General Dynamics / Grumman EF - 111A Raven The General Dynamics / Grumman EF - 111A Raven was an electronic warfare aircraft designed to replace the B - 66 Destroyer in the United States Air Force . Its crews and maintainers often called it the " Spark - Vark " , a play on the F - 111 ' s " Aardvark " nickname . The USAF contracted with Grumman in 1974 to convert some existing General Dynamics F - 111As into electronic warfare / electronic countermeasures ( ECM ) aircraft . The USAF had considered the Navy / Marine Corps Grumman EA - 6B Prowler , but was reluctant to adopt a Navy aircraft . The EF - 111 entered service in 1983 and served until it was retired in 1998 . Afterwards , the Air Force began depending on Navy and Marine Corps EA - 6Bs for electronic warfare support . Design and development . In the late 1960s , the U . S . Air Force sought a replacement for aging EB - 66 and EB - 57 electronic warfare aircraft . The Air Force studied the use of Navy EA - 6B Prowlers during 1967 – 68 . However , the Air Force desired a penetrating electronic jamming aircraft with supersonic speed , and , in 1972 , decided to modify F - 111As into electronic warfare aircraft as a cost effective option . In January 1974 the Air Force awarded electronic warfare study contracts to Grumman and General Dynamics . Grumman was selected as the EF - 111 prime contractor in December 1974 , then was awarded a contract to modify two F - 111As into EF - 111 prototypes in January 1975 . The first fully equipped model , known then as the " Electric Fox " , flew on 10 March 1977 , and deliveries to combat units began in 1981 . A total of 42 airframes were converted at a total cost of US $ 1 . 5 billion , the last delivered in 1985 . The Raven retained the F - 111A ' s navigation systems , with a revised AN / APQ - 160 radar primarily for ground mapping . The primary feature of the Raven , however , was the AN / ALQ - 99 E jamming system , developed from the Navy ' s ALQ - 99 on the Prowler . The aircraft also utilized the ALR - 62 Countermeasures Receiving System ( CRS ) as a Radar Homing and Warning ( RHAW ) System , the same system carried by all F - 111 fighter / bomber models in the United States and Australia . The ALQ - 99E primary electronics were installed in the weapons bay , with transmitters fitted in a long ventral " canoe " radome ; the complete installation weighed some . Receivers were installed in a fin - tip pod , or " football " , similar to that of the EA - 6B . The aircraft ' s electrical and cooling systems had to be extensively upgraded to support this equipment . The cockpit was also rearranged , with all flight and navigation displays relocated to the pilot ' s side , and flight controls except throttles being removed from the other seat , where the electronic warfare officer ' s instrumentation and controls were installed . The EF - 111 was unarmed . Its speed and acceleration were its main means of self - defense . It was not capable of firing anti - radiation missile s in the lethal SEAD role , which was a tactical limitation . The Raven ' s engines were upgraded to the more powerful TF30 - P - 9 of the D - model , with dry and afterburning thrust in 1986 . From 1987 to 1994 the " Spark ' Vark " underwent an Avionics Modernization Program ( AMP ) , similar to the Pacer Strike program for the F - model . This added a dual AN / ASN - 41 ring laser gyroscope INS , AN / APN - 218 Doppler radar , and an updated AN / APQ - 146 terrain - following radar . Cockpit displays were upgraded with multi - function displays . Operational history . The EF - 111A achieved initial operational capability in 1983 . The EF - 111A received the official popular name Raven , although in service it acquired the nickname " Spark ' Vark " . EF - 111s first saw combat use with the 20th Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Upper Heyford during Operation El Dorado Canyon against Libya in 1986 , and Operation Just Cause in Panama during late 1989 . The Raven served in the Gulf War during Operation Desert Storm in 1991 . On 17 January 1991 , a USAF EF - 111 crew of Captain James Denton and Captain Brent Brandon ( " Brandini " ) achieved an unofficial kill against an Iraqi Dassault Mirage F1 , which they managed to maneuver into the ground , making it the only member of the F - 111 / FB - 111 / EF - 111 family to achieve an aerial victory over another aircraft . On 13 February 1991 , EF - 111A , AF Ser . No . 66 - 0023 , callsign Ratchet 75 , crashed into terrain while maneuvering to evade a perceived enemy aircraft threat killing the pilot , Capt Douglas L . Bradt , and the EWO , Capt Paul R . Eichenlaub . It was the only EF - 111A lost during combat , the only loss killing its crew , and one of just three EF - 111s lost in its history . Later action . EF - 111s were also deployed to Aviano Air Base , Italy in support of Operation Deliberate Force during the mid - 1990s . The Raven also flew missions in Operation Provide Comfort , Operation Northern Watch and Operation Southern Watch . The last deployment of the Raven was a detachment of EF - 111s stationed at Al Kharj / Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia until April 1998 . Shortly afterward , the USAF began withdrawing the final EF - 111As from service , and placed them in storage at the Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Center ( AMARC ) at Davis - Monthan AFB , Arizona . The last EF - 111s were retired on 2 May 1998 , at Cannon AFB , New Mexico . These were the final USAF F - 111s in service . EA - 6B Prowlers took over the electronic warfare role for the U . S . Air Force , along with Navy and Marine Corps use . United States Air Force Aircraft on display . Of the 42 converted aircraft , 36 were sent to AMARC or scrapped , 3 were destroyed in crashes and 4 are on display , as one of the AMARC aircraft is now sitting on AMARC ' s display row : Specifications ( EF - 111A ) . Specifications are for EF - 111A except where noted .