. Now THAT'S a scary thought!
wkomar 3 years ago
lol true.
aussieairlinepilot 3 years ago 2
i agree
lol
GUSRULZ445 3 years ago
ask any pilot and I'm sure they would much rather rely on their own technology as apposed to skill as well ;)
fatmungus 3 years ago
the main reason that australia isnt buying any f-22's is because there so expensive.
joemumma1 3 years ago
Never seen a belly landing that has ended badly. All credit to the pilots, but really they know what to do and these things are not as dangerous as most people think.
Case in point - I have never seen a belly landing with anyone with as much as a scratch.
Most pilots will tell you these landings are pretty routine.
ALAJOHNSTONE 3 years ago
Can't they catch on fire though?
eveningniteshade 3 years ago
They dump the fuel before landing and the fire tenders are always close at hand. I think these landings are over rated. Hey, the cat and the pan were funny.
ALAJOHNSTONE 3 years ago
Why did you pass the tire shop and got it fixed
KernelThread 3 years ago
you just have to hand it to those boys in the sky they are the best in the world
kingy1098s 3 years ago
RAAF -best flyers in the world
chewie211171 3 years ago
Once again RAAF stands for... What?
Dgl44 3 years ago
Royal Australian Air Force
vickerstodd 3 years ago
very pretty, but can they fight? that's all I care about.
s4099274 3 years ago
Proabbly
Polxen 3 years ago
well if they can land like that they must be able to woop ass
yuh93 3 years ago
They might be old but they are still one of the best strike aircraft in the world. Incredibly fast, ours have been upgraded and can be upgraded even further, and have longer range then most jets out there.
Unfortunately they might be replaced by the F18 Superhornet thanks to some bad decision making, a far less capable aircraft for the applications required.
VIPEROSIBROCK 3 years ago
They are retiring the F1-11's as they will become to costly and inefficient to upgrade beyond 2011. The Superhornets are great a/c - it's not unfortunate. We're purchasing the Superhornets only to bridge the gap between retiring the F1-11's and purchasing the F-35's (I think around 2018). The F1-11's are still amazing a/c. I think we got them back in the 60's and ever since then have been relatively inexpensive to maintain and upgrade to keep them on par with many of the world's best a/c.
hrthrhs 3 years ago
bloody good laning that is not easy to do no matter what anyone says!!
strikebackkiwi 3 years ago
what's REALLY going to happen with this aircraft? maybe you should look at history. the F-22 is a replacement for the F-15, an aircraft that was first sold overseas to ISRAEL and JAPAN, both countries that have expressed interest in the aircraft, however, both will receive watered down versions that are barely functional, Japan will accept this and make do, however Israel will flip em' the bird, and develop their own radars and weapon systems and make it better than the original aircraft.
LinkToTheTwilight 3 years ago
The IAF took a lot of the black boxes out themselves. The sensitive item on the f-22 is its steath quality. The Japs can duplicate and improve the electronics in an f-22. The IAF shot down 100+ Migs of all types with their watered down F-15's
sheeratan 3 years ago
haha, that was the point, the watered down version that the american's shipped them was modified to the point that it was better than the original, though no-one can touch the ROKAF F-15K SLAM EAGLE... even the name is awesome...
LinkToTheTwilight 3 years ago
Just .... Why ???
rhgrsh 3 years ago
bloody amazing landing!... they only use the hook for high speed take off obortions i think lol... its a shame there going to be retired after 2010, such a great aircraft
Grimreeper102 3 years ago
I do hope your joking about the high speed take off abortion?
Anyways the F111 ardvark was specified to be a carrier bourne aircraft as well as conventional take offs and landings..
cykadelik 3 years ago
Just nice to see Pete Doherty working again!
crimplemania 4 years ago
Later models are exceptional aircraft. Us yanks should not have retired our spark varks. The US Air Force has Zero desire to fight an opponent with the F22's tech. The F-35 has better avionics with less range/payload. With no thrust vectoring.
sheeratan 4 years ago
I grew up watching the D model 'vark kill my friends fathers at Canon AFB in NM USA. One of my childhood heroes landed one with whole ass end on fire. He got a DFC and a fire extinguisher.
sheeratan 4 years ago
australia has the best air force in the world, yea i agree tho we are becoming a lot more like americans then we used to
FatMan375 4 years ago 4
i totally agree
Grimreeper102 3 years ago
@FatMan375 Our pilots are amazing.
minerofblood 1 year ago
Nice work by the pilot - that airframe will fly again!
