page_title: General Dynamics F-111C
section_title: Operators
hierarchical_section_title: General Dynamics F-111C / Operators
caption_attribution_description: English: An Royal Australian Air Force F-111 Aardvark aircraft, with its after burner on, clears the Sydney Harbour Bridge during closing ceremonies of the 2000 Olympics games in Sydney, Australia.
context_page_description: The General Dynamics F-111C is a variant of the F-111 Aardvark medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft, developed by General Dynamics to meet Australian requirements. The design was based on the F-111A model but included longer wings and strengthened undercarriage. The Australian government ordered 24 F-111Cs to equip the Royal Australian Air Force in 1963, but the aircraft were not delivered until 1973 because of long-running technical problems. During 1979 and 1980 four of these aircraft were converted to the RF-111C reconnaissance variant. Four ex-United States Air Force F-111As were purchased by Australia and converted to F-111C standard in 1982 to replace F-111Cs destroyed during accidents. Australia also operated 15 F-111Gs between 1993 and 2007, mainly for conversion training. The RAAF retired its remaining F-111Cs in December 2010. In Australian military and aviation circles, the F-111 Aardvark was affectionately known as the "Pig", due to its long snout and terrain-following ability.
  The F-111Cs gave the RAAF a powerful strike capability but were never used in combat.
context_section_description:  Australia
  Royal Australian Air Force
  No. 82 Wing – RAAF Base Amberley
  No. 1 Squadron F-111C (1973–2009)
  No. 6 Squadron F-111C (1973–2010), F-111G (1993–2007)
  Aircraft Research and Development Unit RAAF (during trials)
caption: An Australian F-111 overflies the Sydney Harbour Bridge performing the "dump-and-burn" to mark the conclusion of the 2000 Summer Olympics.
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