General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark

The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range fighter-bomber, developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics under the TFX programme of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara. It pioneered variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight. Production models flew attack, strategic bombing, reconnaissance and electronic warfare roles, and the FB-111 bomber and EF-111 electronic warfare variants were developed from it. It entered United States Air Force service in 1967 and Royal Australian Air Force service with the F-111C in 1973. It flew thousands of combat missions in Vietnam and took part in the Gulf War, and the Air Force retired its fleet in the 1990s while Australia kept flying it until December 2010.