F-111 AARDVARK: Crew Escape Module - a bit slow at first then it gets really technical - Great Cleverness.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark and B-1A introduced the method of jettisoning the entire cockpit as a means of crew escape. The crew remains strapped in the cabin, unencumbered by a parachute harness, while 27,000 lbf (120 kN) of thrust from rockets accelerates the module away from the rest of the aircraft. A single, large parachute retards the descent of the capsule. On landing, an airbag system cushions the impact. In the event of a water landing the airbag acts as a flotation device. Additional airbags could be activated to the right the capsule in the event of a water landing (similar to the Apollo Command Module), or an additional airbag could be selected for auxiliary flotation. With a movement of a pin at the base of the pilot's control stick, a bilge pump could be activated and extra air pumped into the airbags. For the F-111 escape capsule, following a successful landing on land or water, it could serve as a survival shelter for the crew until a rescue could be mounted.

Three of the four B-1A prototypes featured a single crew escape capsule for the crew members. For the fourth prototype and for the B-1B, this was changed to use conventional ejection seats. One source gives the reason "due to concerns about servicing the pyrotechnical components of the system," while another says this was done "to save cost and weight." On August 29, 1984, B-1A prototype #2 crashed and the capsule was ejected at a low altitude. The parachute was deployed improperly and one of the three crew died.

The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multi-role combat aircraft. Production models of the F-111 had roles that included attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons capabilities), reconnaissance, and electronic warfare. Developed in the 1960s by General Dynamics, the F-111 entered service in 1967 with the United States Air Force (USAF). The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) also ordered the F-111 and began operating the F-111C in 1973.

USAF F-111s were retired during the 1990s with the F-111Fs in 1996 and EF-111s in 1998. The F-111 was replaced in USAF service by the F-15E Strike Eagle for medium-range precision strike missions, while the supersonic bomber role has been assumed by the B-1B Lancer. The RAAF continued to operate the type until December 2010, when the last F-111C was retired.

The name Aardvark was derived from perceived similarities of the aircraft to the animal: a long nose and low-level, terrain-following capabilities. The word "aardvark" originated in the Afrikaans language, as a contraction of "earth-pig", and this was the source of the F-111's nickname of "Pig", during its Australian service.

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 73 ft 6 in (22.40 m)
Wingspan: 63 ft (19 m)
Swept wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m) swept
Height: 17 ft 1.5 in (5.220 m)
Wing area: 657.4 sq ft (61.07 m2) spread, 525 sq ft (48.8 m2) swept
Aspect ratio: 7.56 spread
1.95 swept
Airfoil: root: NACA 64-210.68; tip: NACA 64-209.80
Empty weight: 47,200 lb (21,410 kg)
Gross weight: 82,800 lb (37,557 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 100,000 lb (45,359 kg)
Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0186
Zero-lift drag coefficient area: 9.36 sq ft (0.87 m2)
Aspect ratio: spread:
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney TF30-P-100 afterburning turbofan engines, 17,900 lbf (80 kN) thrust each dry, 25,100 lbf (112 kN) with afterburner
Performance

Maximum speed: 1,434 kn (1,650 mph, 2,656 km/h) at altitude
795 kn (915 mph; 1,472 km/h) / Mach 1.2 at sea level
Maximum speed: Mach 2.5
Range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km)
Ferry range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km) with external drop tanks
Service ceiling: 66,000 ft (20,000 m)
g limits: +7.33
Rate of climb: 25,890 ft/min (131.5 m/s)
Wing loading: 126 lb/sq ft (620 kg/m2) Spread
158 lb/sq ft (771 kg/m2) wings swept
Thrust/weight: 0.61
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon in weapons bay (seldom fitted)
Hardpoints: 9 in total (8× under-wing, 1× under-fuselage between engines) plus 2 attach points in weapons bay with a capacity of 31,500 lb (14,300 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:
Missiles:
AGM-69 SRAM thermonuclear air-to-surface missile (FB-111A only)
AGM-130 stand-off bomb
Bombs:
Free-fall general-purpose bombs including Mk 82 (500 lb/227 kg), Mk 83 (1,000 lb/454 kg), Mk 84 (2,000 lb/907 kg), and Mk 117 (750 lb/340 kg)
Cluster bombs
BLU-109 (2,000 lb/907 kg) hardened penetration bomb
Paveway laser-guided bombs, including 2,000 lb (907 kg) GBU-10, 500 lb (227 kg) GBU-12, and 4,800 lb (2,200 kg) GBU-28 penetration bomb
BLU-107 Durandal runway-cratering bomb
GBU-15 electro-optical bomb
B61 or B43 nuclear bombs
Avionics
GMR and TFR