AND WE FINALLY HAVE A WINNER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes, it was the F-111 Aardvark. Now, to go over the cues:
1) This plane was designed with two configurations There was an "A" and a "B" configuration, "A" for the Air Force and "B" for the Navy. The "B" version was actually shorter for carrier use
2) This plane was NEVER USED for the purpose it was designed The "A" version was designed as a strike fighter while the "B" was an interceptor. The "A" was used strictly as a bomber while the "B" was cancelled
3) Despite clue 2, it still had a very long service life The "A" version was used for over 25 years by the Air Force while the "C" was used for a longer time by the Australian Air Force(found out about the "C" version after I posted the clue)
4) This plane had an unusual crew arrangement based on it's original planned use It had side-by side seating, something never used in an American tactical aircraft previously
5) This plane was later modified into a third configuration The plane was fitted with the electronic countermeasures used in the Grumman Prowler though, unlike the Prowler, the crew didn't get the same protection
6) Like the A-3 Skywarrior from the above guess, this plane was twin engined The plane was fitted with twin turbofans inside the fuse under the tail
7) This plane had three "unique" design features when first built. One of those features has been used on less than ten operational aircraft designs, world wide It was the first plane with a "swing wing"
8) The second "unique" design feature hadn't been seen for many years and only on a few planes built in a different country The side by side seating hadn't been seen in a fighter since the British Beaufigher and Mosquito in WWII
9) The third "unique" design feature made it much easier for the crew to bail out if the plane was too damaged to fly In the event of needing to bail out, the entire cockpit was ejected rather than just the seats
10) One of the original two configurations was actually rejected by military as unsuitable for the planned usage after one or two prototypes were built It was found that the "B" wasn't workable for use on an aircraft carrier
11) The rejected aircraft was replaced by an aircraft that became almost legendary during it's service life The F-4 Phantom, in service with the Navy during the testing of the F-111B, was later replaced by the F-14 Tomcat
12) The military that rejected the one configuration had actually asked for it to be built. The idea was to have it do the same thing as a legendary aircraft that was then in service Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara tried to do the same thing with the F-111 as had been done with the F-4 Phantom, use one plane for all branches of the military. With the failing of the F-111B to meet the Navy's requirements, this was not to be
13) This plane replaced another, faster, plane in the role it assumed when it went active The F-111 replaced both the B-58 Hustler and the F-105. I found my initial source to be incorrect on top speeds as the F-111 was capable of 250 MPH more than the other two
14) This plane was built by a well known manufacturer The plane was built by General Dynamics
15) This plane was powered by the same engines used to power the plane that replaced the rejected version The F-111 and F-14A were both powered by the Pratt& Whitney TF-30 low-bypass turbofan engines with afterburners
16) The third configuration of this plane scored the only "kill" for the type while operating at night The only "kill" for the F-111 was due to an Iraqi Mirage attempting to shoot down an EF-111. The Iraqi pilot crashed while trying to lock on to the Raven, itself doing some serious evasive maneuvering at low altitude.
17) The third configuration of this plane had something in common with two planes built by a competitor The third configuration was the EF-111 Raven. It was equipped with the same "pod"(sorry, it's still classified so no further details) installed on top of it's tail as the EA-6A "Electric Intruder" and EA-6B Prowler
18) This was the first plane to accomplish a "feat" by a combat aircraft It was the first tactical aircraft to cross the US without having to refuel either in the air or on the ground
19) This plane was used in air strikes that almost got the leaders of the opposition The plane was used in a strike against Libya, almost getting Muammar el-Qaddafi in his compound. The Italian government warned Qaddafi so he was able to escape the attack, according to my sources
20) This plane had a crew of two the plane had a pilot and BN
21) This plane had a range of well over 2000 miles using just internal fuel and 3000 with external tanks
22) Fully loaded, this plane needed just over 20% of the runway length of a plane it replaced The F-111 needed only 2000 feet of runway where the F-105 needed almost TWO MILES due to it's small wings and large loads
Okay Cris, YOU'RE UP