DrivinWest 4 years ago
I think its incredible to see such precise flying, he hooked the plane on the runway cables. An amazing feat of flying, thats why it slammed down onto the runway, but at the same time minimized the damaged cause to the aircraft. Amazing nonetheless, since its such a large aircraft it would be somewhat hard to control at that low speed and alittude
Fezz050 4 years ago 10
Not to mention that he was a rookie pilot.... Superb Flying!
modzilla1985 3 years ago 2
@Fezz050 its a lot like landing on an aircraft carrier and the f111 was designed to do that originally
krashdown102 8 months ago
yayayayaya i join the raaf in 4 yrs (lol still a heap long away)
airbus94 4 years ago
Why is Australia spending $6 billion on 24 Super Hornets (as a stop gap)when the F-111 is still a formidable warplane???
The F-111 is full of Australian designed and manufactured high tech equipment, so can't we simply replace the airframes(or build new ones - must be less than $6 billion?
It would go hand in hand with 100 F-22's and allow us to maintain air superioty in our region!
Better than waiting 10 years for the F-35 fighters to be up and running?!
plavit69 4 years ago
the f-111 is a long range striker aircraft while the f-18 is an short range attacker
airbus94 4 years ago
Actually the export of F-22 is illegal in the US, only the United States can have them for now, you can have F-35 but their not going to be out for a few years. Might as well take the Superhornets, they can actually go on aircraft carriers and are the next best things and don't require much maintenance like the F-111 and for the US the now retired F-14 Tomcats.
redmustang03 4 years ago
As redmustang03 said, the USA won't export the F-22 (with the possible exception of a very watered-down version to Japan).
The F-111 is a Çold War-era penetration aircraft and it's much less of a fighter than a bomber. The Super Hornet is exceptionally competent in both roles. The F-35 will be even better.
DrivinWest 4 years ago
ya...but I mean....it's Australia....possibly becoming even more American then Canada! (perhaps for the worse)
Jerram89 4 years ago
Perhaps Australia is becoming more like what Australians perceive America to be. I've found the foreign perception of the USA to be rather ill-informed and replete with inaccurate stereotypes.
But anyway, the F-22 has a lot of proprietary technology in it which the USA would rather retain from an corporate competitiveness perspective.
DrivinWest 4 years ago
i hate the f-35. its the most stupidest plane ever! low payload, range, firepower and speed! wat an embarresment to the RAAF! the f-111 was wayyy better. the f-35 can only carry wat, like 2 bombs, and the f-111 over 35,000kg of bombs!
darkmaster010 4 years ago
yes but these days bombs are getting smaller, lighter and more deadly than ever.
wkomar 4 years ago
but wat if the targets are ALL spread out so far that not even cluster bombs could destroy them. and 2 bombs, wats that gonna do?!?!?? wat if there's more targets, they'll need escorts and that'll endanger more lives!!!!
darkmaster010 4 years ago
@darkmaster010
You don't need to drop tons of bombs to hit a target if you cand fly three stealthy f-35's of f-22's and make direct hits on your target.
sigma957 1 year ago
@sigma957 to bad the F35 and f22 suck compared to the SU and MIGs. the RAAF wasnt to happy about the F35 but i think we still got/getting them. it looks like in the future we may be getting russian jets. thank the lord lol
HONORGUARD308 1 year ago
@HONORGUARD308
"to bad the F35 and f22 suck compared to the SU and MIGs."
Not true.
