F-111 Aardvark Fighter-Bomber
The F-111 Aardvark was a fighter-bomber that was in service for years in several different air forces in the world. The jet aircraft could fly at supersonic speeds and had movable "swing wings" that could sweep back when at high speed. It was a two seater aircraft that had the pilot and radar operator able to sit side by side and share the same radar screen.
The F-111 had ground hugging radar. That means that even at night or in bad weather it could fly at low altitudes only a few feet off the ground. This made it hard or nearly impossible for the enemy radar to spot it.
The F-111 was used as both a fighter and a bomber. There were several different versions over the years. The length was 73 feet 6 inches or 22.40 meters. The wingspan was 63 feet. It had a maximum takeoff weight of 100,000 lbs or 45,359 kg. That is a weight with a load of bombs or / and missiles. Without weaponry it weighed 82,800 lbs. or 37,557 kg.
The F-111 was named the Aardvark because of its extra long nose ... that was long to allow the large radar mechanism. (Look below and you will see that I also drew a picture of the animal called the Aardvark. Notice the very long nose.)
Aardvark with Buttonquail in the Congo Jungle
The Aardvark is a type of anteater from Africa. They are not closely related to the anteaters from South America. They live in many parts of Africa, not just the jungle. They are about 50 or so inches long. That is about 130 cm. They weight between 110 to 180 lbs, or 50 to 82 kg. They have a 12 inch or 30.5 cm tongue. They use their long tongue to eat ants and termites.
In this drawing the Aardvark is at a termite mound and is about to tear into the mound with its long, tough claws. They can dig a 2 foot or 0.6 meter hole into the ground to get into an antpile in only 15 seconds. This allows them to access their favorite food of ants or termites. I suppose they can quickly break into a termite mound as well. Aardvarks rarely drink water. They get most or all of the water they need from the insects that they eat. One Aardvark can eat 50,000 ants or termites in one night.
The name "aardvark" means "earth pig." They DO look like a pig on the end of their snout. But an Aardvark kind of looks like a combination animal... like it is made up or parts of other animals. It's tail looks a bit like a kangaroo tail. Its snout, as mentioned, looks like a pig snout on the end. . . but it is WAY longer than a pig snount. Then its ears look like rabbit ears.
Another thing those claws are useful for is digging a safe hole. Arrdvarks live in long burrows that they dig. They can even dig a fast hole and bury themselves in about 10 minutes. Sadly, pesticide use has cut down on the insects available for Aardvarks to eat so the Aardvarks are in decline in some parts of Africa.
The birds in the foreground are native to the jungles of the Congo. They are called 'Buttonquail. They are only about 5.9 inches or 15 cm. long. They live in grasslands or scrub jungle. They avoid heavily forested areas. Notice that the animals are all on the edge of the jungle, not deep inside it . . . in this drawing.
Although Buttonquail LOOK like quails, they are not related. This is another case of convergent evolution. Convergent Evolution is when two unrelated species have similar traits. A good example would be a killer whale and a shark. They are similarly shaped.
Buttonquail are VERY secretive and difficult to flush out from where they are hiding in the grass or in the bushes. By the way, besides Africa, they also live from southern Spain and clear over to India and in other tropical parts of Asia.
NOTE: These drawings can be found by clicking on the right button. The jet is found by clicking on the button labeled: Vehicles and Military Vehicles. The Aardvark is found by clicking on the button labeled: Animals. You need to scroll to the bottom of the printable pages to get to the new drawings. Below are some photos from the Darwin Aviation Museum in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia. It is an AWESOME museum of historical (mostly military) aircraft. My wife and I went there in August of 2019.
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