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Panavia Tornado

January 13, 2023

The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and West Germany. There are three primary Tornado variants: the Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) fighter-bomber, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR (electronic combat/reconnaissance) and the Tornado ADV (air defence variant) interceptor aircraft.

Tornado IDS/ECR
RAF Tornado GR4 in 2012
Role Multirole aircraft, strike aircraft
National origin Italy, West Germany, United Kingdom
Manufacturer Panavia Aircraft GmbH
First flight 14 August 1974
Introduction 1979
Retired 2019 (RAF)
Status In service
Primary users German Air Force
Produced 1979–1998
Number built
  • 990:[1]
    • 745, Panavia Tornado IDS
    • 194, Panavia Tornado ADV
    • 51, Panavia Tornado ECR
Variants Panavia Tornado ADV

The Tornado was developed and built by Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a tri-national consortium consisting of British Aerospace (previously British Aircraft Corporation), MBB of West Germany, and Aeritalia of Italy. It first flew on 14 August 1974 and was introduced into service in 1979–1980. Due to its multirole design, it was able to replace several different fleets of aircraft in the adopting air forces. The Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) became the only export operator of the Tornado in addition to the three original partner nations. A tri-nation training and evaluation unit operating from RAF Cottesmore, the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment, maintained a level of international co-operation beyond the production stage.

The Tornado was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Italian Air Force, and RSAF during the Gulf War of 1991, in which the Tornado conducted many low-altitude penetrating strike missions. The Tornados of various services were also used in the Bosnian War, Kosovo War, Iraq War, in Libya during the 2011 Libyan civil war, as well as smaller roles in Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Including all variants, 990[1] aircraft were built.

Development

Origins

 
Artist's concept of the AFVG, an ancestor to the MRCA programme

During the 1960s, aeronautical designers looked to variable-geometry wing designs to gain the manoeuvrability and efficient cruise of straight wings with the speed of swept wing designs. The United Kingdom had cancelled the procurement of the TSR-2 and subsequent F-111K aircraft, and was still looking for a replacement for its Avro Vulcan and Blackburn Buccaneer strike aircraft.[2] Britain and France had initiated the BAC/Dassault AFVG (Anglo French Variable Geometry) project in 1965, but this had ended with French withdrawal in 1967.[3] Britain continued to develop a variable-geometry aircraft similar to the proposed AFVG, and sought new partners to achieve this.[4] West German EWR with Boeing then with Fairchild-Hiller and Republic Aviation had been developing design studies of the swing-wing EWR-Fairchild-Hiller A400 AVS Advanced Vertical Strike (which has a similar configuration to the Tornado) from 1964 to 1968[5][6][7]

In 1968, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy and Canada formed a working group to examine replacements for the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter,[8] initially called the Multi Role Aircraft (MRA), later renamed as the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA).[9][10] As the partner nations' requirements were so diverse, it was decided to develop a single aircraft that could perform a variety of missions that were previously undertaken by a fleet of different aircraft.[11] Britain joined the MRCA group in 1968, represented by Air Vice-Marshal Michael Giddings, and a memorandum of agreement was drafted between Britain, West Germany, and Italy in May 1969.[12]

By the end of 1968, the prospective purchases from the six countries amounted to 1,500 aircraft.[13] Canada and Belgium had departed before any long-term commitments had been made to the programme;[14] Canada had found the project politically unpalatable; there was a perception in political circles that much of the manufacturing and specifications were focused on Western Europe. France had made a favourable offer to Belgium on the Dassault Mirage 5.[14]

Panavia Aircraft GmbH

Main article: Panavia Aircraft GmbH

On 26 March 1969, four partner nations – United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, agreed to form a multinational company, Panavia Aircraft GmbH, to develop and manufacture the MRCA.[2][8] The project's aim was to produce an aircraft capable of undertaking missions in the tactical strike, reconnaissance, air defence, and maritime roles.[2][8] Various concepts, including alternative fixed-wing and single-engine designs, were studied while defining the aircraft.[15] The Netherlands pulled out of the project in 1970, citing that the aircraft was too complicated and technical for the RNLAF's preferences,[2] which had sought a simpler aircraft with outstanding manoeuvrability.[16] An additional blow was struck when the German requirement reduced from an initial 600 aircraft to 324 in 1972.[17] It has been suggested that Germany deliberately placed an unrealistically high initial order to secure the company headquarters and initial test flight in Germany rather than the UK, so as to have a bigger design influence.[18]

 
Formation take-off of an RAF Tornado GR.1 and a Tornado F.2 prototype in September 1982

When the agreement was finalised, the United Kingdom and West Germany each had a 42.5% stake of the workload, with the remaining 15% going to Italy; this division of the production work was heavily influenced by international political bargaining.[19] The front fuselage and tail assembly was assigned to BAC (now BAE Systems) in the United Kingdom; the centre fuselage to MBB (now part of Airbus) in West Germany; and the wings to Aeritalia (now Leonardo) in Italy.[20] Similarly, tri-national worksharing was used for engines and equipment. A separate multinational company, Turbo-Union, was formed in June 1970 to develop and build the RB199 engines for the aircraft, with ownership split 40% Rolls-Royce, 40% MTU, and 20% FIAT.[2][21]

At the conclusion of the project definition phase in May 1970, the concepts were reduced to two designs; a single seat Panavia 100 which West Germany initially preferred, and the twin-seat Panavia 200 which the RAF preferred.[21] The aircraft was briefly called the Panavia Panther, and the project soon coalesced towards the two-seat option.[22] In September 1971, the three governments signed an Intention to Proceed (ITP) document, at which point the aircraft was intended solely for the low-level strike mission, where it was viewed as a viable threat to Soviet defences in that role.[23] It was at this point that Britain's Chief of the Defence Staff announced "two-thirds of the fighting front line will be composed of this single, basic aircraft type".[20]

Prototypes and testing

The first of fifteen development aircraft (nine prototypes, P01 to P09, and six pre-series, PS11 to PS 16) flew on 14 August 1974 at Manching, Germany; the pilot, Paul Millett described his experience: "Aircraft handling was delightful... the actual flight went so smoothly that I did begin to wonder whether this was not yet another simulation".[24] Flight testing led to the need for minor modifications. Airflow disturbances were responded to by re-profiling the engine intakes and the fuselage to minimise surging and buffeting at supersonic speeds.[25]

According to Jim Quinn, programmer of the Tornado development simulation software and engineer on the Tornado engine and engine controls, the prototype was safely capable of reaching supercruise, but the engines had severe safety issues at high altitude while trying to decelerate. At high altitude and low turbine speed the compressor did not provide enough pressure to hold back the combustion pressure and would result in a violent vibration as the combustion pressure backfired into the intake. To avoid this effect the engine controls would automatically increase the minimum idle setting as altitude increased, until at very high altitudes the idle setting was so high, however, that it was close to maximum dry thrust. This resulted in one of the test aircraft being stuck in a mach 1.2 supercruise at high altitude and having to reduce speed by turning the aircraft, because the idle setting at that altitude was so high that the aircraft could not decelerate.[26]

 
Third Tornado prototype P.03 (XX947) at RAE Farnborough, August 1980

The British Ministry of Supply assigned Chief Engineer Ted Talbot from the Concorde development team to provide intake design assistance to the Tornado development team in order to overcome these issues, which they hesitantly agreed to after noting that the Concorde intake data had apparently already been leaked to the Soviet Union. The German engineers working on the Tornado intake were unable to produce a functional Concorde style intake despite having data from the Concorde team. To make the problem worse, their management team incorrectly filed a patent on the Concorde design, and then tried to sue the British engineers who had provided the design to them. The German lawyers realised that the British had provided the designs to the German team, and requested further information to help their engineers overcome the problems with the Tornado intake, but Chief Engineer Talbot refused. According to Talbot, the Concorde engineers had determined the issue with the Tornado intake was that the engine did not respond to unexpected changes in the intake position, and therefore the engine was running at the wrong setting for a given position of the intake ramps. This was because the Concorde had similar issues due to control pressure not being high enough to maintain proper angles of the intake ramps. Aerodynamic forces could force the intakes into the improper position, and so they should have the ability to control the engines if this occurs. The Tornado intake system did not allow for this. Due to the behaviour of the German management team, the British engineers declined to share this information, and so the Tornado was not equipped with the more advanced intake design of the Concorde.[27]

Testing revealed that a nose-wheel steering augmentation system, connecting with the yaw damper, was necessary to counteract the destabilising effect produced by deploying the thrust reverser during the landing roll.[28]

From 1967 until 1984 Soviet KGB agents were provided details on the Tornado by the head of the West German Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Planning department, Manfred Rotsch.[29][30]

Two prototypes were lost in accidents, both of which had been primarily caused by poor piloting decisions and errors leading to two ground collision incidents;[31] a third Tornado prototype was seriously damaged by an incident involving pilot-induced pitch oscillation.[32] During the type's development, aircraft designers of the era were beginning to incorporate features such as more sophisticated stability augmentation systems and autopilots. Aircraft such as the Tornado and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon made use of these new technologies.[33] Failure testing of the Tornado's triplex analogue command and stability augmentation system (CSAS) was conducted on a series of realistic flight control rigs; the variable-sweep wings in combination with varying, and frequently very heavy, payloads complicated the clearance process.[34]

Production

 
A USAF F-15C flanked by Luftwaffe and RAF Tornados in 1987

The contract for the Batch 1 aircraft was signed on 29 July 1976.[21] The first flight of a production aircraft was on 10 July 1979 by ZA319 at BAe Warton.[35] The first aircraft were delivered to the RAF and German Air Force on 5 and 6 June 1979 respectively.[36] The first Italian Tornado was delivered on 25 September 1981. On 29 January 1981, the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) officially opened at RAF Cottesmore, remaining active in training pilots from all operating nations until 31 March 1999.[37] The 500th Tornado to be produced was delivered to West Germany on 19 December 1987.[38]

Export customers were sought after West Germany withdrew its objections to exporting the aircraft; Saudi Arabia was the only export customer of the Tornado.[39] The agreement to purchase the Tornado was part of the Al-Yamamah arms deal between British Aerospace and the Saudi government.[40][41] Oman had committed to purchasing Tornados and the equipment to operate them for a total value of £250 million in the late 1980s, but cancelled the order in 1990 due to financial difficulties.[42]

