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F-111K (Merlin GR.1) - some open questions


Shorty84

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Hi fellow Britmodellers,

 

I'm playing with the idea of building an F-111K for some time now and recently fate smiled upon me with my LHS having a second-hand Academy F-111C (prefer it over the HB kit with it's botched canopy). This version should be a good basis as it provides the same combination of the F-111A airframe with the heavy-duty landing gear of the FB-111A as needed for the proposed UK version. Now I've read through every thread and build on BM and on the web to determine the UK-specific changes I require to make to the kit for the 'K':

 

  • shortening the wings as the F-111K should feature the "short" F-111A wings
  • new instrument panel as the F-111K should get the Mark II avionics package developed for the F-111D
  • adding a retractable refueling probe ahead of the cockpit, slightly offset to the right

 

Now there are still some white spots which I hope you'll be able to shed some light:

 

  • Camo: Considering the first 2 machines were already in an advanced state of assembly, were there any official camouflage diagrams in existence? I would mainly be interested in details like roundel positions/sizes and proposed camo pattern. Generally, I plan to depict one of the earliest machines which would have been delivered (possibly to an OCU unit). Considering an Entry into Service in the early 70s I imagine a camo of glossy DSG/DG/LAG with Type D roundels would be appropriate.  
  • ECM gear Is it known if the UK would have used any ECM pods on the Merlin? And if so, would they be of US origin? The kit provides the AN/ALQ-87 which seems appropriate for the early 70s.
  • Refueling point: Would the original boom refueling point be retained, or was it removed altogether?
  • Trainer: Would the TF-111K be fully combat capable or were there any significant differences except for the second stick in the cockpit?
  • Weapons: Is it known which UK-specific weapons were to be integrated? Would the 20mm cannon be purchased?

 


Thanks!

 

Cheers
Markus

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I assume you have read the wiki article already, if not here it us:

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111K

 

I was not aware that some were actually in advanced build stage!

F-111K_assembly.png

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/44/F-111K_assembly.png

 

Can't make out any refueling receptacle here...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Dynamics_F-111K#/media/File%3AF-111K_cutaway_diagram.png

 

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I built an F111K some years back in 1/72nd scale. The photo above actually shows the position of the probe by the rectangular shaped hole in front of the canopy. I assume the probe had a door covering it and the boom receptacle was deleted. Apparently the K was to be integrated with Martel, but not sure about the cannon. 

There are some artist impressions and at least display model that showed the aircraft in  the grey-green camouflage of the period. I found some stuff online, but it might not be around anymore. 

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A Google search for 'F111K' images will bring up some nice links, including a couple of my model ( code 'H' of XV or 15 Sqn that shows the camouflage pattern based on some stuff being put out by the RAF and MoD at the time. 

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Hi Markus, I also intend to build a F-111K one day, I have a Hasegawa FB-111 kit stashed away for this task.  Information is rather difficult to come by as the project was cancelled in January 1968 with two prototypes of the trainer version close to completion.  The information I have is from the Aviation Fact File book on the F-111 aircraft by Bill Gunston (1983)

He cites that 50 aircraft were ordered, 4 TF-111K trainers (serial numbers XV884 to XV887) and 46 F-111K standard aircraft (serial numbers XV902 to XV947

All aircraft would have the long span wings, strengthened landing gear with larger wheels and brakes.

There was no mention of an internal gun.

As it was to replace the TSR2 the primary weapon would have been the WE177.

The only artists impression that I have seen was in anti-flash white.  Given that by the mid 60s the V-Force had gone to low level weapon delivery and camouflaged the upper surfaces this seems dated, but it was in a competition to name the aircraft, which ended up as Merlin, the smallest of the Falcon species.

 

Hope this is of help.

Regards, Bob.

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Can't make out any refueling receptacle here...

 

The refuelling receptacle on the bog-standard, non-navalised, F-111 is in the port wing glove behind the pilot (why the blood-and-stomach-pills do the Americans insist on denying one of the main players in an AAR contact visual reference on the end of the boom?  It’s totally unnatural!).  At the time of the F-111K the use of USAF tankers by RAF receivers was almost unheard of so retention of the American-fit refuelling receptacle was deemed superfluous (also an additional expense to procure and maintain that HM Treasury wanted to avoid so that they could have their 1960s equivalent of duck houses).

Edited by stever219
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Like most of you, I too have always had a fascination with some of these ‘should have entered service’ types and am surprised that Paul Lucas has not taken to this subject within his Colour Conundrum series of articles. Paul has penned good articles for the TSR.2 as well as a two part story on the Supermarine Swift, which has some very tempting WHIF schemes in squadron service other than numbers 2 and 79.

