{"product_id":"f-111-aardvark","title":"F-111 Aardvark By John Gourley","description":"The General Dynamics F-111 was one of aviation history''s most promising planes when it came out in the early 1960s. Despite a rocky service career, political changes in how the military acquired its weaponry, and the addition of too much new technology, the plane provided a credible frontline deterrent in the Cold War era and was used to great effect in the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm. Many of the challenges faced by putting the F-111—with all of its new systems—into service are now accepted as a normal outfit in modern fighter aircraft. Although the Navy did not accept the F-111B model, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat development program was significantly assisted by prior radar and missile system testing on the F-111B airframe. The F-111 was a hugely powerful aircraft and carried devastating weaponry, but was phased out by the USAF in the mid-90s, largely due to crippling maintenance costs. The aircraft remained in Australian service until 2010.","brand":"MediaPlace","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57566224482686,"sku":"NW9780764361289","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1379\/1261\/files\/9780764361289.jpg?v=1783273236","url":"https:\/\/mediaplace.com\/en-usa\/products\/f-111-aardvark","provider":"MediaPlace","version":"1.0","type":"link"}