Subject: Number 111 in the Series--General Dynamics F-111 (2 of 13)

From: [email-masked]
Date: 12 Mar 94 18:30:46 GMT

>From [email-masked]

The RF-111A was to have been a tactical reconnaissance version of the 
F-111A with additional avionics and camera installations in the 
weapons bay.  It was authorized on December 3, 1965.  

One pre-production F-111A (63-9776) was converted as a prototype for 
the RF-111A and first flew on December 17, 1967.  Imagery testing of 
the converted F-111A took place between December 1967 and October 1968 
achieved fairly good results, indicating that the RF-111A might make a 
good reconnaissance aircraft.  The Defense Department had hoped that 
the conversion from F-111A to RF-111A configuration could be done in 
the field in only a few hours, with the reverse conversion being just 
as simple and straightforward.  However, the conversion turned out to 
be much more cumbersome than expected, taking several days to complete 
rather than just a few hours.  These difficulties caused the Air Force 
to cancel the whole RF-111A program.  The sole prototype is now on 
display at Mountain Home AFB in Idaho.  

Sources:

  United States Military Aircraft Since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and
  Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.

  General Dynamics Aircraft and their Predecessors, John Wegg, 
  Naval Institute Press, 1990.

  Post-World War II Fighters: 1945-1973, Marcelle Size Knaac,
  Office of Air Force History, 1986.

  The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers,
  Orion, 1987.

Joe Baugher		AT&T Bell Laboratories   	
2000 North Naperville Road      Naperville, Illinois 60566-7033