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. <br> <br>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 &quot;due to concerns about servicing the pyrotechnical components of the system,&quot; while another says this was done &quot;to save cost and weight.&quot; 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. <br> <br>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. <br> <br>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. <br> <br>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 &quot;aardvark&quot; originated in the Afrikaans language, as a contraction of &quot;earth-pig&quot;, and this was the source of the F-111's nickname of &quot;Pig&quot;, during its Australian service. <br> <br>General characteristics <br> <br>Crew: 2 <br>Length: 73 ft 6 in (22.40 m) <br>Wingspan: 63 ft (19 m) <br>Swept wingspan: 32 ft (9.8 m) swept <br>Height: 17 ft 1.5 in (5.220 m) <br>Wing area: 657.4 sq ft (61.07 m2) spread, 525 sq ft (48.8 m2) swept <br>Aspect ratio: 7.56 spread <br>1.95 swept <br>Airfoil: root: NACA 64-210.68; tip: NACA 64-209.80 <br>Empty weight: 47,200 lb (21,410 kg) <br>Gross weight: 82,800 lb (37,557 kg) <br>Max takeoff weight: 100,000 lb (45,359 kg) <br>Zero-lift drag coefficient: 0.0186 <br>Zero-lift drag coefficient area: 9.36 sq ft (0.87 m2) <br>Aspect ratio: spread: <br>Powerplant: 2 × Pratt &amp; Whitney TF30-P-100 afterburning turbofan engines, 17,900 lbf (80 kN) thrust each dry, 25,100 lbf (112 kN) with afterburner <br>Performance <br> <br>Maximum speed: 1,434 kn (1,650 mph, 2,656 km/h) at altitude <br>795 kn (915 mph; 1,472 km/h) / Mach 1.2 at sea level <br>Maximum speed: Mach 2.5 <br>Range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km) <br>Ferry range: 3,210 nmi (3,690 mi, 5,940 km) with external drop tanks <br>Service ceiling: 66,000 ft (20,000 m) <br>g limits: +7.33 <br>Rate of climb: 25,890 ft/min (131.5 m/s) <br>Wing loading: 126 lb/sq ft (620 kg/m2) Spread <br>158 lb/sq ft (771 kg/m2) wings swept <br>Thrust/weight: 0.61 <br>Armament <br>Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon in weapons bay (seldom fitted) <br>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: <br>Missiles: <br>AGM-69 SRAM thermonuclear air-to-surface missile (FB-111A only) <br>AGM-130 stand-off bomb <br>Bombs: <br>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) <br>Cluster bombs <br>BLU-109 (2,000 lb/907 kg) hardened penetration bomb <br>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 <br>BLU-107 Durandal runway-cratering bomb <br>GBU-15 electro-optical bomb <br>B61 or B43 nuclear bombs <br>Avionics <br>GMR and TFR