During the 1970s, Australia considered joining the MRCA programme to find a replacement for their ageing Dassault Mirage IIIs; ultimately the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet was selected to meet the requirement.[43] Canada similarly opted for the F/A-18 after considering the Tornado.[44] Japan considered the Tornado in the 1980s, along with the F-16 and F/A-18, before selecting the Mitsubishi F-2.[45] In the 1990s, both Taiwan and South Korea expressed interest in acquiring a small number of Tornado ECR aircraft.[46][47] In 2001, EADS proposed a Tornado ECR variant with a greater electronic warfare capability for Australia.[48]

Production came to an end in 1998; the last batch of aircraft produced going to the Royal Saudi Air Force, who had ordered a total of 96 IDS Tornados.[49] In June 2011, it was announced that the Tornado fleet had flown collectively over one million flying hours.[50][51] Aviation author Jon Lake noted that "The Trinational Panavia Consortium produced just short of 1,000 Tornados, making it one of the most successful postwar bomber programs".[52] In 2008, AirForces Monthly said of the Tornado: "For more than a quarter of a century ... the most important military aircraft in Western Europe."[53]

Design

Overview

 
Flyover of a German Navy Tornado during a training exercise in 2003

The Panavia Tornado is a multirole, twin-engined aircraft designed to excel at low-level penetration of enemy defences. The mission envisaged during the Cold War was the delivery of conventional and nuclear ordnance on the invading forces of the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe; this dictated several significant features of the design. Variable wing geometry allowed for minimal drag during the low-level dash towards a well-prepared enemy. Advanced navigation and flight computers, including the then-innovative fly-by-wire system, greatly reduced the workload of the pilot during low-level flight and eased control of the aircraft.[54][55] For long range missions, the Tornado has a retractable refuelling probe.[56]

As a multirole aircraft, the Tornado is capable of undertaking more mission profiles than the anticipated strike mission; various operators replaced multiple aircraft types with the Tornado as a common type – the use of dedicated single role aircraft for specialist purposes such as battlefield reconnaissance, maritime patrol duties, or dedicated electronic countermeasures (ECM) were phased out – either by standard Tornados or modified variants, such as the Tornado ECR. The most extensive modification from the base Tornado design was the Tornado ADV, which was stretched and armed with long range anti-aircraft missiles to serve in the interceptor role.[57]

Tornado operators have undertaken various life extension and upgrade programmes to keep their Tornado fleets as viable frontline aircraft. With these upgrades it is projected that the Tornado shall be in service until 2025, more than 50 years after the first prototype took flight.[58][needs update]

Variable-sweep wing

Further information: variable-sweep wing
 
Deployed swing wings

In order for the Tornado to perform well as a low-level supersonic strike aircraft, it was considered necessary for it to possess good high-speed and low-speed flight characteristics. To achieve high-speed performance, a swept or delta wing is typically adopted, but these wing designs are inefficient at low speeds. To operate at both high and low speeds with great effectiveness, the Tornado uses a variable-sweep wing.[9] This approach had been adopted by earlier aircraft, such as the American General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark strike fighter, and the Soviet Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 fighter. The smaller Tornado has many similarities with the F-111, however the Tornado differs in being a multi-role aircraft with more advanced onboard systems and avionics.[59]

The level of wing sweep (i.e. the angle of the wings in relation to the fuselage) can be altered in flight at the pilot's control. The variable wing can adopt any sweep angle between 25 degrees and 67 degrees, with a corresponding speed range for each angle. Some Tornado ADVs were outfitted with an automatic wing-sweep system to reduce pilot workload.[60] When the wings are swept back, the exposed wing area is lowered and drag is significantly decreased, which is conducive to performing high-speed low-level flight.[9] The weapons pylons pivot with the angle of the variable-sweep wings so that the stores point in the direction of flight and do not hinder any wing positions.[61][62]

In development, significant attention was given to the Tornado's short-field take-off and landing (STOL) performance. Germany, in particular, encouraged this design aspect.[63] For shorter take-off and landing distances, the Tornado can sweep its wings forwards to the 25-degree position, and deploy its full-span flaps and leading edge slats to allow the aircraft to fly at slower speeds.[64] These features, in combination with the thrust reverser-equipped engines, give the Tornado excellent low-speed handling and landing characteristics.[65]

Avionics

 
Forward cockpit of an RAF Tornado GR.4
 
Aft cockpit of an RAF Tornado GR.4

The Tornado features a tandem-seat cockpit, crewed by a pilot and a navigator/weapons officer; both electromechanical and electro-optical controls are used to fly the aircraft and manage its systems.[66] An array of dials and switches are mounted on either side of a centrally placed CRT monitor, controlling the navigational, communications, and weapons-control computers.[67] BAE Systems developed the Tornado Advanced Radar Display Information System (TARDIS), a 32.5-centimetre (12.8 in) multi-function display, to replace the rear cockpit's Combined Radar and Projected Map Display; the RAF began installing TARDIS on the GR4 fleet in 2004.[68]

The primary flight controls of the Tornado are a fly-by-wire hybrid, consisting of an analogue quadruplex Command and Stability Augmentation System (CSAS) connected to a digital Autopilot & Flight Director System (AFDS).[69] In addition a level of mechanical reversion capacity was retained to safeguard against potential failure.[70] To enhance pilot awareness, artificial feel was built into the flight controls, such as the centrally located stick. Because the Tornado's variable wings enable the aircraft to drastically alter its flight envelope, the artificial responses adjust automatically to wing profile changes and other changes to flight attitude.[71] As a large variety of munitions and stores can be outfitted, the resulting changes to the aircraft's flight dynamics are routinely compensated for by the flight stability system.[72]

 
A German Air Force Tornado undergoing maintenance in July 2004

The Tornado incorporates a combined navigation/attack Doppler radar that simultaneously scans for targets and conducts fully automated terrain-following for low-level flight operations. Being able to conduct all-weather hands-off low-level flight was considered one of the core advantages of the Tornado.[73] The Tornado ADV had a different radar system to other variants, designated AI.24 Foxhunter, as it is designed for air defence operations. It was capable of tracking up to 20 targets at ranges of up to 160 kilometres (100 mi).[55] The Tornado was one of the earliest aircraft to be fitted with a digital data bus for data transmission. A Link 16 JTIDS integration on the F3 variant enabled the exchange of radar and other sensory information with nearby friendly aircraft.[74]

Some Tornado variants carry different avionics and equipment, depending on their mission. The Tornado ECR operated by Germany and Italy is devoted to Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) missions. The Tornado ECR is equipped with an emitter-locator system (ELS) to detect radar use.[75] German ECRs have a Honeywell infrared imaging system for reconnaissance flights.[76] RAF and RSAF Tornados have the Laser Range Finder and Marked Target Seekers (LRMTS) for targeting laser-guided munitions.[77] In 1991, the RAF introduced TIALD, allowing Tornado GR1s to laser-designate their own targets.[78]

The GR1A and GR4A reconnaissance variants were equipped with TIRRS (Tornado Infrared Reconnaissance System), consisting of one SLIR (Sideways Looking Infra Red) sensor on each side of the fuselage forward of the engine intakes to capture oblique images, and a single IRLS (InfrarRed LineScan) sensor mounted on the fuselage's underside to provide vertical images.[79] TIRRS recorded images on six S-VHS video tapes.[80] The newer RAPTOR reconnaissance pod replaced the built-in TIRRS system.[81][82]

Armament and equipment

The Tornado is cleared to carry the majority of air-launched weapons in the NATO inventory, including various unguided and laser-guided bombs, anti-ship and anti-radiation missiles, as well as specialised weapons such as anti-personnel mines and anti-runway munitions.[83][84][85] To improve survivability in combat, the Tornado is equipped with onboard countermeasures, ranging from flare and chaff dispensers to electronic countermeasure pods that can be mounted under the wings.[86] Underwing fuel tanks and a buddy store aerial refuelling system that allows one Tornado to refuel another are available to extend the aircraft's range.[87]

 
German Air Force Tornado ECR 46+26, queuing to be refuelled by a USAF KC-135 Stratotanker in September 1997

In the decades since the Tornado's introduction, all of the Tornado operators have undertaken various upgrade and modification programmes to allow new weapons to be used by their squadrons. Amongst the armaments that the Tornado has been adapted to deploy are the Enhanced Paveway and Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs, and modern cruise missiles such as the Taurus and Storm Shadow missiles. These upgrades have increased the Tornado's capabilities and combat accuracy.[84][88][89] Precision weapons such as cruise missiles have replaced older munitions such as cluster bombs.[90]

Strike variants have a limited air-to-air capability with AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles (AAMs). The Tornado ADV was outfitted with beyond visual range AAMs such as the Skyflash and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.[91][92] The Tornado is armed with two 27 mm (1.063 in) Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon internally mounted underneath the fuselage; the Tornado ADV was only armed with one cannon.[57] When the RAF GR1 aircraft were converted to GR4, the FLIR sensor replaced the left hand cannon, leaving only one;[93] the GR1A reconnaissance variant gave up both its guns to make space for the sideways looking infra-red sensors.[94] The Mauser BK-27 was developed specifically for the Tornado, but has since been used on several other European fighters, such as the Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, and Eurofighter Typhoon.[95]

The Tornado is capable of delivering air-launched nuclear weapons. In 1979, Britain considered replacing its Polaris submarines with either the Trident submarines or the Tornado as the main bearer of its nuclear deterrent.[96] Although the UK proceeded with Trident, several Tornado squadrons based in Germany were assigned to SACEUR to deter a major Soviet offensive with both conventional and nuclear weapons, namely the WE.177 nuclear bomb, which was retired in 1998.[97][98] German and Italian Tornados are capable of delivering US B61 nuclear bombs, which are made available through NATO.[99]

Engine

Main article: Turbo-Union RB199

Britain considered the selection of Rolls-Royce to develop the advanced engine for the MRCA to be essential, and was strongly opposed to adopting an engine from an American manufacturer, to the point where the UK might have withdrawn over the issue.[100] In September 1969, Rolls-Royce's RB199 engine was selected to power the MRCA. One advantage over the US competition was that a technology transfer between the partner nations had been agreed; the engine was to be developed and manufactured by a joint company, Turbo-Union.[101] The programme was delayed by Rolls-Royce's entry into receivership in 1971. however the nature of the multinational collaboration process helped avoid major disruption of the Tornado programme.[102] Research from the supersonic airliner Concorde contributed to the development and final design of the RB199 and of the engine control units.[103]