 

I have the Academy F-111C kit, however am just wondering if they ever bothered to make different undercarriage parts for their entire series of 1/48 F-111 kits? I would have thought there is no difference in either kit, although I may be wrong to assume that. 

 

Cheers and best of luck.. Dave 

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Hi guys,

 

thank you all for your input. Certainly food for further thoughts.

5 hours ago, Mr T said:

I assume the probe had a door covering it and the boom receptacle was deleted.

4 hours ago, stever219 said:

Can't make out any refueling receptacle here...At the time of the F-111K the use of USAF tankers by RAF receivers was almost unheard of so retention of the American-fit refuelling receptacle was deemed superfluous

7 hours ago, exdraken said:

Thank you all. I already assumed this to be the case, just wanted to make sure before I fill any panel lines.

 

5 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

As it was to replace the TSR2 the primary weapon would have been the WE177.

5 hours ago, Mr T said:

Apparently the K was to be integrated with Martel, but not sure about the cannon. 

Yes, WE177 would be a given considering the anticipated role of the Merlin. But since they would be invisible in the bomb bay I have the idea of putting two Martels on the wings in order to emphasize the 'uniqueness' of the British Varks :)

 

5 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

The only artists impression that I have seen was in anti-flash white.  Given that by the mid 60s the V-Force had gone to low level weapon delivery and camouflaged the upper surfaces this seems dated

There were artist impressions showing standard tactical camo and even the TSR.2 was going to be painted in tactical colours had it been procured. Only the initial planes would feature a scheme of DSG/DG over white with a high demarcation line. So while certainly attractive, anti-flash white would unfortunately highly unlikely.

 

5 hours ago, Retired Bob said:

All aircraft would have the long span wings, strengthened landing gear with larger wheels and brakes.

That comment regarding the wings initially made me look again for all sources which stated that this was an error, repeated by a lot of publications. There was even a discussion on BM about that:

But then I came across an interesting and quite recent post on the What-if modeller forum which states that, despite the first two machines having the short wing, this decision was changed to the long wing for the following aircraft. Source is p.52 of the book 'From Controversy to Cutting Edge: A History of the F-111 In Australian Service': https://www.whatifmodellers.com/index.php?topic=47184.0

Unfortunately, the provided link is broken, so I cannot read it up myself which drives the little voice in my head mad if I should change the wing or not.

Maybe the General @general melchett can chime in considering his information packed but sadly abandoned build and shed some light into the topic?

 

5 hours ago, Mr T said:

A Google search for 'F111K' images will bring up some nice links, including a couple of my model ( code 'H' of XV or 15 Sqn that shows the camouflage pattern based on some stuff being put out by the RAF and MoD at the time. 

Thanks, great model 👍 I found a few nice builds at Britmodeller which served as an inspiration for me.

 

4 hours ago, Rabbit Leader said:

I have the Academy F-111C kit, however am just wondering if they ever bothered to make different undercarriage parts for their entire series of 1/48 F-111 kits?

I asked myself the same question and the conclusion was better not to investigate further as I may not like the answer. The undercarriage is quite hidden below the fuselage anyway, so I decided to live in blissful ignorance :D

 

 

Cheers

Markus

 

Edited by Shorty84
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11 hours ago, Shorty84 said:

Yes, WE177 would be a given considering the anticipated role of the Merlin. But since they would be invisible in the bomb bay I have the idea of putting two Martels on the wings in order to emphasize the 'uniqueness' of the British Varks :)

I worked for many years on Martel, remember that if you intend to fit the TV version, the Data Link Pod (DLP) is required to guide the missile to it's target, the Anti-Radiation (AR) missile did not require any guidance from the aircraft, it was passive guidance, fire and forget weapon.  There is always the option of a later WiF Vark carrying Sea Eagle missiles, the Martel replacement.  (also fire and forget) :winkgrin:

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Quote

Maybe the General general melchett can chime in considering his information packed but sadly abandoned build and shed some light into the topic?

 

Happy to chime in Markus, yes, the build was put on indefinite hold due to a number of reasons, one being the awful HB windscreen shape and time needed to fettle the Squadron vac version to fit (be easier to graft an Academy nose section on! Hopefully I'll return to it at some point and get the thing finished. Regarding the wings, it all seems a bit up in the air. I always understood, talking to fellow Project Cancelled members and particularly TSR2 guru Joe Cherrie, that the 'K' was to have the short span 'A' model wings fitted initially, and a well known photograph (shown in the thread) indicates that at least the first airframe was fitted with these. Whether or not future aircraft were to have the extended 'C' wings seems to be a matter of debate. I last looked into this over ten years ago so maybe new information has come to light, in any event I went with the short span wings, going on information available at the time. 

