alternatehistory.com

Over its career, the F-111 was considered for or served in the following roles:
-- Tactical bomber (standard variants)
-- Navalized interceptor (F-111B)
-- Strike fighter (F-111C with 1983 AIM-9 Sidewinder modification)
-- Strategic bomber (FB-111)
-- Reconnaissance (RF-111C)
-- Electronic warfare aircraft (EF-111 Raven)

The F-111 was an early swing-wing aircraft and had some design aspects that were suboptimal, but it had a massive payload capacity and could deliver unguided bombs with a CEP of 150 feet. They were retired from American service shortly after the end of the Cold War, but continued on with Australia until 2010.

There were some interesting proposals on what could be done to improve the F-111, including replacing the old Pratt & Whitney TF30 engines with new General Electric F110 engines as done on the F-14. Assuming that the F-111B enters service, would it have been possible for the F-111 to have successfully cover the role that the F-14B and F-15E later took over? The F-111 obviously doesn't have the same air defense capabilities the F-15E has, but it can carry a larger payload over a longer distance, and the F-15E isn't intended for air-to-air combat.
Top