 
RB199 on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford

To operate efficiently across a wide range of conditions and speeds up to Mach 2, the RB199 and several other engines make use of variable intake ramps to control the air flow.[104] The hydraulic system is pressurised by syphoning power from both or either operational engine; the hydraulics are completely contained within the airframe rather than integrating with the engine to improve safety and maintainability.[105] In case of double-engine, or double-generator, failure, the Tornado has a single-use battery capable of operating the fuel pump and hydraulics for up to 13 minutes.[106]

Relatively rarely among fighter aircraft, the RB199 is fitted with thrust reversers to decrease the distance required to land safely.[55][107] To fully deploy the thrust reverser during landings, the yaw damper is connected to the steering of the nosewheel to provide greater stability.[108]

In August 1974, the first RB199 powered flight of a prototype Tornado occurred and the engine completed its qualification tests in late 1978.[109] The final production standard engine met both reliability and performance standards, though the development cost had been higher than predicted, in part due to the ambitious performance requirements.[110] At the time of the Tornado's introduction to service, the turbine blades of the engine suffered from a shorter life span than desired, which was rectified by the implementation of design revisions upon early-production engines.[111] Several uprated engines were developed and used on both the majority of Tornado ADVs and Germany's Tornado ECRs.[112][113] The DECU (Digital Engine Control Unit)[114] is the current engine control unit for RB199 engines superseding the analogue MECU (Main Engine Control Unit) also known as CUE.[115]

 
RAF GR4 of No. 9 Squadron shows off a payload including Paveway, Brimstone and Litening pod.

Upgrades

Being designed for low-level operations, the Tornado required modification to perform in medium level operations that the RAF adopted in the 1990s.[116] The RAF's GR1 fleet was extensively re-manufactured as Tornado GR4s. Upgrades on Tornado GR4s included a Forward looking infrared, a wide-angle HUD (Head-up display), improved cockpit displays, NVG (Night vision devices) capabilities, new avionics, and a Global Positioning System receiver. The upgrade eased the integration of new weapons and sensors which were purchased in parallel, including the Storm Shadow cruise missile, the Brimstone anti-tank missile, Paveway III laser-guided bombs and the RAPTOR reconnaissance pod.[117][86][118] The first flight of a Tornado GR4 was on 4 April 1997. The RAF accepted its first delivery on 31 October 1997 and deliveries were completed in 2003.[119] In 2005, the RSAF opted to have their Tornado IDSs undergo a series of upgrades to become equivalent to the RAF's GR4 configuration.[120] On 21 December 2007 BAE signed a £210m contract for CUSP, the Capability Upgrade Strategy (Pilot).[121] This project would see RAF GR4/4A improved in two phases, starting with the integration of the Paveway IV bomb and a communications upgrade, followed by a new tactical datalink in Phase B.[121]

Beginning in 2000, German IDS and ECR Tornados received the ASSTA 1 (Avionics System Software Tornado in Ada) upgrade. ASSTA 1 involved a replacement weapons computer, new GPS and Laser Inertial navigation systems.[122] The new computer allowed the integration of the HARM III, HARM 0 Block IV/V and Taurus KEPD 350 missiles, the Rafael Litening II laser designator pod and GBU-24 Paveway III laser-guided bombs.[123] The ASSTA 2 upgrade began in 2005, primarily consisting of several new digital avionics systems and a new ECM suite; these upgrades are to be only applied to 85 Tornados (20 ECRs and 65 IDSs), as the Tornado is being replaced in part by the Eurofighter Typhoon.[124][88] The ASSTA 3 upgrade programme, started in 2008, will introduce support for the laser-targeted Joint Direct Attack Munition along with further software changes.[89]

In January 2016, Bild newspaper stated that the newest upgrade of the ASSTA suite to version 3.1, which includes colour multifunctional LCD screens in place of monochrome CRT displays, is interfering with helmet-mounted night-vision optical displays worn by pilots, rendering German Tornado bombers deployed to Syria useless for night missions.[125][126] The defence ministry admitted that bright cockpit lights could be a distraction for pilots, and said that the solution will be implemented in a few weeks, but denied the need to fly night missions in Syria.[127]

 
A 'new' AMLCD TV TAB DU in test mode showing color bars. The bezel is removed to allow a higher view angle.

The (iconic) TV TAB displays are used for route planning, the forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) sensors, targeting pods such as TIALD (Thermal Imaging and Laser Designator) and CLDP (Convertible Laser Designator Pod). The original MRCA TV TAB DU navigation display (part number V22.498.90) has green CRT as picture source. The original price for one CRT display version was €33.852,64. Due to the light environment, the picture tube was pushed to the limit due to the high brightness levels causing wear of the picture tube. An Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays (AMLCD) drop fit replacement with a digital screen TV TAB (NSN 5895-99-597-1323) was developed to replace the 'old' wear sensitive CRT versions. The CRT versions are mainly recognisable by the two white domes at the top of the display containing the light sensors for automatic brightness regulation and the white buttons. The newer digital version is mainly recognisable by the black buttons with big white dots on them. The replacement AMLCD version has a color displays instead of the original green monochrome displays. A new feature is that the AMLCD has a bezel that reduces the angle of view. The main goal for the AMLCD upgrade was de intended significant reduction in life cycle costs. But it's said that the newer AMLCD version fail rather quick due to the more sensitive and complex digital electronics compared to the much more simpler design of the original CRT display. The old and newer version are a masterpiece of state of the art engineering and both are very well build. For example there's a diagnose connector at the back panel for quick troubleshooting. The display unit is eventually a rather 'dumb' device. The original display unit is 'just' a display and a keypad. To show a picture, the separated video signal, vertical and horizontal synchronisation signals have to be fed into the display unit since there's no internal electronics for synchronisation separation of the video signal. The additional waveform generator (WFG) is needed to 'create' the desired images for use in the airplane. To power the display unit, a three phase 115VAC 400Hz including neutral and a 28VDC signal have to be supplied to the display unit. The CRT version has a Low Voltage Power Supply (LVPS) for creating the needed low voltage signals. There's also a High Voltage Power Supply (HVPS) for creating the desired high voltage for the CRT picture tube. Since the newer AMLCD has no CRT picture tube, the high voltages are not needed an the mechanical and electrical design is completely different except for the connections, mounting points and functionality. The newer AMLCD version 'only' needs 28VDC for functionality. But since a drop fit replacement is mandatory, the AMLCD version has a built in three phase 115VAC 400Hz conversion to 28VDC. By removing the rear three phase conversion power supply plug-in board and applying 28VDC (<4,1A) to the power supply board, the device can be powered for avionics enthusiast use. The AMLCD has a built in menu for selecting the airplane type: GR1, GR4 or F3, a self test and a display test like a grid pattern and color bars shown in the picture.[128]

BAE Systems announced that, in December 2013, it had test-flown a Tornado equipped with parts made with 3D printing equipment. The parts included a protective cover for the radio, a landing-gear guard and air-intake door support struts. The test demonstrated the feasibility of making replacement parts quickly and cheaply at the air base hosting the Tornado.[129] The company claimed that, with some of the parts costing less than £100 to manufacture, 3D printing already resulted in savings of more than £300,000 and would offer further potential cost savings of more than £1.2 million through 2017.[130]

Operational history

German Air Force (Luftwaffe)

 
A German Air Force Tornado IDS 43+13 flying above Nevada, US, 2007

The first Tornado prototype made its first flight on 14 August 1974 from Ingolstadt Manching Airport, in West Germany.[131] Deliveries of production Tornados began on 27 July 1979. The total number of Tornados delivered to the German Air Force was 247, including 35 ECR variants.[132] Originally Tornados equipped five fighter-bomber wings (Geschwader), with one tactical conversion unit and four front-line wings, replacing the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter.[133] When one of the two Tornado wings of the German Navy was disbanded in 1994, its aircraft were used to re-equip a Luftwaffe's reconnaissance wing formerly equipped with McDonnell Douglas RF-4E Phantoms.[134]

14 German Tornados undertook combat operations as a part of NATO's campaign during the Bosnian War.[135] The Tornados, operating from Piacenza, Italy, flew reconnaissance missions to survey damage inflicted by previous strikes and to scout new targets.[136] These reconnaissance missions were reportedly responsible for a significant improvement in target selection throughout the campaign.[137]

In 1999, German Tornados participated in Operation Allied Force, NATO airstrikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. This was Germany's first offensive air mission since World War II.[138] The ECR aircraft escorted various allies' aircraft while carrying several AGM-88 HARM missiles to counter attempted use of radar against the allied aircraft.[139] During the Kosovo hostilities, Germany's IDS Tornados routinely conducted reconnaissance flights to identify both enemy ground forces and civilian refugees within Yugoslavia.[140][141] The German Tornados flew 2108 hours and 446 sorties, firing 236 HARM missiles at hostile targets.[142]

 
A Luftwaffe Tornado 44+80 of Jagdbombergeschwader 31 taking off from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, in 2004

In June 2007, a pair of Luftwaffe Tornados flew reconnaissance missions over an anti-globalisation demonstration during the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm.[143][144] Following the mission, the German Defence Ministry admitted one aircraft had broken the minimum flying altitude and that mistakes were made in the handling of security of the summit.[145]

In 2007, a detachment of six Tornados of the Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" (51st reconnaissance wing) were deployed to Mazar-i-Sharif, Northern Afghanistan, to support NATO forces.[146] The decision to send Tornados to Afghanistan was controversial: one political party launched an unsuccessful legal bid to block the deployment as unconstitutional.[147][148] In support of the Afghanistan mission, improvements in the Tornado's reconnaissance equipment were accelerated; enhancing the Tornado's ability to detect hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs).[149] The German Tornados were withdrawn from Afghanistan in November 2010.[150]

Defence cuts announced in March 2003 resulted in the decision to retire 90 Tornados from service with the Luftwaffe. This led to a reduction in its Tornado strength to four wings by September 2005.[151][152] On 13 January 2004, the then German Defence Minister Peter Struck announced further major changes to the German armed forces. A major part of this announcement was the plan to cut the German fighter fleet from 426 in early 2004 to 265 by 2015.[153] The German Tornado force was to be reduced to 85, with the type expected to remain in service with the Luftwaffe until 2025.[124] The aircraft being retained have been undergoing a service life extension programme.[154] Currently, the Luftwaffe operates Tornados with Tactical Wings Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 in Cochem/Büchel Air Base, Rhineland-Palatinate and with Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 "Immelmann" in Jagel, Schleswig-Holstein.

