The F-111 was the largest fighter bomber in the US arsenal, flexible enough to deliver both low-altitude flight and supersonic speed. But it was its distinctive shape that stood out–flight crews dubbed it the "Aardvark." A new episode of Air Warriors premieres tonight at 8 PM. | Smithsonian Channel Aviation Nation

24K views · 357 reactions | Faster than a speeding bullet, literally! In September of 1956, a Grumman F11F Tiger flew so fast it overtook its own bullets and shot itself down. This supersonic Navy jet was flown from Intrepid in 1959 and 1960, and later served with the Blue Angels, the Navy's elite flight demonstration team. Get a close-up look at this incredible aircraft at the Intrepid Museum!  | Intrepid Museum | Facebook

Meet the first supersonic operational Navy jet fighter. This Tiger is one of the rarest of all the Grumman “cats” with only 200 built and very few survivors. The Tiger started life as an F9F Panther/Cougar variant and Grumman’s answer to a modernized Cougar. However, it was such a departure from the Cougar design with a 35-degree swept wing, coke-bottle-shaped fuselage, and reduced transonic drag, it was designated the F-11A Tiger. The Navy saw potential in the design and soon placed it with fiv