MokomaSusi 1 year ago
@MokomaSusi well the JSF-35 was not made for air to air combat it was made from ground support and the F-22 was desinged in the 1980s during the cold war. and look at the status of the aircraft. the new MIGs win in pretty much every way. great stuff is also made in other countrys other then the US
HONORGUARD308 1 year ago
@HONORGUARD308 China are working on some interesting planes as well
chrisjeffsmusic 1 year ago
@MokomaSusi people need to remember the planes are built for different reasons
you can't compare a plane designed for ground support to something built solely for air to air missions
chrisjeffsmusic 1 year ago
@darkmaster010 I would suggest that you study some of the other specs of the aircraft before making an intelligent decision on whether or not the f-35 is "the most stupidest plane ever!" in particular the AESA radar and the Electro-Optical DAS system. The f-35 will have underwing store carrying capacity as well as internal bays. Range is multiplied with the RAAF purchasing KC-30 MRAA as well as time on station. The F-111 is a vintage aircraft, but like all things getting old, needs to retire.
deejay030473 1 year ago
Thankfully Plan B Wasn't needed....lol
0o0matt0o0 4 years ago
Just curious if RAAF has ever considered keeping F-111 in service in a converted role as Tanker? Could internal bay and wing pylons be used for fuel-tanks to supplement increased tactical in-flight refuel capability?
geogenerated 4 years ago
I think one of the reasons to get rid of the F-111 is the amount of maintenance it requires. For every hour of flight time it requires many more hours of on ground maintenance apparently. I think the newer planes are a bit better designed in this respect.
wkomar 4 years ago
dont think it can hold that much fuel for a tanker
airbus94 4 years ago
Maybe 12 such 'reserve' tankers alone could refuel 24 Hornets in long-range intercept scenario?
Not sure what one such hypothetical tanker's capacity could be. No it's not alot but it would increase tactical capability quite a bit and hence multiply deterrence value of F-18 force. (and that of mid term new fighter/attack platforms)
geogenerated 4 years ago
mayby i never realized how much tanks the f-111 can hold pretty neat
airbus94 4 years ago
As a tanker, the F-111 can would carry extra underwing tanks and an extra tank in it's weapons bay, giving it a very large reserve.
admiralnomad 4 years ago
i heard our defence was looking into getting C130,s but they r out of our budget not sure tho
frogger2222 4 years ago
We've had C-130 for ages now. The new transports we've gotten recently (what you were probably thinking of) are the C-17.
CrankYanker606 4 years ago
yeah i realised after i posted the comment just couldnt be bothed correcting it lol
frogger2222 4 years ago
This means Australia will have an aircraft carrier capability it will not be using, which is a dam shame!
zennus1 4 years ago
I suppose they can use the Super Hornets on the carriers for now, and it leaves options open to get F-35B later on.
wkomar 4 years ago
Australia is buying 2 aircraft carriers with STOVL capabilities of either Spain of France and this is why we should get the F-35 STOVL, this would also compensate for the F-35s shorter range. But for some really lame and stupid reason Mr Robert Hill still wants to get the standard take off F-35!!!
zennus1 4 years ago
and those weapons were equal powerful to the US's
GlennSpeed50 4 years ago
THats shit as well Anzac, they gave Al Que Da Weapons before they were known terrorists
GlennSpeed50 4 years ago
Acually we will be getting F-35's Not F22 and they can make good use if vectored thrust to hover like a harrier
GlennSpeed50 4 years ago
Too bad Australia won't be getting any of the F-35s with VTOL capability.
wkomar 4 years ago
Wrong about the best, we (Australia) though good friends with USA will NEVER get our hands on weapons equal to them. The USA always maintains an edge over those she supplies weapons to. Niave to think otherwise really.
anzac68 4 years ago
Only the Australian Pilot are that good. I visted Amberley recently, we are still flying Caribu's or however it is spelt. When we went to Amberley they had 22 F-111's there but there we a few over in east timor. I visited Boeing and Amberley last week.
TheSkitch 4 years ago
yeah only they are able to belly flop a plane that skillfully
seanaus2007 4 years ago
if these were real aussie men, the rio/bn would have shimmied his was back to landing gear bay, and used the fred flinstone method of landing...ps...God bless Steve Irwin.
jjjazzycraig 4 years ago
what the hell?
littlejohny072 4 years ago
I know Luke, and he'd kick your teeth in.
hizmo 4 years ago
Aren't the different F-35 models supposed to fill the different bombing/fighter capabilities?
wkomar 4 years ago
who cares when this was designed it is still a kickass plane. Thing i don't like though is that the government is replacing 2 planes with 2 different roles with one plane not a good idea. Government should have bought 3 different planes, The JSF is a good strategic bomber but not to good dogfighter. This is what the government should have bought no doubts. 50 F-35II, 20 F-22, and 30 Eurofighter Typhoon. That would make one kickass airforce airforce.
littlejohny072 4 years ago
littlejohny072 - the F-22 is not sold to foreign countries, and by buying both typhoons and F35's, you have to deal with servicing and maintaining different airframes, when one airframe (either JSF or Typhoon) would fill the role sufficiently.