German Tornado aircrew training took place at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, US from January 1996[155] at the Taktische Ausbildungskommando der Luftwaffe USA (TaktAusbKdoLw USA Tactical Training Command of the Luftwaffe USA) which was responsible for training both German F-4 Phantom and Tornado crews. In 1999 the training command was renamed as Fliegerisches Ausbildungszentrum der Luftwaffe (FlgAusbZLw Luftwaffe Training Center). In March 2015, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen decided to continue this training in Germany.[156] In September 2017, flight training in Holloman for the Tornado was discontinued and transferred to Taktischen Luftwaffengeschwader 51 in Jagel with the US location command dissolved in 2019.[157]

In April 2020, it was reported that the German defence ministry planned to replace its Tornado aircraft with a purchase of 30 Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornets, 15 EA-18G Growlers, and 55 Eurofighter Typhoons.[158] The Super Hornet was selected due to its compatibility with nuclear weapons and availability of an electronic attack version. In March 2020, the Super Hornet was not certified for the B61 nuclear bombs, but Dan Gillian, head of Boeing's Super Hornet program, previously stated "We certainly think that we, working with the U.S. government, can meet the German requirements there on the [required] timeline."[159]

In 2021, Airbus offered to replace Luftwaffe's 90 ageing Tornado Interdiction and Strike (IDS) and Electronic Combat Reconnaissance (ECR) aircraft with 85 new Eurofighter Tranche 5 standard from 2030.[160] In 2022, the German defence ministry announced that 35 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning IIs will replace the Tornado fleet for nuclear sharing instead of the discussed 30 Boeing Super Hornets.[161][162]

German Navy (Marineflieger)

 
A German Navy Tornado 43+65 landing at RAF Mildenhall in 1984

In addition to the order made by the Luftwaffe, the German Navy's Marineflieger also received 112 of the IDS variant in the anti-shipping and marine reconnaissance roles, again replacing the Starfighter. These Tornados equipped two wings, each with a nominal strength of 48 aircraft. The principal anti-ship weapon was the AS.34 Kormoran anti-ship missile, which were initially supplemented by unguided bombs and BL755 cluster munitions, and later by AGM-88 HARM anti-radar missiles. Pods fitted with panoramic optical cameras and an infrared line scan were carried for the reconnaissance mission.[163]

The end of the Cold War and the signing of the CFE Treaty led Germany to reduce the size of its armed forces, including the number of combat aircraft. To meet this need, one of the Marineflieger's Tornado wings was disbanded on 1 January 1994; its aircraft replaced the Phantoms of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance wing.[164][165] The second wing was enlarged and continued in the anti-shipping, reconnaissance and anti-radar roles until it was disbanded in 2005 with its aircraft and duties passed on to the Luftwaffe.[166]

Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare)

The first Italian prototype made its maiden flight on 5 December 1975 from Turin. The Aeronautica Militare received 100 Tornado IDSs (known as the A-200 in Italian service).[167] 16 A-200s were subsequently converted to the ECR configuration; the first Italian Tornado ECR (known as the EA-200)[167] was delivered on 27 February 1998.[168] As a stop-gap measure for 10 years the Aeronautica Militare additionally operated 24 Tornado ADVs in the air defence role, which were leased from the RAF to cover the service gap between the retirement of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon.[169]

 
Two Italian A-200 Tornados participating in NATO exercise Dragon Hammer, May 1987

Italian Tornados, along with RAF Tornados, took part in the first Gulf War in 1991. Operation Locusta saw eight Tornado IDS interdictors deployed from Gioia del Colle, Italy, to Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, as part of Italy's contribution to the coalition.[170] During the conflict, one aircraft was lost to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire; the pilots ejected safely and were captured by Iraqi forces.[171] A total of 22 Italian Tornados were deployed in the NATO-organised Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999; the A-200s served in the bombing role while the EA-200s patrolled the combat region, acting to suppress enemy anti-aircraft radars,[172] firing 115 AGM-88 HARM missiles.[173]

In 2000, with delays to the Eurofighter, the Aeronautica Militare began a search for another interim fighter. While the Tornado was considered, any long term extension to the lease would have involved upgrade to RAF CSP standard and thus was not considered cost effective. In February 2001, Italy announced its arrangement to lease 35 F-16s from the United States under the PEACE CAESAR programme.[174] The Aeronautica Militare returned its Tornado ADVs to the RAF, with the final aircraft arriving at RAF St Athan on 7 December 2004.[175] One aircraft was retained for static display purposes at the Italian Air Force Museum.[176]

In July 2002, Italy signed a contract with the Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and Panavia for the upgrading of 18 A-200s, the first of which was received in 2003.[177] The upgrade introduced improved navigation systems (integrated GPS and laser INS) and the ability to carry new weapons, including the Storm Shadow cruise missile, Joint Direct Attack Munition and Paveway III laser-guided bombs.[178]

 
A-200 Tornados of 50° Stormo during Operation Unified Protector, 2011

In response to anticipated violence during the 2010 Afghanistan elections, Italy, along with several other nations, increased its military commitment in Afghanistan, dispatching four A-200 Tornados to the region.[179] Italy has opted to extend the Tornado's service life at the expense of alternative ground-attack aircraft such as the AMX International AMX; in 2010 a major upgrade and life extension programme was initiated, to provide new digital displays, Link 16 communications capability, night-vision goggles compatibility, and several other upgrades.[180] In the long term, it is planned to replace the Tornado IDS/ECR fleet in Italian service with the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II,[181] with the final Italian Tornado scheduled to be phased out in 2025.[58] The Aeronautica Militare received its first of an eventual 15 upgraded Tornado EA-200s on 15 June 2013.[182]

Italian Tornado A-200 and EA-200 aircraft participated in the enforcement of a UN no-fly zone during the 2011 military intervention in Libya.[183] Various coalition aircraft operated from bases in Italy, including RAF Tornados.[184] Italian military aircraft delivered a combined 710 guided bombs and missiles during the strikes against Libyan targets. Of these Aeronautica Militare Tornados and AMX fighter-bombers released 550 guided bombs and missiles, and Italian Navy AV-8Bs delivered 160 guided bombs. Italian Tornados launched 20 to 30 Storm Shadow cruise missiles with the rest consisting of Paveway and JDAM guided bombs.[185]

On 19 August 2014, two Aeronautica Militare Tornados collided in mid-air during a training mission near Ascoli.[186] On 14 November 2014, Italy announced it was sending four Tornado aircraft with 135 support staff to Ahmad al-Jaber Air Base and to 2 other bases in Kuwait in participation of coalition operations against the Islamic State. The four aircraft will be used for reconnaissance missions only.[187][188]

In October 2018, it was announced that the EA-200 Tornado had successfully completed operational testing of the AGM-88E AARGM,[189] providing capabilities of an "expanded target set, counter-shutdown capability, advanced signals processing for improved detection and locating, geographic specificity, and a weapon impact-assessment broadcast capability."[190]

Royal Air Force

 
Tornado GR1 ZA613 of No. 27 Squadron arriving at RIAT, July 1983

Nicknamed the "Tonka" by the British,[191] their first prototype (XX946) made its maiden flight on 30 October 1974 from BAC Warton.[192] The first full production Tornado GR1 (ZA319) flew on 10 July 1979 from Warton.[35] The first RAF Tornados (ZA320 and ZA322) were delivered to the TTTE at RAF Cottesmore on 1 July 1980.[193] Crew that qualified from the TTTE went onto the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit (TWCU), which formed on 1 August 1981 at RAF Honington, before being posted to a front-line squadron.[194] No. IX (B) Squadron became the first front-line squadron in the world to operate the Tornado when it reformed on 1 June 1982, having received its first Tornado GR1 ZA586 on 6 January 1982.[195][196] No. IX (B) Squadron was declared strike combat ready to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) in January 1983.[197] Two more squadrons were formed at RAF Marham in 1983 – No. 617 Squadron on 1 January and No. 27 Squadron on 12 August.[194] The first RAF Tornado GR1 loss was on 27 September 1983 when ZA586 suffered complete electrical failure and crashed.[198] Navigator Flt. Lt. Nigel Nickles ejected but the pilot Sqn. Ldr. Michael Stephens died in the crash after ordering ejection.[199] In January 1984, the TWCU became No. 45 (Reserve) Squadron.[200]

RAF Germany (RAFG) began receiving Tornados after the formation of No. XV (Designate) Squadron on 1 September 1983 at RAF Laarbruch followed by No. 16 (Designate) Squadron in January 1984 (who were both Blackburn Buccaneer squadrons).[201] They were then joined by No. 20 (Designate) Squadron in May 1984 (who were operating the SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 from RAF Brüggen).[200] Unlike the Tornado squadrons based in the UK which were under control of the British military, those stationed in RAFG were under the control of SACEUR, with the aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert (Nuclear), "QRA (N)", being equipped with the WE.177 nuclear bomb.[202] In the event of the Cold War going 'hot', the majority of RAFG Tornado squadrons were tasked with destroying Warsaw Pact airfields and surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites in East Germany.[203] While No. 20 Squadron was given a separate responsibility of destroying bridges over the rivers Elbe and Weser to prevent Warsaw Pact forces from advancing.[204] By early 1985, Nos. XV, 16 and 20 Squadrons at RAF Laarbruch had been declared strike combat ready to SACEUR.[205]

 
Tornado GR1 ZA491 of No. 20 Squadron in the "desert pink" used for Operation Granby at RAF Brize Norton, September 1991

Tornados began to arrive at RAF Brüggen in September 1984 with the formation of No. 31 (Designate) Squadron. No. 17 (Designate) Squadron was formed in December 1984, with the two Brüggen squadrons joined by No. 14 (Designate) Squadron in mid-1985.[206] No. IX (B) Squadron relocated from RAF Honington to RAF Brüggen on 1 October 1986, arriving in a diamond nine formation. The outcome of the Reykjavík Summit in October 1986 between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev led the end of QRA (Nuclear) for the Tornado force.[207] By the end of 1986, the Tornado GR1 fleet had been equipped with a Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker (LRMTS) under the nose, and had begun to be equipped with the BOZ-107 chaff and flare dispenser.[208][209]

