Hi CC,
the F111 couldn't survive the modern battlefield.
https://www.news.com.au/technology/innovation/military/f35-stealth-fighters-in-c...F-35 stealth fighters in combat for the first time
THE defeat of a Russian air defence weapon in Syria may now have a cause: Israel has revealed it has unleashed its F-35 strike fighters for the first time.
Jamie Seidel
News Corp Australia NetworkMay 24, 20189:18pm
SYRIA insisted it could defend itself. Russia said it had provided the means.
But Israel’s air strikes have been spectacularly successful. Now we know why.
Israel’s air force commander has said recent strikes against Iranian targets in and around the Syrian capital of Damascus were conducted by the F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter.
It’s the first time the new combat jet has gone into action anywhere in the world.
“The F-35 squadron has become an operational squadron,” Major General Amikam Norkin told Haaretz earlier this week.
“We are flying the F-35 all over the Middle East and have already attacked twice on two different fronts.”
Israel has dubbed its version of the F-35 the “Adir” (meaning ‘mighty one’).
Haarets says it has seen images of the F-35 flying over Beirut in Lebanon. It also says Major Norkin said the stealth fighter did not participate in the most recent air raids last week. But it did during the previous two.
The newspaper says
more than 100 missiles have been fired — in vain — by Syrian air defences.It’s an indication the F-35 is coming out on top in its battle against Russian-built defences.
RUSSIAN AGAINST US TECHNOLOGY
The prospect of the F-35 flying through some of Syria’s most defended air space raises the likelihood that it has faced some of Russia’s best export weaponry — and defeated it.
Damascus is one of the most heavily protected cities in the world.
It’s armed with a variety of missile systems — both new and old — by its ally, Russia.
Yes it could if it was used in it's primary role as an under the radar strike aircraft. It was called the "Pig" for a reason. It could fly from Darwin to Jakarta and back under the radar. I was blessed to watch the F-111 doing terrain following around Kyogle. Magnificent aircraft.