As I mentioned earlier, I’m trying to clean up a few of my ‘nearly completed’ projects, my first being Hasagawa’s 1/72 scale FB-111A. The last thing I needed to do was to finish painting the underwing drop tanks (I jacked them up a bit my first time around) and attach them.
The kit supplies 2 pairs of tanks although my sources say a total of 6 would have been normal for long range strike missions, with two being mounted on the outer non-pivoting pylons. I will most likely use a couple out of one of my other F-111 kits and the pylons were provided with this kit. My questions are two fold:
First, those outer pylons: I could only find a few rough drawings, one suggesting those outer tanks would be toed inwards a bit when the wings are fully extended for take of and another showing them straight ahead. It did say that those outer tanks were sub-sonic only and that the tank and pylon would be jettisoned if the wings were swept back more than 26 degrees. I’m kind of leaning towards just leaving it at the 4 tanks, and skipping the outer ones.
The other question is about if the FB would have carried any type of arms for self defense on these missions. A couple of rails were provided in the kit that would attach to the sides of of the pylons, but they were marked as “Not for use”. My F-111 D/E shows these rails used for a couple of AIM-9E/J’s. I hate the thought of sending out my Aardvark without any protection
Found the answer to one of my questions: The wings fully extended are at 20 degrees and those outer tanks would be toed in at 6 degrees at this time. The wings would then be swept back to 26 degrees for flight. Any more than that and away went the tanks.
Good to see you worked out the pylon issue. Actually the 'vark has four pylon mounts on each wing, but the far outer stations aren’t used.
Consider that the FB’s were strategic birds and the name of the game was long-range low-level penetration. I’m not overly familiar with SAC doctrine, but I’d imagine that any self-defence weps carried means less fuel carried, means shorter range, so I’d presume not.
Strangely, Hasegawa’s FB-111A comes with Durandal runway cratering munitions. Don’t even think about hanging these under the wings.
The Tactical birds were occasionally fitted with AIM-9P sidewinders & I am sure I have seen some pics of the F-111C fitted with them, but as far a I know the strategic variants were not fitted with them. Joe Baugher’s article on the F-111 is pretty informative;
Just a minor point, when the FB-111A’s were retired from the strategic bombing role, they were redesignated F-111G and retrofitted for conventional bombing in the tactical strike role, including the capability to carry Sidewinders for self-defence.
Phil, you gave me much info, even some that I didn’t ask! I always wondered what those munitions were that came with the kit! They simply went into the spares box, but now I know what name to hang on them. I couldn’t see them hanging under my SAC bird, when I intended it for that long range low-level penetration role. Would seem to be a strange role for the FB to carry them. Also strange that Hasagawa would include any munitions! Also some references I read mentioned those outer pylons, but I have never seen any photos depicting that, so I thought maybe it was a typo or something.
The side note about the F-111G: I read that the FB-111A was intended to fill in for the canceled B-1A but when the program was revived as the the B1-B, and SAC was eliminated and reorganized with TAC into the ACC , and the FB-111’s were retired and refitted to carry conventional weapons as the F-111G. The FB’s had been optimized to carry nukes.
I have always loved 'varks ever since I saw one perform at a Colorado airshow some years ago! There is also an FB on display at the Wings Over the Rockies museum that I will have to visit again soon!