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17 hours ago, Shorty84 said:

Hi fellow Britmodellers,

 

I'm playing with the idea of building an F-111K for some time now and recently fate smiled upon me with my LHS having a second-hand Academy F-111C (prefer it over the HB kit with it's botched canopy). This version should be a good basis as it provides the same combination of the F-111A airframe with the heavy-duty landing gear of the FB-111A as needed for the proposed UK version. Now I've read through every thread and build on BM and on the web to determine the UK-specific changes I require to make to the kit for the 'K':

 

  • shortening the wings as the F-111K should feature the "short" F-111A wings
  • new instrument panel as the F-111K should get the Mark II avionics package developed for the F-111D
  • adding a retractable refueling probe ahead of the cockpit, slightly offset to the right

 

Now there are still some white spots which I hope you'll be able to shed some light:

 

  • Camo: Considering the first 2 machines were already in an advanced state of assembly, were there any official camouflage diagrams in existence? I would mainly be interested in details like roundel positions/sizes and proposed camo pattern. Generally, I plan to depict one of the earliest machines which would have been delivered (possibly to an OCU unit). Considering an Entry into Service in the early 70s I imagine a camo of glossy DSG/DG/LAG with Type D roundels would be appropriate.  
  • ECM gear Is it known if the UK would have used any ECM pods on the Merlin? And if so, would they be of US origin? The kit provides the AN/ALQ-87 which seems appropriate for the early 70s.
  • Refueling point: Would the original boom refueling point be retained, or was it removed altogether?
  • Trainer: Would the TF-111K be fully combat capable or were there any significant differences except for the second stick in the cockpit?
  • Weapons: Is it known which UK-specific weapons were to be integrated? Would the 20mm cannon be purchased?

 


Thanks!

 

Cheers
Markus

 

G'day Markus,

 

Airframe:

I was of the opinion that production F-111Ks would be long wing but based on the F-111A with heavy duty u/c, (very similar to the F-111C).

 

Some food for thought:

 

Cockpit:

The F-111D cockpit had a troubled development and was introduced late in the aircraft's development. I would suggest going with a more generic F-111F cockpit but with a few "K" specific panels on the rights side such as a  Martel control box and screen as per the Bucc rear cockpit. The twin stick cockpit set-up was common for all F-111 variants except the EF-111A which had a dedicated right side for the ESM officer. All twin stick F-111s remained fully combat capable although the RAF may have wanted a dedicated WSO/NAV workstation as well. 

 

Ordnance:

Instant sunshine may have been the primary role but the F-111s were also superb all weather bombers that could also deliver conventional munitions. Whatever stores were used, if carried externally they would have likely retained the GD pylons (why re-invent the wheel)  and used these in conjunction with a dedicated adapter for Martel. For conventional bombs the BRU-3A/A would work but I am not sure how well RAF pattern bombs would have fit but individual hard points on the  BRU were rated for 750lb stores

 

ECM:

The F-111 was designed with several flush mounted ECM/ESM antennas, I would suggest that these would be supplement with either a US or European pod on one of the two ECM hardpoints on the aircraft underside. As this is verging into WIF territory, you could give it its own name e.g Orange xxxx system. 

 

Most people model WIF as it would have been at the start of service, but witha  little imagination, I think it would be more interesting to depict the aircraft near the end, i.e post avionics update with a glass cockpit, scabbed on GPS antennas and modern smart weaps,

 

cheers,

 

Pappy

 

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FWIW.   Here's my F-111K from a few years back.  It's a bit rough and ready as it's made from the original Airfix F-111A boxing and updated to a mid-80s RAF Whif by adding an LRMTS under the nose, a jamming pod attached to a bomb-bay door and an RWR system to the fin a la Phantom.spacer.png

DSCN2900.jpg

 

David

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Regarding colours I don't think white undersides would have been used.

The only RAF strike aircraft to feature that were the larger and slower V-bombers and the remaining Vulcans would switch to grey background n the 1970s.

 

RAF tactical strike, such as the Canberra B(I).8, used Light Aircraft Grey undersides, and the Phantoms and Buccaneers that were procured when the F-111K was cancelled initially featured LAG undersides. The upper Dark Green and Dark Sea Grey camo were gloss finish with full colour roundels and fin flashes.

For a decent WIFF on this I would look at the actuality of RAF Phantom and Buccaneer units, and the changes that they went through during their service life regarding schemes and additions of RWR & ECM etc.

