F-111 AardvarkGeneral Dynamics F 111 airplane model. Nicknamed the 'Aardvark' because of its long, slightly upturned nose, the F 111 evolved in response to a joint services requirement in the 1960s for a long range interceptor (US Navy) and deep strike interdictor (USAF). The F 111 was a multipurpose tactical fighter bomber capable of supersonic speeds. The aircraft was one of the more controversial aircraft ever to fly, yet it achieved one of the safest

was among the first Allied fighters to down a Japanese airplane

It was powered by a supercharged Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine of 550 rated hp but was capable of over 830 hp in bursts

Wingspan 5 1/2 inches

The most obvious change was the redesigned tail

cabinet members

resulting in 9

and avionics systems into the Superfortress

VII in the trials at Adlershof but never had an opportunity to fly it in combat

allowing up to 172 passengers to be carried

The FJ-2 was equipped in many Marine squadrons

including the historic 1967 engagement over the Tonkin Gulf where it guided the first successful airborne-controlled fighter interception

Length 15 5/8 inches