--- title: "Why Australia buried all of its old F-111 Aardvark tactical aircraft" description: "When Australia made the decision to retire its fleet of F-111 Aardvarks, it faced an interesting challenge in how to dispose of them." date: "2022-04-22" modified: "2025-10-06" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-stories/why-australia-buried-all-of-its-old-f-111-aardvark-tactical-aircraft/" categories: - "Aircraft" - "Tactical" tags: - "Aircraft" - "Australia" --- # Why Australia buried all of its old F-111 Aardvark tactical aircraft ![F-111s at Red Flag]() *A four-ship formation of Royal Australian Air Force F-111s flies to U.S. ranges in 2006. (U.S. Air Force/Master Sgt. Kevin J. Gruenwald)* Burying aircraft is not a new practice. The only standout question is *why* a country buries an entire fleet of planes. Saddam Hussein buried all of Iraq’s advanced fighters before the 2003 American-led invasion so they wouldn’t get destroyed, for example. But Australia wasn’t worried about an invasion in 2010. It also didn’t bury *all* of its planes. It only buried just one of its retired airframes, and the reason was worker safety. #### Read: [Why Saddam Hussein buried Iraq’s air force in the desert]() When it was introduced in 1967, the F-111 Aardvark was one of the most advanced aircraft of its time, although it was not without its problems. It was intended to be an all-purpose aircraft that would provide the U.S. Navy with carrier-based fighters and the U.S. Air Force with supersonic strike capability—all in one aircraft. This all-purpose idea, of course, was not a great one, but the F-111 wasn’t a bad aircraft on the whole. It was nuclear-capable, supersonic, and had the ability to act in almost any role, from interdictor to fighter-bomber. ![F-111]() *And it looks cool. (U.S. Air Force) (USAF photo)* After its big, initial engine problem was fixed, the Aardvark went on to have a long career. It wasn’t retired by the U.S. military until 1998, and the Royal Australian Air Force flew the F-111 until December 2010. When the Australians went to dismantle their fleet of Aardvarks, they encountered a hazardous and potentially deadly material used in the airframe's construction. The fuselage of the Aardvark was constructed from bonded panels, and the adhesive used to bond those panels contained asbestos. Asbestos must have seemed like a miracle substance when it was first created. It’s flexible, heat-resistant, and can be used in almost anything—it can even be woven into a fabric. For the aviation industry, it’s especially useful, not only because of its heat resistance, but also because it resists electricity and corrosion. At first glance, it appears to be the perfect aircraft material. ![A rectangular piece of fibrous, silvery-gray mineral with a rough, uneven top surface and vertical striations along the sides. The mineral has a metallic sheen and a somewhat layered texture.]() *Asbestos: the miracle material... except for that one giant problem (U.S. Air Force) Asbestos: the miracle material... except for one giant problem (USAF photo)* By now, most of us are familiar with the danger asbestos can cause. Once it’s inside the human body, there’s no getting it out. Over time, asbestos inside tissue can cause scarring, inflammation, and, eventually, cancer. The most well-known of these cancers is mesothelioma, which is caused almost exclusively by asbestos. When Australia decided to retire its fleet of F-111s, planners examined its specifications and determined that everything was either salvageable or worth scrapping, except for the fuselage. Wings, engines, and any other components not attached to the airframe with bonded panels were removed. The Australian military decided that the precautions necessary to protect workers from asbestos exposure during the disposal of what was left of the aircraft weren’t worth the cost. New facilities would need to be built for this purpose, and potentially hundreds of workers would require personal protective equipment (PPE). Even then, failing to use the PPE properly could result in years of litigation and/or substantial medical expenses for the government. They decided to bury the aircraft instead. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80OadL7f8Lo The F-111 was, overall, not a very successful weapons platform, to put it mildly. According to F-111 pilot Richard Crandall, the Aardvark comprised nine percent of Tactical Air Command's fleet, but consumed a whopping 25 percent of the maintenance budget. Australia replaced the F-111 with a buy of 24 F/A-18F Super Hornets while it waited for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to work out all the bugs. It had to wait until 2018 to receive its first F-35. ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()