The Tornado made its combat debut as part of Operation Granby, the British contribution to the Gulf War in 1991. This saw 49 RAF Tornado GR1s deploy to Muharraq Airfield in Bahrain and to Tabuk Air Base and Dhahran Airfield in Saudi Arabia.[210] 18 Tornado F3s were deployed to provide air cover, the threat of their long range missiles being a deterrent to Iraqi pilots, who would avoid combat when approached.[211][210] Early on in the conflict, the GR1s targeted military airfields across Iraq, deploying a mixture of 450 kg (1,000 lb) unguided bombs in loft-bombing attacks and specialised JP233 runway denial weapons. On 17 January 1991, the first Tornado to be lost was shot down by an Iraqi SA-16 missile following a failed low-level bombing run.[212] On 19 January, another RAF Tornado was shot down during an intensive raid on Tallil Air Base.[213] The impact of the Tornado strikes upon Iraqi airfields is difficult to determine.[214][215] A total of six RAF Tornados were lost in the conflict, four while delivering unguided bombs, one after delivering JP233, and one trying to deliver laser-guided bombs.[216]

The UK sent a detachment of Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft equipped with Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pave Spike laser designators, allowing Tornado GR1s to drop precision guided weapons guided by the Buccaneers. A planned programme to fit GR1s with the GEC-Marconi TIALD laser designation system was rapidly accelerated to give the Tornado force the ability to self-designate targets. Author Claus-Christian Szejnmann declared that the TIALD pod enabled the GR1 to "achieve probably the most accurate bombing in the RAF's history".[83][217] Although laser designation proved effective in the Gulf War, only 23 TIALD pods had been purchased by 2000; shortages hindered combat operations over Kosovo.[218]

 
Tornado GR1s of Nos. 31, 17, 14 and XV (R) Squadrons lined up at CFB Goose Bay, June 1992

After the war's opening phase, the GR1s switched to medium-level strike missions; typical targets included munition depots and oil refineries.[219] Only the reconnaissance Tornado GR1As continued flying the low-altitude high-speed profile, emerging unscathed despite the inherent danger in conducting pre-attack reconnaissance.[220] After the conflict, Britain maintained a military presence in the Gulf. Around six GR1s were based at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait, contributing the southern no-fly zone as part of Operation Southern Watch. Six additional GR1s participated in Operation Provide Comfort over Northern Iraq.[221]

The upgraded Tornado GR4 made its operational debut in Operation Southern Watch; patrolling Iraq's southern airspace from bases in Kuwait. Both Tornado GR1s and GR4s based at Ali Al Salem, Kuwait, took part in coalition strikes at Iraq's military infrastructure during Operation Desert Fox in 1998.[222] In December 1998, an Iraqi anti-aircraft battery fired six to eight missiles at a patrolling Tornado. The battery was later attacked in retaliation, and no aircraft were lost during the incident.[223] It was reported that during Desert Fox RAF Tornados had successfully destroyed 75% of their targets, and out of the 36 missions planned, 28 had been successfully completed.[224]

The GR1 participated in the Kosovo War in 1999. Tornados initially operated from RAF Brüggen, Germany and later from Solenzara Air Base, Corsica.[225] Experiences from Kosovo led to the RAF procuring AGM-65 Maverick missiles and Enhanced Paveway smart bombs for the Tornado.[84] Following the Kosovo War, the GR1 was phased out as aircraft were upgraded to GR4 standard; the final upgrade was returned to the RAF on 10 June 2003.[226]

The GR4 was used in Operation Telic, Britain's contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq. RAF Tornados flew alongside American aircraft in the opening phase of the war, striking Iraqi targets.[227] Aiming to minimise civilian casualties, Tornados deployed the Storm Shadow cruise missile for the first time. Whilst 25% of the UK's air-launched weapons in Kosovo were precision-guided, four years later in Iraq this ratio increased to 85%.[84]

 
Tornado GR4 ZA557 of No. XV (Reserve) Squadron in flight over Iraq during Operation Telic, August 2004

On 23 March 2003, a Tornado GR4 was shot down over Iraq by friendly fire from a US Patriot missile battery, killing both crew members.[228][229] In July 2003, a US board of inquiry exonerated the battery's operators, observing the Tornado's "lack of functioning IFF (Identification Friend or Foe)" as a factor in the incident.[230] Problems with Patriot were also suggested as a factor, multiple incidents of mis-identification of friendly aircraft have occurred, including the fatal shootdown of a US Navy F/A-18 a few weeks after the Tornado's loss.[231][232][233] Britain withdrew the last of its Tornados from Iraq in June 2009.[234]

In early 2009, several GR4s arrived at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan to replace the British Aerospace Harrier GR7/9 aircraft which had been deployed there since November 2004.[235] In 2009, Paveway IV guided bombs were brought into service on the RAF's Tornados, having been previously used in Afghanistan by the Harrier II.[236] In Summer 2010, extra Tornados were dispatched to Kandahar for the duration of the 2010 Afghan election.[237] British Tornados ended operations in Afghanistan in November 2014, having flown over 5,000 pairs sorties over 33,500 hours, including 600 "shows of force" to deter Taliban attacks. During more than 70 engagements, 140 Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV bombs were deployed, and over 3,000 27 mm cannon shells fired.[238]

Prior to the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR)'s publication, the Tornado's retirement was under consideration with savings of £7.5 billion anticipated.[239] The SDSR announced the Tornado would be retained at the expense of the Harrier II, although numbers would decline in the transition to the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F-35 Lightning II.[240][241] By July 2013, 59 RAF GR4s were receiving the CUSP avionics upgrade, which achieved Initial Service Date (ISD) in March 2013.[242]

 
Tornado GR4 ZD744 over Iraq during Operation Shader, September 2014

On 18 March 2011, British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Tornados and Typhoons would enforce a no-fly zone in Libya.[243] In March 2011, several Tornados flew 3,000-mile (4,800 km) strike missions against targets inside Libya in what were, according to Defence Secretary Liam Fox, "the longest range bombing mission conducted by the RAF since the Falklands conflict".[244] A variety of munitions were used during Tornado operations over Libya, including laser-guided bombs and Brimstone missiles.[245]

In August 2014, Tornado GR4s were deployed to RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus to support refugees sheltering from Islamic State militants in the Mount Sinjar region of Iraq. The decision came three days after the United States began conducting air attacks against the Islamic State. Tornados were pre-positioned to gather situational awareness in the region.[246][247] On 27 September 2014, after Parliament approved airstrikes against Islamic State forces inside Iraq, two Tornados conducted their first armed reconnaissance mission in conjunction with coalition aircraft.[248] The next day, two Tornados made the first airstrike on a heavy weapons post and an armoured vehicle, supporting Kurdish forces in northwest Iraq.[249]

By 1 March 2015, eight RAF Tornados had been deployed to Akrotiri and conducted 159 airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq.[250] On 2 December 2015, Parliament approved air strikes in Syria as well as Iraq to combat the growing threat of ISIL; Tornados began bombing that evening.[251] On 14 April 2018, four Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri struck a Syrian military facility with Storm Shadow cruise missiles in response to a suspected chemical attack on Douma by the Syrian regime the previous week.[252]

 
Tornado GR4 in a retro scheme to mark the Tornado GR4's retirement departing RAF Marham, January 2019

On 10 July 2018, nine Tornado GR4s from RAF Marham flew over London to celebrate 100 years of the RAF.[253] During late 2018, the RAF commemorated the Tornado's service with three special schemes:[254] ZG752 paid homage to its early years with a green/grey wraparound camouflage; ZG775 and ZD716 both wore schemes commemorating the final units to operate the type – No. IX (B) Squadron and No. 31 Squadron respectively.[255] On 31 January 2019, the Tornado GR4 flew its last operational sorties in Operation Shader.[256] The eight Tornados formerly stationed at RAF Akrotiri returned to RAF Marham in early February 2019, their duties assumed by six Typhoons.[257] Between September 2014 and January 2019, RAF Tornados accounted for 31% of the estimated 4,315 casualties inflicted upon ISIL by the RAF during the operation.[258]

To celebrate 40 years of service and to mark the type's retirement, several flypasts were carried out on 19, 20 and 21 February 2019 over locations such as BAE Warton, RAF Honington and RAF Lossiemouth.[259] On 28 February, nine Tornados flew out of RAF Marham for a diamond nine formation flypast over a graduation parade at RAF Cranwell before returning and carrying out a series of passes over RAF Marham.[260] On 14 March 2019 the final flight of an RAF Tornado was carried out by Tornado GR4 ZA463, the oldest remaining Tornado, over RAF Marham during the disbandment parade of No. IX (B) Squadron and No. 31 Squadron.[261][262] The Tornado GR4 was officially retired from RAF service on 1 April 2019, the 101st anniversary of the force.[263][264] Post-retirement, five Tornados returned to RAF Honington via road for the Complex Air Ground Environment (CAGE), which simulates a Tornado flight line for training purposes.[265]

Royal Saudi Air Force

 
RSAF Tornado IDS 7507 of 75 Squadron arriving at RAF Coningsby, August 2013

On 25 September 1985, the UK and Saudi Arabia signed the Al Yamamah I contract including the sale of 48 IDS and 24 ADV model Tornados.[266] The first flight of a Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado IDS was on 26 March 1986, and the first Saudi ADV was delivered on 9 February 1989. Saudi Tornados took part in the Gulf War. In June 1993 the Al Yamamah II contract was signed, the main element of which was 48 additional IDSs.[267][268]

Following experience with both the Tornado and the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, the RSAF discontinued low-level mission training in the F-15E in light of the Tornado's superior low-altitude flight performance.[269] Ten of the Saudi Tornados were fitted with equipment for performing reconnaissance missions. The 22 Tornado ADVs were replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon; the retired aircraft were purchased back by the UK.[270]

By 2007, both the Sea Eagle anti-ship missile and the ALARM anti-radiation missile that previously equipped the RSAF's Tornados had been withdrawn from service.[269] As of 2010,[needs update] Saudi Arabia has signed several contracts for new weapon systems to be fitted to their Tornado and Typhoon fleets, such as the short range air-to-air IRIS-T missile, and the Brimstone and Storm Shadow missiles.[271]

