National Security Journal on MSN

The Mach 2.15 F-111 Aardvark Has a Message for the U.S. Air Force

The F-111 Aardvark, a 1960s supersonic jet, was the controversial product of Defense Secretary Robert McNamara’s “Tactical Fighter Experimental” (TFX) program, which tried to force one airframe to ...
The National Interest

Think the F-14 Tomcat’s Guns Were Fierce? Just Check Out Its Engines

When the F-14 Tomcat first entered service, it was powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines that had been designed for the F-111B, which was more multi-role bomber than fighter. These engines ...
Time

Aircraft: Takeoff for the F-111

As a military-hardware order that had been proclaimed the richest in U.S. history, the F-111 fighter-bomber project seemed likely to set more records for hot controversy than cold cash. Air Force and ...
Time

Defense: The Troubled Hybrid

Few projects in the history of armaments have been more controversial and costly than the development of the TFX fighter-bomber, which Defense Secretary McNamara decided in 1961 to have built as a ...
National Security Journal on MSN

The F-14 Tomcat Fighter Had ‘Severe’ Engine Problems

Despite its iconic status, the F-14 Tomcat was initially plagued by severe problems with its Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines. -These engines, ill-suited for the dynamic flight envelope of a fighter, were ...