On July 23, 1968, the only F-111B ever to work a carrier deck went aboard USS Coral Sea off California. BuNo 151974 finished 9 arrested landings and 10 catapult shots without a problem, four days after the Navy’s stop-work order had already killed production.
The swing-wing interceptor trapped about 10 knots slower than the F-14 that replaced it and was easier on the wires even though it recovered some 4,000 pounds heavier. Arrestor tests at Patuxent River in February had come first. Navy leaders had already written the jet off as overweight and unsuited to the boat, but the approach was smooth and the airplane sat well on the ball.
The F-111B never reached the fleet. Its AWG-9 radar and Phoenix missiles did. 🫡