In September 2006, the Saudi government signed a contract worth £2.5 billion (US$4.7 billion) with BAE Systems to upgrade up to 80 RSAF Tornado IDS aircraft to keep them in service until 2020. The first RSAF Tornado was returned to BAE Systems Warton in December 2006 for upgrade under the "Tornado Sustainment Programme" (TSP) to "equip the IDS fleet with a range of new precision-guided weapons and enhanced targeting equipment, in many cases common with those systems already fielded by the UK's Tornado GR4s."[120] In December 2007, the first RSAF aircraft to complete modernisation was returned to Saudi Arabia.[272]

Starting from the first week of November 2009, RSAF Tornados, along with Saudi F-15s performed air raids during the Shia insurgency in north Yemen. It was the first time since Operation Desert Storm in 1991 that the RSAF had participated in a military operation over hostile territory.[273] RSAF Tornados are playing a central role in Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen.[274]

On 7 January 2018, Houthi fighters claimed to have shot down a Saudi warplane which was conducting air-raids over northern Yemen.[275] According to Saudi reports, the downed aircraft was an RSAF Tornado which was on a combat mission over Saada province in northern Yemen, it was lost for 'technical reasons' and both crew were rescued.[276]

On 12 July 2018, another RSAF Tornado crashed in Asir region after returning from Saada, Yemen due to a technical malfunction.[277] On 14 February 2020, a Saudi Tornado was shot down during close air support mission in support of Saudi allied Yemeni forces in the Yemeni Al Jouf governorate by Houthis. On the day after, the Saudi command confirmed the loss of a Tornado, while a video was released showing the downing using a two-stage surface to air missile. Both pilots ejected and were captured by Houthis.[278][279][280]

Variants

Tornado IDS

 
RAF Tornado GR4 ZA597 displaying at Kemble Air Show in 2008, the wings are partially swept
 
Luftwaffe Tornado ECR 46+54 participating in Operation Allied Force in April 1999
 
Aeronautica Militare Tornado F3 MM7234 of 36º Stormo at Gioia del Colle Air Base, 2002
Tornado GR1

RAF IDS (interdictor/strike) variants were initially designated the Tornado GR1 with later modified aircraft designated Tornado GR1A, Tornado GR1B, Tornado GR4 and Tornado GR4A. The first of 228 GR1s was delivered on 5 June 1979, and the type entered service in the early 1980s.

Tornado GR1B

The Tornado GR1B was a specialised anti-shipping variant of the GR1, replacing the Blackburn Buccaneer. 26 aircraft were converted and were based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland.[281] Each aircraft was equipped to carry up to four Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles.[87] At first the GR1B lacked the radar capability to track shipping, instead relying on the missile's seeker for target acquisition; later updates allowed target data to be passed from aircraft to missile.[282]

Tornado GR1P

A single Tornado GR1 (ZA326, the eighth production aircraft) was re-designated GR1P after being partially rebuilt using parts from different production batches following a fire during engine testing. This aircraft served with the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Empire Test Pilot's School until 2005, when it was retired, being the last GR1 in service anywhere in the world.[283]

Tornado GR4

The UK Ministry of Defence began studies for a GR1 Mid-Life Update (MLU) in 1984.[284] The update to GR4 standard, approved in 1994, would improve capability in the medium-altitude role based on lessons learned from the GR1's performance in the 1991 Gulf War. British Aerospace (later BAE Systems) upgraded 142 Tornado GR1s to GR4 standard, beginning in 1996 and finished in 2003.[117] 59 RAF aircraft later received the CUSP avionics package which integrated the Paveway IV bomb and installed a new secure communications module from Cassidian in Phase A,[242][121] followed by the Tactical Information Exchange (TIE) datalink from General Dynamics in Phase B.[242][121]

Tornado GR1A/GR4A

The GR1A is the reconnaissance variant operated by the RAF and RSAF, fitted with the TIRRS (Tornado Infra-Red Reconnaissance System), replacing the cannon.[94] The RAF ordered 30 GR1As, 14 as GR1 rebuilds and 16 new aircraft.[285] When the Tornado GR1s were upgraded to become GR4s, GR1A aircraft were upgraded to GR4A standard.[286] The switch from low-level operations to medium/high-level operations means that the internal TIRRS was no longer used.[287] As the GR4A's internal sensors are no longer essential, the RAF's Tactical Reconnaissance Wing operated both GR4A and GR4 aircraft.[288]


Tornado ECR

Operated by Germany and Italy, the ECR (Electronic Combat / Reconnaissance) is a Tornado variant devoted to Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) missions. It was first delivered on 21 May 1990. The ECR has sensors to detect radar usage and is equipped with anti-radiation AGM-88 HARM missiles.[75] The Luftwaffe's 35 ECRs were delivered new, while Italy received 16 converted IDSs. Italian Tornado ECRs differ from the Luftwaffe aircraft as they lack built-in reconnaissance capability and use RecceLite reconnaissance pods. Only Luftwaffe ECRs are equipped with the RB199 Mk.105 engine, which has a higher thrust rating.[49] The German ECRs do not carry a cannon.[289] The RAF used the IDS version in the SEAD role instead of the ECR and also modified several of its Tornado F.3s to undertake the mission.[290]

Tornado ADV

Main article: Panavia Tornado ADV

The Tornado ADV (air defence variant) was an interceptor variant of the Tornado, developed for the RAF (designated Tornado F2 or F3) and also operated by Saudi Arabia and Italy. The ADV had inferior agility to fighters like the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle,[291] but was not intended as a dogfighter, rather as a long-endurance interceptor to counter the threat from Cold War bombers.[292] Although the ADV had 80% parts commonality with the Tornado IDS, the ADV had greater acceleration, improved RB199 Mk.104 engines, a stretched body, greater fuel capacity, the AI.24 Foxhunter radar, and software changes. It had only one cannon to accommodate a retractable inflight refuelling probe.[57][113]

Operators

 
Operators of the Panavia Tornado
Main article: List of Panavia Tornado operators
  Germany
  • Luftwaffe: 210 IDS and 35 ECR Tornados delivered.[293] By December 2018, 94 IDS and 28 ECR aircraft remained in service.[294]
  • Marineflieger: 112 IDS Tornados delivered, retired in June 2005 with some aircraft being reallocated to the Luftwaffe.[295]
  Italy
  • Aeronautica Militare: 100 IDS A-200 Tornados delivered (18 converted to ECR EA-200s),[296] 24 ADV F3 aircraft later leased from the RAF between 1995 and 2004.[297] By December 2018, 70 A-200 and 5 EA-200 aircraft remained in service.[294]
  Saudi Arabia

Former operator

  United Kingdom
  • Royal Air Force: 385 IDS GR1 and ADV F2/F3 Tornados delivered, including 230 GR1s[300] (142 later upgraded to GR4s),[301] 18 F2s and 147 F3s (retired in 2011).[302][194] GR4 was retired on 1 April 2019.[263]

Aircraft on display

 
Gate guardian Tornado IDS 44+96 on display at Schleswig Air Base
 
Tornado F3 MM7210 at the Italian Air Force Museum
 
Tornado GR1 ZA374 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force
 
Tornado F3 ZH552 gate guardian RAF Leeming
 
Tornado IDS 43+74 of the German Navy on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum, Arizona
 
Tornado GR4 ZA469 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford
 
Tornado IDS 45+30 at Aeronauticum, Nordholz
 
Panavia Tornado GR4 ZD744 at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre
Australia
Austria
Bulgaria
Estonia
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
  • XX947 Tornado Prototype P.03 on display at PS Aero, Baarlo, painted as 98+08 of the German Air Force.[329][330]
Saudi Arabia
United Kingdom
United States

Specifications (Tornado GR4)

 
Panavia Tornado IDS 3-view drawing

Data from International Warbirds: An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft, 1914–2000,[55] Tornado, Modern Fighting Aircraft[366]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 16.72 m (54 ft 10 in)
  • Wingspan: 13.91 m (45 ft 8 in) at 25° sweep
  • Swept wingspan: 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in) swept at 67° sweep
  • Height: 5.95 m (19 ft 6 in)
  • Wing area: 26.6 m2 (286 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 13,890 kg (30,622 lb) [367]
  • Gross weight: 20,240 kg (44,622 lb) [368]
  • Powerplant: 2 × Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk 103 afterburning 3-spool turbofan, 43.8 kN (9,800 lbf) thrust each dry, 76.8 kN (17,300 lbf) with afterburner

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 2,400 km/h (1,500 mph, 1,300 kn) at 9,000 m (30,000 ft)[note 1]
1,482 km/h (921 mph; 800 kn) IAS near sea level
  • Maximum speed: Mach 2.2
  • Range: 1,390 km (860 mi, 750 nmi)
  • Ferry range: 3,890 km (2,420 mi, 2,100 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
  • Rate of climb: 77 m/s (15,100 ft/min) [369][370][verification needed]
  • Wing loading: 767 kg/m2 (157 lb/sq ft)
  • Thrust/weight: 0.77

Armament

Avionics

Popular culture

Main article: Panavia Tornado in fiction

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

  1. ^ with operable variable intake ramps, which have been inhibited on the majority of Tornado aircraft except ADV variants
  2. ^ 2 ×, each with 180 rounds in GR.1, GR.1B, and IDS
  3. ^ the two inner wing pylons have shoulder launch rails for 2 × short-range air-to-air missiles each

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External links

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panavia Tornado.
  • Panavia Managing Tornado
  • Tornado (BAe) on Fas.org
  • Panavia Tornado IDS Attack Bomber on Aerospaceweb.org
  • Panavia Tornado on Tornado-data.com
  • List of all active German Tornados
  • German IDS Tornado 44+97 at the Deutsches Museum subsidiary Flugwerft Oberschleißheim, Germany (DE)
  • "MRCA: Six Years After TSR.2" a 1971 Flight article
  • "Supremacy – Panavia MRCA" a 1975 advertisement in Flight

