The EF-111A Raven is a variant of the F-111 Aardvark which is specialized for service as a tactical electronic jamming aircraft.

The EF-111A Raven is known affectionately as the “Fat Tail” and the “Spark Vark.”

The Raven had its beginning in the 1970s when the Grumman Company began modifying 42 F-111A aircraft with the addition of the electronic jamming equipment to create the EF-111A aircraft. The modifications consisted of a 16-foot-long narrow canoe-shaped radome on the underside for the fuselage to house the antennae for the high-powered jamming transmitters and a fin-tip pod on the vertical stabilizer to house the receiving antennae and other equipment, including a processor to detect hostile radar emissions. The electronic jamming equipment weighed approximately 8,000 Ibs. As a result of the modifications, the electronic warfare officer, the right seat crewmember, no longer performed flight-related duties but only monitored the aircraft’s electronic jamming equipment.

In 1984, Grumman/General Dynamics Corporation began building additional modification kits for the EF-111A to enable the aircraft to operate in three roles: standoff jamming, close in jamming and penetration/escort.

EF-111A Raven Performance

Maximum Speed 1452 mph / 1262 knots
Cruising Speed 509 mph / 442 knots
Range 2,482 miles / 2157 nautical miles
Service Ceiling 55,400 ft.

EF-111A Raven Specifications

Country of Origin USA.
Similar Aircraft F-111, Tornado, Su-24 Fencer, MiG-23/27 Flogger.
Crew Two.
Role ECM.
Armament Usually none.
Span Extended - 63.0 ft., Swept - 31.98 ft.
Length 76.38 ft.
Height 20.00 ft.
Weight 87,478 lbs. (max. takeoff)
Engines Two Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-109 turbofans; each rated at 20,840 lbs. of thrust each with afterburner. Normal thrust of 10,600 lbs. each.

EF-111A Raven WEFT Description

Wings High-mounted, variable, swept-back, and tapered with blunt tips. Wing span changes in flight.
Engine(s) Two turbojets mounted in the rear section. Air intakes are 1/4 pie-shaped under the wings giving the aircraft a rounded appearance from the head-on view.
Fuselage Long with a long, pointed nose and a bubble canopy.
Tail Swept-back, tapered fin with an electronics pod at the tip. Large tail flats are swept-back, tapered with clipped tips, and high-mounted on the fuselage.

Countries which Fly the EF-111A Raven

USA.

EF-111A Raven Manufacturers Web Sites

The was originally manufactured by General Dynamics.

General Dynamics sold its fixed-wing military aircraft division to Lockheed-Martin in 1993.

General Dynamics

Lockheed Martin

VN:F [1.9.22_1171]
Rating: 0.0/10 (0 votes cast)