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How the F-111 Changed the Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Defence Policy

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How the F-111 Changed the Royal Australian Air Force and Australian Defence Policy University College University of New South Wales Australian Defence Force Academy AUSTRALIA’S STRATEGIC WEAPON: HOW THE F-111 CHANGED THE ROYAL AUSTRALIAN AIR FORCE AND AUSTRALIAN DEFENCE POLICY Mark R. Lax Student Number 9192140 Thesis Prepared in Fulfilment for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy 2011 The F-111C Strike Reconnaissance Aircraft ii Originality Statement I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgement is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research of others, with whom r have worked at UNSW or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project's design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. Copyright Statement I hereby grant the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all proprietary rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstract International. I have either used no substantial portions of copyright material in my thesis or I have obtained permission to use copyright material. Authenticity Statement I certify that the Library deposit digital copy is a direct equivalent of the final officially approved version of my thesis. No emendation of content has occurred and if there are any minor variations in formatting, they are the result of the conversion to digital format. ~ Mark Lax 111 Author's Statement of Non-Use of Classified Information I declare that no classified or in-confidence material from the Department of Defence, the Royal Australian Air Force or any other Government agency has been used in this thesis, either as an infonnation source or for background reference. Mark Lax Date l...<:1 11 Department of Defence Statement of Non-Use of Classified Information I, Dr Chris Clark, as the duly appointed RAAF Historian, declare that I have examined this work prior to submission and that it contains no material of a classified or sensitive nature from the Royal Australian Air Force, the Department of Defence or other Government agencIes. Dr Chris Clark RAAF Historian Office of Air Force History Air Power Development Centre Tuggeranong, ACT Date -+ .:r~ 2,.0 II IV University and Department of Defence Ethics Committee Clearance In accordance with both the University of NSW and the Australian Department of Defence ethics committee requirements, I hereby declare I have applied for and been granted Ethics Committee clearance to undertake interviews as part of this work. The relevant Committee references are: University of NSW Human Research Ethics Advisory (HREA) Panel Approval Number: A-08-29 Australian Department of Defence Australian Defence Human Research Ethics Committee (ADHREC) Protocol Number: 535/08 Copies of all signed consent forms are lodged at the RAAF Air Power Development Centre, Tuggeranong, Australian Capital Territory and are available for perusal upon request. These will be destroyed one year after successful completion of the work. v ABSTRACT This thesis is about Australia’s strategic weapon – the F-111 bomber. It presents the case that the F-111 aircraft forced a post-Vietnam RAAF to systematically mature the way it commanded, operated, maintained and developed not only its strike/reconnaissance force but its entire order of battle. The aircraft almost single-handedly changed the RAAF due to its operational capabilities, complexity, cost of ownership, and the politically sensitive nature of its possible use. The F-111 also challenged Australian policy makers to define how, and under what circumstances, the aircraft would be used. The controversy began in the 1960s and continued into the 1970s, with cost blowouts, a ten year delay to delivery and significant technical problems. All were eventually overcome, but the need to continually upgrade the aircraft to remain relevant to modern air operations during periods of strategic uncertainty also forged considerable debate. Finally, when its withdrawal from service was announced for 2010, public and media pressure was brought to bear to keep the aircraft beyond 2020 because of its range and precision and its deterrent effect. To determine how the RAAF was changed by the introduction of the F-111, and to what extent, the thesis is presented chronologically. This fifty-year history of the F-111’s service with the RAAF is divided into decades commencing in 1953 by examining the RAAF’s desire to acquire a modern, jet bomber force to replace the Canberra aircraft fleet. The idea that strategic strike was an essential component of any professional post-World War II air force also emerged. The thesis then covers the decades of application of the F-111 as a bomber, sustainment and upgrade of the fleet and finally, offers a commentary of the aircraft’s replacement and the future of the strike role in the RAAF. This thesis concludes that the F-111 forced the RAAF to become technologically adept and self-reliant, while simultaneously offering Government a broad range of land and maritime strike reconnaissance options. The experience also allowed newer capabilities such as the F/A-18 Hornet to be brought into service much quicker, and established a model for the acquisition of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter due in several years. Finally, the aircraft offered to Government a full range of independent strike and reconnaissance options, giving the RAAF an enviable reputation as a professional and balanced air force. vi PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This study covers over fifty years of RAAF history with specific focus on Australia’s post- World War II strategic weapon – the F-111 aircraft. As such it spans five generations of air and ground crew, of politicians who were both for and against, and of defence contractors both in Australia and the United States. In researching for this study, I concluded that no one knows the complete story. Each has personal experience to fall back on and each a favourite anecdote, but few have pondered the total impact of this aircraft on the RAAF let alone analysed how it changed Australia’s view of strike and deterrence. While reams may have been written about the F-111 in RAAF service over the last fifty years, the majority of this material is contemporary in nature and none analyses how the aircraft forced the RAAF to mature as a service and to become the innovative and technologically sophisticated force it is today. By taking a broader view and looking beyond the aircraft itself, I hope to have filled that void. This study has been a pleasure to undertake, mainly because of the tremendous support I have received from all quarters. This has included serving and retired members of the F-111 fraternity, serving and retired Members of Parliament, and scientists, engineers and academics who agree the story has to be preserved. These people are acknowledged below, but any errors or omissions in this thesis remain mine and I accept full responsibility for them. Acronyms By the subject’s nature, studies of military aircraft and defence issues have a proliferation of acronyms. I have tried to limit their use, but where necessary have used the general convention of spelling out the acronym in full the first time it is used, immediately followed by its acronym and thereafter using the acronym. I have included a list of abbreviations and acronyms immediately below if readers forget the expansion. Metric and Imperial Measures The thesis uses imperial measures of weight, height and speed for two reasons – first, imperial measures remain the international standard for aviation (feet, nautical miles, knots); and second, the thesis is about an American aircraft so US measures are used (gallons, lbs, vii feet) as the US still uses that system. Where appropriate, I have included the metric equivalent in brackets afterwards. Ranks and Appointments Because the thesis covers a fifty year period, many of the military personnel and political figures were promoted or held numerous appointments during their tenure. For military personnel, I have used their rank at the time of the discussion and for others, their appointment. ***** I am extremely grateful to many people who have helped and encouraged me during the development of this project. While all are noted in the text and in the bibliography, I wish to make specific acknowledgement of some here. First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisors, Dr Alan Stephens and Dr Nikki Baker for their support and sage advice. It was Dr Stephens who suggested the topic as a suitable historical study which had not been done before, who provided considerable assistance with style for which I am also grateful. I wish to thank a number of people who had a personal involvement in the F-111 story and who have kindly provided corrections, updates and extensive suggestions for improvement of the work. Many proof-read early drafts. Of these, the main are Air Marshals Dave Evans and Ray Funnell; Air Vice-Marshals Bill Collins, Dave Dunlop, Dave Rogers, and Ian Sutherland; Air Commodore Ted Whitehead; Group Captains Milt Cottee, Bob Downing, Ron Green, and Col Spitzkowsky; and Wing Commanders Lance Halvorson, Bob Howe and Alan Lockett.
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