January 13, 2023
panavia, tornado, family, twin, engine, variable, sweep, wing, multirole, combat, aircraft, jointly, developed, manufactured, italy, united, kingdom, west, germany, there, three, primary, tornado, variants, tornado, interdictor, strike, fighter, bomber, suppre. The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin engine variable sweep wing multirole combat aircraft jointly developed and manufactured by Italy the United Kingdom and West Germany There are three primary Tornado variants the Tornado IDS interdictor strike fighter bomber the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR electronic combat reconnaissance and the Tornado ADV air defence variant interceptor aircraft Tornado IDS ECRRAF Tornado GR4 in 2012Role Multirole aircraft strike aircraftNational origin Italy West Germany United KingdomManufacturer Panavia Aircraft GmbHFirst flight 14 August 1974Introduction 1979Retired 2019 RAF Status In servicePrimary users German Air ForceItalian Air ForceRoyal Saudi Air ForceRoyal Air Force historical Produced 1979 1998Number built 990 1 745 Panavia Tornado IDS194 Panavia Tornado ADV51 Panavia Tornado ECRVariants Panavia Tornado ADVThe Tornado was developed and built by Panavia Aircraft GmbH a tri national consortium consisting of British Aerospace previously British Aircraft Corporation MBB of West Germany and Aeritalia of Italy It first flew on 14 August 1974 and was introduced into service in 1979 1980 Due to its multirole design it was able to replace several different fleets of aircraft in the adopting air forces The Royal Saudi Air Force RSAF became the only export operator of the Tornado in addition to the three original partner nations A tri nation training and evaluation unit operating from RAF Cottesmore the Tri National Tornado Training Establishment maintained a level of international co operation beyond the production stage The Tornado was operated by the Royal Air Force RAF Italian Air Force and RSAF during the Gulf War of 1991 in which the Tornado conducted many low altitude penetrating strike missions The Tornados of various services were also used in the Bosnian War Kosovo War Iraq War in Libya during the 2011 Libyan civil war as well as smaller roles in Afghanistan Yemen and Syria Including all variants 990 1 aircraft were built Contents 1 Development 1 1 Origins 1 2 Panavia Aircraft GmbH 1 3 Prototypes and testing 1 4 Production 2 Design 2 1 Overview 2 2 Variable sweep wing 2 3 Avionics 2 4 Armament and equipment 2 5 Engine 2 6 Upgrades 3 Operational history 3 1 German Air Force Luftwaffe 3 2 German Navy Marineflieger 3 3 Italian Air Force Aeronautica Militare 3 4 Royal Air Force 3 5 Royal Saudi Air Force 4 Variants 4 1 Tornado IDS 4 2 Tornado ECR 4 3 Tornado ADV 5 Operators 5 1 Former operator 6 Aircraft on display 7 Specifications Tornado GR4 8 Popular culture 9 See also 10 References 10 1 Notes 10 2 Citations 10 3 Bibliography 11 External linksDevelopment EditOrigins Edit Artist s concept of the AFVG an ancestor to the MRCA programme During the 1960s aeronautical designers looked to variable geometry wing designs to gain the manoeuvrability and efficient cruise of straight wings with the speed of swept wing designs The United Kingdom had cancelled the procurement of the TSR 2 and subsequent F 111K aircraft and was still looking for a replacement for its Avro Vulcan and Blackburn Buccaneer strike aircraft 2 Britain and France had initiated the BAC Dassault AFVG Anglo French Variable Geometry project in 1965 but this had ended with French withdrawal in 1967 3 Britain continued to develop a variable geometry aircraft similar to the proposed AFVG and sought new partners to achieve this 4 West German EWR with Boeing then with Fairchild Hiller and Republic Aviation had been developing design studies of the swing wing EWR Fairchild Hiller A400 AVS Advanced Vertical Strike which has a similar configuration to the Tornado from 1964 to 1968 5 6 7 In 1968 West Germany the Netherlands Belgium Italy and Canada formed a working group to examine replacements for the Lockheed F 104 Starfighter 8 initially called the Multi Role Aircraft MRA later renamed as the Multi Role Combat Aircraft MRCA 9 10 As the partner nations requirements were so diverse it was decided to develop a single aircraft that could perform a variety of missions that were previously undertaken by a fleet of different aircraft 11 Britain joined the MRCA group in 1968 represented by Air Vice Marshal Michael Giddings and a memorandum of agreement was drafted between Britain West Germany and Italy in May 1969 12 By the end of 1968 the prospective purchases from the six countries amounted to 1 500 aircraft 13 Canada and Belgium had departed before any long term commitments had been made to the programme 14 Canada had found the project politically unpalatable there was a perception in political circles that much of the manufacturing and specifications were focused on Western Europe France had made a favourable offer to Belgium on the Dassault Mirage 5 14 Panavia Aircraft GmbH Edit Main article Panavia Aircraft GmbH On 26 March 1969 four partner nations United Kingdom Germany Italy and the Netherlands agreed to form a multinational company Panavia Aircraft GmbH to develop and manufacture the MRCA 2 8 The project s aim was to produce an aircraft capable of undertaking missions in the tactical strike reconnaissance air defence and maritime roles 2 8 Various concepts including alternative fixed wing and single engine designs were studied while defining the aircraft 15 The Netherlands pulled out of the project in 1970 citing that the aircraft was too complicated and technical for the RNLAF s preferences 2 which had sought a simpler aircraft with outstanding manoeuvrability 16 An additional blow was struck when the German requirement reduced from an initial 600 aircraft to 324 in 1972 17 It has been suggested that Germany deliberately placed an unrealistically high initial order to secure the company headquarters and initial test flight in Germany rather than the UK so as to have a bigger design influence 18 Formation take off of an RAF Tornado GR 1 and a Tornado F 2 prototype in September 1982 When the agreement was finalised the United Kingdom and West Germany each had a 42 5 stake of the workload with the remaining 15 going to Italy this division of the production work was heavily influenced by international political bargaining 19 The front fuselage and tail assembly was assigned to BAC now BAE Systems in the United Kingdom the centre fuselage to MBB now part of Airbus in West Germany and the wings to Aeritalia now Leonardo in Italy 20 Similarly tri national worksharing was used for engines and equipment A separate multinational company Turbo Union was formed in June 1970 to develop and build the RB199 engines for the aircraft with ownership split 40 Rolls Royce 40 MTU and 20 FIAT 2 21 At the conclusion of the project definition phase in May 1970 the concepts were reduced to two designs a single seat Panavia 100 which West Germany initially preferred and the twin seat Panavia 200 which the RAF preferred 21 The aircraft was briefly called the Panavia Panther and the project soon coalesced towards the two seat option 22 In September 1971 the three governments signed an Intention to Proceed ITP document at which point the aircraft was intended solely for the low level strike mission where it was viewed as a viable threat to Soviet defences in that role 23 It was at this point that Britain s Chief of the Defence Staff announced two thirds of the fighting front line will be composed of this single basic aircraft type 20 Prototypes and testing Edit The first of fifteen development aircraft nine prototypes P01 to P09 and six pre series PS11 to PS 16 flew on 14 August 1974 at Manching Germany the pilot Paul Millett described his experience Aircraft handling was delightful the actual flight went so smoothly that I did begin to wonder whether this was not yet another simulation 24 Flight testing led to the need for minor modifications Airflow disturbances were responded to by re profiling the engine intakes and the fuselage to minimise surging and buffeting at supersonic speeds 25 According to Jim Quinn programmer of the Tornado development simulation software and engineer on the Tornado engine and engine controls the prototype was safely capable of reaching supercruise but the engines had severe safety issues at high altitude while trying to decelerate At high altitude and low turbine speed the compressor did not provide enough pressure to hold back the combustion pressure and would result in a violent vibration as the combustion pressure backfired into the intake To avoid this effect the engine controls would automatically increase the minimum idle setting as altitude increased until at very high altitudes the idle setting was so high however that it was close to maximum dry thrust This resulted in one of the test aircraft being stuck in a mach 1 2 supercruise at high altitude and having to reduce speed by turning the aircraft because the idle setting at that altitude was so high that the aircraft could not decelerate 26 Third Tornado prototype P 03 XX947 at RAE Farnborough August 1980 The British Ministry of Supply assigned Chief Engineer Ted Talbot from the Concorde development team to provide intake design assistance to the Tornado development team in order to overcome these issues which they hesitantly agreed to after noting that the Concorde intake data had apparently already been leaked to the Soviet Union The German engineers working on the Tornado intake were unable to produce a functional Concorde style intake despite having data from the Concorde team To make the problem worse their management team incorrectly filed a patent on the Concorde design and then tried to sue the British engineers who had provided the design to them The German lawyers realised that the British had provided the designs to the German team and requested further information to help their engineers overcome the problems with the Tornado intake but Chief Engineer Talbot refused According to Talbot the Concorde engineers had determined the issue with the Tornado intake was that the engine did not respond to unexpected changes in the intake position and therefore the engine was running at the wrong setting for a given position of the intake ramps This was because the Concorde had similar issues due to control pressure not being high enough to maintain proper angles of the intake ramps Aerodynamic forces could force the intakes into the improper position and so they should have the ability to control the engines if this occurs The Tornado intake system did not allow for this Due to the behaviour of the German management team the British engineers declined to share this information and so the Tornado was not equipped with the more advanced intake design of the Concorde 27 Testing revealed that a nose wheel steering augmentation system connecting with the yaw damper was necessary to counteract the destabilising effect produced by deploying the thrust reverser during the landing roll 28 From 1967 until 1984 Soviet KGB agents were provided details on the Tornado by the head of the West German Messerschmitt Bolkow Blohm Planning department Manfred Rotsch 29 30 Two prototypes were lost in accidents both of which had been primarily caused by poor piloting decisions and errors leading to two ground collision incidents 31 a third Tornado prototype was seriously damaged by an incident involving pilot induced pitch oscillation 32 During the type s development aircraft designers of the era were beginning to incorporate features such as more sophisticated stability augmentation systems and autopilots Aircraft such as the Tornado and the General Dynamics F 16 Fighting Falcon made use of these new technologies 33 Failure testing of the Tornado s triplex analogue command and stability augmentation system CSAS was conducted on a series of realistic flight control rigs the variable sweep wings in combination with varying and frequently very heavy payloads complicated the clearance process 34 Production Edit A USAF F 15C flanked by Luftwaffe and RAF Tornados in 1987 The contract for the Batch 1 aircraft was signed on 29 July 1976 21 The first flight of a production aircraft was on 10 July 1979 by ZA319 at BAe Warton 35 The first aircraft were delivered to the RAF and German Air Force on 5 and 6 June 1979 respectively 36 The first Italian Tornado was delivered on 25 September 1981 On 29 January 1981 