JPFinno 4 years ago
JSF can't dogfight for shit compared to eurofighter and f-22 it's kinda like an f-16 with better computers and STOVL capability. And the F-22 was offered to Australia bye lockheed its from the same roll off as the F-35 II, it has the same technology as the F-22. Alot of pilots say they would actually prefer the F-22.
littlejohny072 4 years ago
I don't think you understood my comment, US congress passed a bill prohibiting the sale of the F-22 & it's technology to ANY foreign country, INCLUDING allies. Japan has also publicly stated it wanted the F22, and it was publicy denied by the US Govt. Also the JSF cannot be compared to the F16, it's 5th gen warplane, enhanced avionics + stealth.
JPFinno 4 years ago
mm Whatever but i really douubt getting two planes replaced with one is a good idea, F-35 II isn't a great dogfighter i know that it is altough a very good strategic bomber, It has some good stuff but it can't dogfight as good as claimed, Australia seems to keep their hardware for ages so we should buy something good.
littlejohny072 4 years ago
Strategic bomber? Do you have any idea what the hell a strategic bomber is?
As for the Eurofighter, the canards hamper the low-observability, and while the delta wings may provide an eye-watering first turn, the subsequent airspeed bleed mean that you'd BETTER get the first shot. Try sustaining 9-g indefinitely, like an F-16.
hizmo 4 years ago
The F22 will be sold to Japan, The people who make the F22 are pressuring the US congress to sell it to them, especially since the Americans are only making just over 100 for themselves. To keep their jobs, the plane has gotta be sold abroad. Probably the only country that can afford it anyway.
Just need to get rid of the fucking Pro China's in the US congress and pentagon trying to undermine Japan.
btw, Australia should buy the Eurofighter over the shit box F-35.
TheAmura 4 years ago
I heard that Australia will get the F-22 if labour is voted in as government.
ewkerr 4 years ago
The first production delivery was in 1967. I'm not sure when it was designed, but there was no need for it before 1957, so initial designing most likely began in 57 or 58.
StanleyKu 4 years ago
Oh i just hit up the google and found that yeh it was designed in the 1940's. Sozz man, I was told this by someone who obviously doesn't know their shit, no hard feelings lol ;)
moss197 4 years ago
Yeah ill have to agree it was some great piloting skills.. and the pilot only got his wings a few weeks before it happened!
The F-111 is over 40 years old - we're replacing the lot with the F-35 JSF when it comes in. Until then we're filling in with F/A-18 Super Hornets as interim fighters.... what good theyll do i dont know, as far as my knowledge into their capabilites go it wont help us much in a future war.
PS. Americans have nothing to do with our belly landing.
chickenisafoolofatoo 4 years ago
The f-111 is 60 years old, sozz for the correction not being a dick or anything :) just FYI
moss197 4 years ago
Actually funny story, as I said I have taken off from the same runway, the arrestor cable was laid out for the day and only takeoffs were permitted. Me and my flight instructor taxied over the cable, she was so embarressed when after suggesting that I do it, we got stuck for 15 minutes and had to be rescued. lol so funny but it felt good being there on the same runway!
moss197 4 years ago
There is no way the f-111 is 60 years old. It was 60 years ago that they broke the sound barrier for the first time (1947). I would say it is approximately 40 years old, judging by it's technology and performance.
StanleyKu 4 years ago
Wonderful piloting skills!
oisiaa2006 4 years ago
The pilot kept his cool the whole way making it a perfect bally landing. its a bitch that the f-111 (i think) is being replaced by teh f-35. feel free to corect me.
wokandmurrys 4 years ago
You are right the F-35 is planned to replace the F-111's (and eventually the F-18s I believe).
