Chasing a 'Vark

[Old Viper Tester]

May 1984 and F-111E, s/n 68-0058, from the 3246th Test Wing out of Eglin AFB was visiting Test Ops at Edwards. I don't remember what they were there for, but I was able to finagle the back seat in an T-38 as a safety chase for one of their missions in the R-2508 operating area over the Mojave desert.

 

Here she is on an earlier visit in 1982. Note she doesn't have any formation ("slime") lights and the reference marks on the rear fuselage are white on the green portion of the camouflage and red on the tan area. The 3246th tail band is white with a series of red-orange diamonds running across.

 

1984 and she has slime lights now. The reference marks on the left side are all red-orange (or is it orange-red?). At this time, the 3246th came under the Armament Division of AF Systems Command, hence the AD tail code. A few years later, Armament Division would become the Munitions Systems Division and the AD would change to ET for Eglin Test.

 

Moving close aboard to check her over. Those orange fairings ahead of the cockpit on the sides and lower centerline house cameras to record weapons separations.

 

Reference marks are two-toned on this side.

 

 

Over the Boron mines. Separation cameras under the tail fairings as well.

 

Power Approach configuration with everything hanging.

 

Landing on Eddie's runway 22. We were in pretty good position to get the touchdown. I never liked carrying the zoom lens in the cockpit, so the 50mm had to do.

 

Here she is in 1993, retired to the USAF Armament Museum outside of Eglin.

 

Not sure why she has the AF Material Command shield on the tail, I thought she retired before Systems Command and Logistics Command merged to form Material Command.  That's the 3246th Test Wing shield ahead of the star and bar. By the end of 1993, the USAF had got rid of most of the 4-digit unit designations and the 3246th became the 46th.

 

Thanks for looking,

Sven

[Latinbear]

Great shots! Love the F111. Thanks for posting these. 

[Parabat]

Really great pics, thank you for continuing to share all of these pictures with us.

[F-32]

Wonderful work, looks really cool