Few aircraft have generated as much controversy during their careers as the General Dynamics F-111 AARDVARK.  This controversy began long before the types maiden flight on 21 December 1964, and only to reappear in 1969 when it was grounded for over seven months following a catastrophic accident. Delivery of the F-111 to its sole export customer, the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), was preceded by a lengthy delay of almost ten years, while another problem was its astronomically high development and manufacturing costs. As such, while the F-One-Eleven can look back on quite an eventful past, the plus side was the fact that this fascinating machine later went on to become a tremendous success.

The F-111 incorporated many technical features making it one of the most effective tactical combat aircraft of our time. The success of this machine was highlighted by the fact that the RAAF retired the PIG (as the F-111 is affectionately known in Australia) as late as 2010.