General Dynamics F-111K

F-111K
Artist's impression of F-111K
Role	Tactical Strike Low-Level Interdiction Reconnaissance
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	General Dynamics
Primary user	Royal Air Force (intended)
Number built	50 (intended)
Program cost	£280 million (1966)
Developed from	General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark
Career
Serial	XV886 - XV887 XV902 - XV947

The General Dynamics F-111K was a planned variant of the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark medium-range interdictor and tactical strike aircraft by General Dynamics, to meet a requirement for such an aircraft for the Royal Air Force.

The project was initiated in 1965 following the cancellation of the BAC TSR-2 strike aircraft. The aircraft was planned as a hybrid of several variants of the F-111 as a way of producing an aircraft for the specific needs of the United Kingdom. A RAF order for 50 aircraft, made in 1967, was cancelled a year later.

In the early 1960s, the British Aircraft Corporation was in the process of developing a new strike aircraft for the Royal Air Force to replace the English Electric Canberra. This aircraft, designated as "TSR-2" (Tactical Strike and Reconnaissance), had a large set of requirements listed by the government, and had led to TSR-2 becoming a hugely complex machine; it was intended that it be able to undertake both conventional and nuclear strike missions at high and low level, in all weathers, at supersonic speeds. As a consequence, the costs of the project began to increase, leading to it becoming the most expensive aviation project in British history, at a time when defence spending was being cut. This led to the RAF being asked to look for potential alternatives to TSR-2, in the event of it being cancelled.

At the same time, the Royal Australian Air Force were also looking for a Canberra replacement, and were looking at a number of options, including both TSR-2 and the General Dynamics F-111 then being developed for the USAF's TFX programme. The uncertainty over TSR-2 led to the Australians selecting an adapted version of the F-111 in 1963. The RAF were asked to evaluate the F-111 as a cheaper option for the strike aircraft requirement, although the incoming Labour government denied it planned to cancel the British aircraft. This denial was reversed in April 1965, when TSR-2 was cancelled and a decision taken to look into the option of acquiring up to 110 F-111s instead.

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