But since the F-35's are taking so bloody long to get delivered, Australia has purchased some F-18 Super Hornets to replace the F-111's in the interim.
wkomar 4 years ago
thanks tous americans
ripsondrums1 4 years ago
True, the F-35 will eventually replace the F-111 and F/A-18. Although not as fast as the F-111 or as long-ranged, the F-35 has stealth capabilities comparable to the F-117, making it good for penetrating enemy airspace; it also has decent air-to-air capabilities, making it able to self-escort, unlike dedicated bombers like the F-111.
CrankYanker606 4 years ago
The F-35 will only be replacing the F/A-18A's not the Super Hornets thankfully... I think we are still ordering 24 Super Hornets in, not much compared to the USAF 3000+ military jets...
DaAvi8a 4 years ago
P/Appleboy, get educated before you draw conclusions as to how Austrlia with its pigs would fare against the rest of the 'developed world'. The ADF is mighty good at what we do. We have our own flavour of warfare, and if that means that wheels and shit fall off then so be it! Caramello ftw! ;)
fastjetjockey 5 years ago 3
Ive been to RAAF base amberely so many times now and ive taken off from the same runway that the F-111 belly landed on and you can see a gigantic scrape along it. Great fun.
moss197 5 years ago
Great airmanship on the part of the pilot! The pig is a long range strike aircraft that has a range/payload/speed capability that most (if not all)newer jets can't match. They just don't make 'em like they used to!
kenlms1024 5 years ago
Pineappleboy wtf. The Pig owns it all. Long range, high speed and a kick-ass load of weapons = one of the best aircraft in the world
Brett123455 5 years ago
he is a dick the f 111 is a snazy looking and great plane with lots of power, manuverability and capabilities. the reason it wasnt successful was because not soon after the f-14 took it place which was 10 ft shorter and a faster, more devloped plane, but th 111 is a beautifal plane.
flatpicker33 5 years ago
Yes, the f111 was just too big to oparate from carriers.
sneakeypete 5 years ago
Actually the f-111 is faster than the f-14, but not as maneuverable. It tops out at mach 2.5. I believe the "Tomcat" is good for mach 2.2.
StanleyKu 4 years ago
Oh i just hit up the google and found that yeh it was designed in the 1940's. Sozz man, I was told this by someone no hard feelings lol ;)
moss197 4 years ago
hmm..is this from Canada?
crazyanimeguy 5 years ago
This was in Australia.
wkomar 5 years ago
" pineappleboy1 you're a dick"
I second that.
Strykaas 5 years ago
pineappleboy1 you're a dick.
trobi81 5 years ago
is that the most intelligent comment youre capable of? maybe you shouldnt read these if youre afraid of your beloved ancient aircraft being criticised.
pineappleboy1 4 years ago
I agree with trobi81.
wkomar 4 years ago
ok ok i take it all back, the F111 is the greatest aircraft ever to fly. Is that a bit better for you?
pineappleboy1 4 years ago
Ask any "pig driver" and they will tell you how good these aircraft are.
janjuc01 5 years ago
when will the RAAF just det some decent aircraft? the air force really should catch up with the rest of the developed world.
pineappleboy1 5 years ago
Labour government is voted in and we will be getting F-22, which are the best in the world.
ewkerr 4 years ago
proof?
pineappleboy1 4 years ago
en.wikipedia(.)(org)/wiki/F-22
Then search: "australia" with your broswer's find tool.
ewkerr 4 years ago
Well if wikipedia says its true it must be true.
pineappleboy1 4 years ago
and we all know how reliable wikipedia is...
pineappleboy1 4 years ago
As if. America will keep the F-22 to themselves, no matter who's in charge of Australia, be it Howard or Rudd.
CrankYanker606 4 years ago
I would disagree they will sell them to allies, but your right wikipedia is not accurate its probably someones speculation, I think its the F-35s we're getting.
ewkerr 4 years ago
The United States Government has repeatedly stated they won't sell this thing to allies (at least not in the foreseeable future). Japan asked for them a month or two ago, and the US turned them down.
CrankYanker606 4 years ago
Ok.
ewkerr 4 years ago
Same thing happened originally with the F-16, no?
squikles 4 years ago
I know you made this comment ages ago, but it's stupid for us to have F22's.
hrthrhs 3 years ago