Aviation / Aerospace

General Dynamics / Grumman EF-111 Raven

Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA) [ 1981 ]

The Grumman EF-111 Raven was a direct EWA conversion of the F-111A Aardvark fighter-bomber strike platform.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/12/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

Image from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Dayton, Ohio, USA.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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The EF-111 Raven was developed from a United States Air Force need for an Electronic Warfare Aircraft (EWA) to replace its aging fleet of EB-66 platforms. The EF-111 was born directly from the airframe of the existing F-111 Aardvark series of swing-wing bomber aircraft already in service and extended the operational use of the airframe by decades. With a single unit conversion cost of $25 million on top of the already paid $15 million production cost, the EF-111 became an expensive yet important addition to USAF operations during the latet years of the Cold War. The system would see operational service up until the late 1990's to which then the Air Force was forced to rely on US Navy and Marine Corps aircraft to fulfill the same EWA role. In any case, the EF-111 platform proved to be versatile and reliable and performed well under the stresses of combat.

By 1972 the United States Air Force was already showcasing its F-111 swing-wing bombers throughout the skies over Vietnam. Seeing the potential for replacing the EB-66 conversion models, the USAF tabbed some F-111A models to be converted themselves into the EF-111, taking on the designation name of "Raven" in the process. These new systems would adopt state-of-the-art technologies to help other aerial battlefield components fight more effectively and accurately. Grumman proceeded on the conversion plans under a new USAF contract in 1974 with first flight achieved by a Raven in 1977. Deliveries would start four years later.

EF-111's were deployed in operational combat use against Libya, Panama, in the Persian Gulf War and Bosnia/Herzegovina with no aircraft lost to enemy fire. From there, the Ravens would be deployed near US interests worldwide for a time up until 1998 to which the EF-111's would be officially retired from USAF service. By any regard, the EF-111 ended up looking quite similar to her strike counterpart with the exception of bulge on the top of the vertical tail fin. Some 42 F-111A Aardvark models were eventually converted to EF-111 Ravens.

The EF-111 also gained the nickname of "Spark Vark" during its tenure and was also known for a time as the "Electric Fox".©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1981

Origin

United States

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

2

Production

42
UNITS

General Dynamics / Grumman Aircraft - USA

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

United States (retired)

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

Length

76.0 ft
(23.17 m)

Width/Span

63.0 ft
(19.20 m)

Height

20.0 ft
(6.10 m)

Empty Wgt

55,274 lb
(25,072 kg)

MTOW

89,001 lb
(40,370 kg)

Wgt Diff

+33,726 lb
(+15,298 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the General Dynamics / Grumman EF-111A Raven production variant)

Installed: 2 x Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-3 (later TF30-P-9) turbofan engines with afterburner developing 20,840 lb of thrust each.

Max Speed

1,855 mph
(2,985 kph | 1,612 kts)

Ceiling

44,997 ft
(13,715 m | 9 mi)

Range

2,000 mi
(3,218 km | 5,960 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

11,000 ft/min
(3,353 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the General Dynamics / Grumman EF-111A Raven production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

OPTIONAL:
2 x AIM-9 "Sidewinder" short-ranged Air-to-Air Missiles (AAMs).
2 x 600 gallon external jettisonable fuel tanks.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an air-to-air missile weapon

Graphical image of a short-range air-to-air missile

Graphical image of an aircraft external fuel tank

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 2

EF-111 "Raven - Base Series Designation.

EF-111A - Single Series Conversion Models of F-111A models for electronic warfare role.

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