F-111F
Originally designated the TFX, or Tactical Fighter “X,” the F-111 was developed to satisfy a U.S. Air Force demand for a new tactical fighter-bomber. In 1960, the Department of Defense merged that requirement with a Navy request for a new air-superiority fighter. The USAF’s F-111A made its first flight in December 1964, and the first production aircraft were delivered in 1967. The Navy’s F-111B, however, was eventually canceled. In total, 566 F-111 aircraft of all variants were produced.
One of the aircraft’s most notable features was its variable-geometry wings. In flight, the wings could sweep forward for takeoff, landing, and low-speed operations, or swing back for high-speed performance. The F-111 was also capable of very low-level flight and could strike targets in poor weather.
With the arrival of the F-111F, which featured improved avionics, terrain-following radar, more powerful engines, and laser-guided bombs, the aircraft became an exceptional long-range strike platform.
On Apr. 14, 1986, at 5:13 p.m., U.S. Air Force (USAF) F-111F Aardvarks from the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) took off from Royal Air Force (RAF) Lakenheath on the orders of President Ronald Reagan.
F-111 strike mission: Operation El Dorado Canyon
Several Arab leaders backed anti-American terrorist groups, with Libya’s Colonel Muammar Gaddafi leading the effort. He openly funded these groups and did not hide his support when they attacked defenseless targets. Backed by UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, President Ronald Reagan opted to launch an airstrike to silence the outspoken colonel.
According to Bob Archer’s F-111: Fort Worth Swinger, a contingency plan known as Operation El Dorado Canyon was prepared in which a combined force of U.S. Navy carrier-based fighters would hit one set of targets while USAF fighter-bombers struck others in Libya. Reconnaissance assets were sent to the Mediterranean, including two 17th RW TR-1As and at least two more RC-135s. A more visible sign that an attack on Libya was approaching was the steady arrival of large numbers of McDonnell Douglas KC-10A Extenders and KC-135s at Fairford and Mildenhall. Fairford hosted eight KC-10s and ten KC-135s, while Mildenhall held fifteen KC-10s and twenty KC-135s.
All transient air traffic at both bases was stopped while crews prepared the tankers for the mission. In addition, most F-111 training flights at Lakenheath and Upper Heyford were suspended as the aircraft were armed and kept ready for the raid. After the presidential order was issued on April 14, 1986, the tankers began departing shortly after nightfall. As usual, France and Spain denied permission for the armed aircraft to fly over their territory, so the fighter-bombers and their tanker support had to travel over the eastern Atlantic and enter the Mediterranean through the Strait of Gibraltar. The KC-10s then established racetracks west of Portugal, extending their range with aerial refueling from the KC-135s.
Operation El Dorado Canyons: F-111 strike mission targets
As the tankers were taking off, the 48th TFW also launched four six-aircraft formations drawn from its four squadrons. Some of the aircraft were spares, which turned back to Lakenheath once the main strike groups were safely en route. Around the same time, five EF-111As from the 42nd ECS departed Upper Heyford, including four mission aircraft and one spare. The Navy forces were launched from the carriers CV-43 USS Coral Sea and CV-66 USS America, both operating off the Libyan coast.
The 24 F-111s linked up with their tankers at planned refueling points over the Iberian Peninsula and took on fuel in radio silence. After entering the Mediterranean, the USAF aircraft flew far north of the African shoreline to avoid detection and preserve surprise. The EF-111As began jamming Libyan radars and other air defenses as the strike aircraft moved in. The Navy element was assigned targets around Benghazi, while the USAF hit objectives in Tripoli. Within minutes, barracks, training areas, and both airports were attacked. The F-111s used 2,000-pound laser-guided bombs and 500-pound high-drag bombs, while Navy aircraft fired HARM and Shrike missiles at air-defense radars.
All of the Navy fighters made it back safely to their carriers, but the USAF suffered a loss when F-111F 70-2389 went down. Some accounts say the aircraft crashed into the sea, while others suggest it was struck by ground fire. Both crew members were killed.
Mission symbols
Once the F-111s had released their weapons, they climbed to altitude, rendezvoused with their tankers, and set course back to the UK. The EF-111As returned first, with the F-111Fs landing later at Lakenheath at 0730 local time.
Afterward, the F-111 crew chiefs wanted to commemorate their aircraft with the traditional mission symbol. A few jets were marked with a small white bomb on the port side beneath the cockpit window, but the Air Force later worried that this could make the aircraft a target for terrorist retaliation. As a result, most of the bomb markings were removed and replaced by a distinctive Libyan campaign banner across the tails of all 48th aircraft. Even so, 70-2413 was still carrying the mission marking as late as March 1989.
Following the strike, the two SR-71As of Detachment 4, 9th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, flew out of Mildenhall to photograph the damage. The findings eventually reached Lakenheath, allowing those involved to study the extent of the target damage.
F-111: Fort Worth Swinger is published by Key Publishing and is available to order here.
Photos by U.S. Air Force
