Fighters - The Black Vault

Summary of Information Developed on the Navy’s F-111B Aircraft, June 20, 1967

John Greenewald — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 22:52:56 +0000

Background

The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark was a supersonic, medium-range interdictor and tactical attack aircraft that also filled the roles of strategic nuclear bomber, aerial reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare aircraft in its various versions.

Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, it first entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force. The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the type and began operating F-111Cs in 1973. The F-111 pioneered several technologies for production aircraft, including variable-sweep wings, afterburning turbofan engines, and automated terrain-following radar for low-level, high-speed flight.

Its design influenced later variable-sweep wing aircraft, and some of its advanced features have since become commonplace. The F-111 suffered a variety of problems during initial development. Several of its intended roles, such as an aircraft carrier-based naval interceptor with the F-111B, failed to materialize. USAF F-111 variants were retired in the 1990s, with the F-111Fs in 1996 and EF-111s in 1998.

The F-111 was replaced in USAF service by the F-15E Strike Eagle for medium-range precision strike missions, while the supersonic bomber role has been assumed by the B-1B Lancer. The RAAF was the last operator of the F-111, with its aircraft serving until December 2010. (Source)

Below is a report obtained after a Mandatory Declassification Review (MDR) was filed for the document’s release. It was obtained from the GAO.

GAO Report: Summary of Information Developed on the Navy’s F-111B Aircraft, June 20, 1967

Download the Document [23 Pages, 3.5MB]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/gao/F111B-GAO.pdf

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F-117 “Stealth Fighter”

John Greenewald — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:38:09 +0000

The Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk is a stealth ground attack aircraft formerly operated by the United States Air Force. The F-117A’s first flight was in 1981, and it achieved Initial Operational Capability status in October 1983. The F-117A was “acknowledged” and revealed to the world in November 1988.

Review of Relocation of the System Program Office and Logistics Support for the F-117A Stealth Fighter [54 Pages]

The post F-117 “Stealth Fighter” first appeared on The Black Vault.

MiG 23 (Russian)

John Greenewald — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:35:13 +0000

The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a swing-wing fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet “Third Generation” aircraft category along with similar-aged Russian-produced fighters like the MiG-25 “Foxbat”.

It was the first Soviet fighter with a look-down/shoot-down radar and beyond visual range missiles, and the first MiG production fighter plane to have intakes at the sides of the fuselage. Production started in 1970 and reached large numbers with over 5,000 aircraft built. Today the MiG-23 remains in limited service with various export customers. (Source: Wikipedia)

The following are documents and intelligence relating to this aircraft.

The MiG 23: Mystery in Soviet Skies [18 Pages, 2.49mb]

https://documents.theblackvault.com/documents/aviation/mig23.pdf

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F-22 “Raptor”

John Greenewald — Mon, 23 Feb 2015 03:32:25 +0000

Lt. Col. James Hecker (front) and Lt. Col. Evan Dertein line up their F/A-22 Raptor aircraft behind a KC-10 Extender to refuel while en route to Hill Air Force Base, Utah. Colonel Hecker commands the first operational Raptor squadron — the 27th Fighter Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va. The unit went to Hill for operation Combat Hammer, the squadron’s first deployment, Oct. 15. The deployment has a twofold goal: complete a deployment and to generate a combat-effective sortie rate away from home. [U.S. Air Force photo by TSgt Ben Bloker]

The Lockheed Martin/Boeing F-22 Raptor is a fifth-generation fighter aircraft that uses stealth technology. It is primarily an air superiority fighter, but has multiple capabilities that include ground attack, electronic warfare, and signals intelligence roles.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics is the prime contractor and is responsible for the majority of the airframe, weapon systems and final assembly of the F-22. Program partner Boeing Integrated Defense Systems provides the wings, aft fuselage, avionics integration, and all of the pilot and maintenance training systems.

U.S. Military Aircraft For Sale: Crafting an F-22 Export Policy [100 Pages]

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