-While its listed top speed was Mach 2.65, anecdotal evidence from a former F-111 Weapons Systems Officer reveals the fighter-bomber could fly much faster. -The true limit was not engine power but the ...

Summary and Key Points: The F-111 Aardvark was retired in 1998 primarily due to a "maintenance crisis" and the aging architecture of its 1960s-era variable-geometry wings. -Despite being the most ...