The hulks of 23 decomissioned F-111s have been dumped in the Swanbank landfill near Ipswich, angering fans of the fighter jet.
The F-111s had been based at RAAF Amberley before they were decomissioned last year in favor of the F/A-18 Super Hornet. The US government places tight restrictions on how equipment obtained through its Foreign Military Sales program can be used after leaving service.
The RAAF says a pair of retired F-111s will be displayed at Amberley’s Heritage Centre, and seven of the jets remain on offer to eligable museums and historical organisations.
But it will be left to future archaeologists to study the remains of the 23 F-111s buried at Swanbank, a move that infuriated Ipswich Councilor Paul Tully.
“Fifty years of Australian history down the drain,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
