The F-111F Pacer Strike was a modification of the American F-111 tactical fighter-bomber developed by General Dynamics. Originally, the F-111 was designed to perform both fighter and strike missions, but later it was decided to focus on the strike role. As a result, the strike version F-111D was developed with improved avionics and weapons, while the interim F-111E served to implement additional improvements before the mass production of the final model, the F-111F, which turned out to be the most successful of the entire Aardvark family. In this version, the aircraft received upgraded TF30-P-100 engines and an advanced AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack navigation and targeting system, significantly increasing its effectiveness in delivering precision strikes against ground targets.
This modification of the aircraft became a platform for the use of high-precision GBU-10 and GBU-24 guided bombs. The F-111F participated in Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986 and Operation Desert Storm against Iraq in 1991, where it successfully carried out missions to destroy enemy targets. A total of 106 F-111Fs were built between 1971 and 1976. Most of these aircraft were based with the 48th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Lakenheath, England, and the 309th Tactical Fighter Wing at McClellan Air Force Base, USA. Despite its high combat effectiveness, the F-111F was gradually phased out of service with the US Air Force by the mid-1990s, giving way to more modern aircraft such as the F-15E.
Introduced in Update "Dance of the Dragons", the F-111F retains all the advantages of its predecessor, the F-111A, but additionally features several significant improvements, including more powerful engines, the ability to use high-precision AGM-65 missiles in B, D, and G modifications, the AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack targeting pod, and with it, guided bombs with both laser and infrared guidance. Moreover, the aircraft can now prove itself in air combat thanks to the availability of six all-aspect AIM-9L air-to-air missiles. For protection against enemy aircraft and SAM systems, the F-111F is equipped with a large number of countermeasures.
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Name | Weight | Slot | ||||||
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84.5 kg | ||||||||
6 × | 1,445.4 kg | |||||||
6 × | 1,524 kg | |||||||
6 × | 2,174.5 kg | |||||||
893.6 kg | ||||||||
893.6 kg | ||||||||
277.1 kg | ||||||||
943.9 kg | ||||||||
1,079.6 kg | ||||||||
1,140.8 kg | ||||||||
1,323 kg | ||||||||
226.8 kg | ||||||||
3 × | 680.4 kg | |||||||
303.5 kg | ||||||||
Drop tank (600 gal.) | 175 kg | |||||||
700.6 kg | ||||||||
Pave Tack targeting pod | 209 kg |
Flight performance | |
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Survivability |
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Weaponry | |||
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