 

I don't think the F-111K would have entered service with ECM pods, the RAF took their time using pods.

 

 

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Interesting thread, I had not known that the RAF was considering a purchase of the F-111. All the posts here are showing me something new. well, that is something that everyone needs everyday. Thanks much!

Joe

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18 hours ago, 71chally said:

For a decent WIFF on this I would look at the actuality of RAF Phantom and Buccaneer units,

I'd fit a Buccanneer style IFR probe in front of the canopy, and a fin top RWR box and horizontal ILS antennae to the vertical tail.

 

Just to add to its Britishness.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

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There was an article in Aeroplane (September 2018) on the F-111K. Some info from this article:

 

The F-111K was planned with the short wings of the F-111A -but wing tip extensions for ferry flights were considerd. Sounds like you have the choice to use a long wing and add some scribing?

 

FB-111A main and nose landing gear

 

Eight wing pylons (the two inboard pairs pivoting) with British ERU115 ejector release units

 

FB-111 fuel tanks on the four inboard pylons

 

BFE reconnaissance palet in the bomb bay (or bomb racks)

 

Radome based on F-111D/FB-111A

 

New forward equipment bay (between radome and cockpit) - som maybe some artistic licence for different pannel lines here?

 

Retracable inflight refuelling probe on the upper centerline ahead of the cockpit (as described in previous posts)

 

A trio of F95 cameras - one vertical, two oblique "in its lower section" of the forward equipment bay. But I cannot see this in any picture.

 

New weapon bay dors which allow a centreline pylon inside. This was designed to finish flush with the inboard bay doors. This pylon was to carry the datalink pod for the AJ168 TV Martel (111K's main role for long range anti-shipping strikes in Suez)

 

Night illumination system from the sole RF-111 aft of the main U/C (proposal)

 

 

Included is a photo of the prototypes under construction (same as in a post above) the tree view with the K components (also posted above) and some artist impressions. Both camouflage upper (one green & grey, the other brown & green upper) and LAG underside.

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36 minutes ago, Bozothenutter said:

was any Phantom like work needed on the intakes?

 

No because the K variant was not designed around different entines but used the same TF30 turbofans of the original F-111, contrary to the request for a different powerplant in the UK Phantom variants

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5 minutes ago, Giorgio N said:

 

No because the K variant was not designed around different entines but used the same TF30 turbofans of the original F-111, contrary to the request for a different powerplant in the UK Phantom variants

Ah ok, I thought it was supposed to have the Spey.

I must have mixed up my Mirages and Aardvarks......

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3 hours ago, Hook said:

 

I'd fit a Buccanneer style IFR probe in front of the canopy, and a fin top RWR box and horizontal ILS antennae to the vertical tail.

 

Just to add to its Britishness.

 

Cheers,

 

Andre

Agree, though it was designed with a retractable probe in the centreline of the nose anyway, you can see the bay for it in the previous pics.

Having said that the Buccaneer's original retractable refueling probe had to be removed due to problems and replaced with the fixed type.

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2 hours ago, Bozothenutter said:

Ah ok, I thought it was supposed to have the Spey.

I must have mixed up my Mirages and Aardvarks......

There was a proposal to re-engine the Mirage IV for that purpose! Would also have been an interesting concept - Mirage IVK

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/flights-of-fantasy-what-if-the-spey-powered-mirage-ivk-went-into-production.299/

 

 

the intake re-design on the Spey engined Phantoms had to do with increased airflow requirements of the Spey in comparison with the J79. Not sure how the TF-30 compares to it!

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15 minutes ago, exdraken said:

There was a proposal to re-engine the Mirage IV for that purpose! Would also have been an interesting concept - Mirage IVK

https://www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/flights-of-fantasy-what-if-the-spey-powered-mirage-ivk-went-into-production.299/

 

 

the intake re-design on the Spey engined Phantoms had to do with increased airflow requirements of the Spey in comparison with the J79. Not sure how the TF-30 compares to it!

 

Mass flow rate for the TF30 was over 15% higher than for the Spey so, if I remember the lessons on engines at uni correctly, the F-111 intake would have been more than enough for the Spey (if not even too large).

Different story for the ATAR 9D of the Mirage IV, that had a flow rate slightly lower than the J79, so I'd expect the Mirage IV-K would have had larger intakes than the original aircraft

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I think it's quite interesting how the the same level of British Industry involvement doesn't seem to have taken place with the F-111K project as what was required of the F-4K, ie the requirement for British engines, some avionics, and UK produced major structural sub assemblies.

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