the Tri National Tornado Training Establishment TTTE officially opened at RAF Cottesmore remaining active in training pilots from all operating nations until 31 March 1999 37 The 500th Tornado to be produced was delivered to West Germany on 19 December 1987 38 Export customers were sought after West Germany withdrew its objections to exporting the aircraft Saudi Arabia was the only export customer of the Tornado 39 The agreement to purchase the Tornado was part of the Al Yamamah arms deal between British Aerospace and the Saudi government 40 41 Oman had committed to purchasing Tornados and the equipment to operate them for a total value of 250 million in the late 1980s but cancelled the order in 1990 due to financial difficulties 42 During the 1970s Australia considered joining the MRCA programme to find a replacement for their ageing Dassault Mirage IIIs ultimately the McDonnell Douglas F A 18 Hornet was selected to meet the requirement 43 Canada similarly opted for the F A 18 after considering the Tornado 44 Japan considered the Tornado in the 1980s along with the F 16 and F A 18 before selecting the Mitsubishi F 2 45 In the 1990s both Taiwan and South Korea expressed interest in acquiring a small number of Tornado ECR aircraft 46 47 In 2001 EADS proposed a Tornado ECR variant with a greater electronic warfare capability for Australia 48 Production came to an end in 1998 the last batch of aircraft produced going to the Royal Saudi Air Force who had ordered a total of 96 IDS Tornados 49 In June 2011 it was announced that the Tornado fleet had flown collectively over one million flying hours 50 51 Aviation author Jon Lake noted that The Trinational Panavia Consortium produced just short of 1 000 Tornados making it one of the most successful postwar bomber programs 52 In 2008 AirForces Monthly said of the Tornado For more than a quarter of a century the most important military aircraft in Western Europe 53 Design EditOverview Edit Flyover of a German Navy Tornado during a training exercise in 2003 The Panavia Tornado is a multirole twin engined aircraft designed to excel at low level penetration of enemy defences The mission envisaged during the Cold War was the delivery of conventional and nuclear ordnance on the invading forces of the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe this dictated several significant features of the design Variable wing geometry allowed for minimal drag during the low level dash towards a well prepared enemy Advanced navigation and flight computers including the then innovative fly by wire system greatly reduced the workload of the pilot during low level flight and eased control of the aircraft 54 55 For long range missions the Tornado has a retractable refuelling probe 56 As a multirole aircraft the Tornado is capable of undertaking more mission profiles than the anticipated strike mission various operators replaced multiple aircraft types with the Tornado as a common type the use of dedicated single role aircraft for specialist purposes such as battlefield reconnaissance maritime patrol duties or dedicated electronic countermeasures ECM were phased out either by standard Tornados or modified variants such as the Tornado ECR The most extensive modification from the base Tornado design was the Tornado ADV which was stretched and armed with long range anti aircraft missiles to serve in the interceptor role 57 Tornado operators have undertaken various life extension and upgrade programmes to keep their Tornado fleets as viable frontline aircraft With these upgrades it is projected that the Tornado shall be in service until 2025 more than 50 years after the first prototype took flight 58 needs update Variable sweep wing Edit Further information variable sweep wing Deployed swing wings In order for the Tornado to perform well as a low level supersonic strike aircraft it was considered necessary for it to possess good high speed and low speed flight characteristics To achieve high speed performance a swept or delta wing is typically adopted but these wing designs are inefficient at low speeds To operate at both high and low speeds with great effectiveness the Tornado uses a variable sweep wing 9 This approach had been adopted by earlier aircraft such as the American General Dynamics F 111 Aardvark strike fighter and the Soviet Mikoyan Gurevich MiG 23 fighter The smaller Tornado has many similarities with the F 111 however the Tornado differs in being a multi role aircraft with more advanced onboard systems and avionics 59 The level of wing sweep i e the angle of the wings in relation to the fuselage can be altered in flight at the pilot s control The variable wing can adopt any sweep angle between 25 degrees and 67 degrees with a corresponding speed range for each angle Some Tornado ADVs were outfitted with an automatic wing sweep system to reduce pilot workload 60 When the wings are swept back the exposed wing area is lowered and drag is significantly decreased which is conducive to performing high speed low level flight 9 The weapons pylons pivot with the angle of the variable sweep wings so that the stores point in the direction of flight and do not hinder any wing positions 61 62 In development significant attention was given to the Tornado s short field take off and landing STOL performance Germany in particular encouraged this design aspect 63 For shorter take off and landing distances the Tornado can sweep its wings forwards to the 25 degree position and deploy its full span flaps and leading edge slats to allow the aircraft to fly at slower speeds 64 These features in combination with the thrust reverser equipped engines give the Tornado excellent low speed handling and landing characteristics 65 Avionics Edit Forward cockpit of an RAF Tornado GR 4 Aft cockpit of an RAF Tornado GR 4 The Tornado features a tandem seat cockpit crewed by a pilot and a navigator weapons officer both electromechanical and electro optical controls are used to fly the aircraft and manage its systems 66 An array of dials and switches are mounted on either side of a centrally placed CRT monitor controlling the navigational communications and weapons control computers 67 BAE Systems developed the Tornado Advanced Radar Display Information System TARDIS a 32 5 centimetre 12 8 in multi function display to replace the rear cockpit s Combined Radar and Projected Map Display the RAF began installing TARDIS on the GR4 fleet in 2004 68 The primary flight controls of the Tornado are a fly by wire hybrid consisting of an analogue quadruplex Command and Stability Augmentation System CSAS connected to a digital Autopilot amp Flight Director System AFDS 69 In addition a level of mechanical reversion capacity was retained to safeguard against potential failure 70 To enhance pilot awareness artificial feel was built into the flight controls such as the centrally located stick Because the Tornado s variable wings enable the aircraft to drastically alter its flight envelope the artificial responses adjust automatically to wing profile changes and other changes to flight attitude 71 As a large variety of munitions and stores can be outfitted the resulting changes to the aircraft s flight dynamics are routinely compensated for by the flight stability system 72 A German Air Force Tornado undergoing maintenance in July 2004 The Tornado incorporates a combined navigation attack Doppler radar that simultaneously scans for targets and conducts fully automated terrain following for low level flight operations Being able to conduct all weather hands off low level flight was considered one of the core advantages of the Tornado 73 The Tornado ADV had a different radar system to other variants designated AI 24 Foxhunter as it is designed for air defence operations It was capable of tracking up to 20 targets at ranges of up to 160 kilometres 100 mi 55 The Tornado was one of the earliest aircraft to be fitted with a digital data bus for data transmission A Link 16 JTIDS integration on the F3 variant enabled the exchange of radar and other sensory information with nearby friendly aircraft 74 Some Tornado variants carry different avionics and equipment depending on their mission The Tornado ECR operated by Germany and Italy is devoted to Suppression of Enemy Air Defences SEAD missions The Tornado ECR is equipped with an emitter locator system ELS to detect radar use 75 German ECRs have a Honeywell infrared imaging system for reconnaissance flights 76 RAF and RSAF Tornados have the Laser Range Finder and Marked Target Seekers LRMTS for targeting laser guided munitions 77 In 1991 the RAF introduced TIALD allowing Tornado GR1s to laser designate their own targets 78 The GR1A and GR4A reconnaissance variants were equipped with TIRRS Tornado Infrared Reconnaissance System consisting of one SLIR Sideways Looking Infra Red sensor on each side of the fuselage forward of the engine intakes to capture oblique images and a single IRLS InfrarRed LineScan sensor mounted on the fuselage s underside to provide vertical images 79 TIRRS recorded images on six S VHS video tapes 80 The newer RAPTOR reconnaissance pod replaced the built in TIRRS system 81 82 Armament and equipment Edit The Tornado is cleared to carry the majority of air launched weapons in the NATO inventory including various unguided and laser guided bombs anti ship and anti radiation missiles as well as specialised weapons such as anti personnel mines and anti runway munitions 83 84 85 To improve survivability in combat the Tornado is equipped with onboard countermeasures ranging from flare and chaff dispensers to electronic countermeasure pods that can be mounted under the wings 86 Underwing fuel tanks and a buddy store aerial refuelling system that allows one Tornado to refuel another are available to extend the aircraft s range 87 German Air Force Tornado ECR 46 26 queuing to be refuelled by a USAF KC 135 Stratotanker in September 1997 In the decades since the Tornado s introduction all of the Tornado operators have undertaken various upgrade and modification programmes to allow new weapons to be used by their squadrons Amongst the armaments that the Tornado has been adapted to deploy are the Enhanced Paveway and Joint Direct Attack Munition bombs and modern cruise missiles such as the Taurus and Storm Shadow missiles These upgrades have increased the Tornado s capabilities and combat accuracy 84 88 89 Precision weapons such as cruise missiles have replaced older munitions such as cluster bombs 90 Strike variants have a limited air to air capability with AIM 9 Sidewinder or AIM 132 ASRAAM air to air missiles AAMs The Tornado ADV was outfitted with beyond visual range AAMs such as the Skyflash and AIM 120 AMRAAM missiles 91 92 The Tornado is armed with two 27 mm 1 063 in Mauser BK 27 revolver cannon internally mounted underneath the fuselage the Tornado ADV was only armed with one cannon 57 When the RAF GR1 aircraft were converted to GR4 the FLIR sensor replaced the left hand cannon leaving only one 93 the GR1A reconnaissance variant gave up both its guns to make space for the sideways looking infra red sensors 94 The Mauser BK 27 was developed specifically for the Tornado but has since been used on several other European fighters such as the Dassault Dornier Alpha Jet Saab JAS 39 Gripen and Eurofighter Typhoon 95 The Tornado is capable of delivering air launched nuclear weapons In 1979 Britain considered replacing its Polaris submarines with either the Trident submarines or the Tornado as the main bearer of its nuclear deterrent 96 Although the UK proceeded with Trident several Tornado squadrons based in Germany were assigned to SACEUR to deter a major Soviet offensive with both conventional and nuclear weapons namely the WE 177 nuclear bomb which was retired in 1998 97 98 German and Italian Tornados are capable of delivering US B61 nuclear bombs which are made available through NATO 99 Engine Edit Main article Turbo Union RB199 Britain considered the selection of Rolls Royce to develop the advanced engine for the MRCA to be essential and was strongly opposed to adopting an engine from an American manufacturer to the point where the UK might have withdrawn over the issue 100 In September 1969 Rolls Royce s RB199 engine was selected to power the MRCA One advantage over the US competition was that a technology transfer between the partner nations had been agreed the engine was to be developed and manufactured by a joint company Turbo Union 101 The programme was delayed by Rolls Royce s entry into receivership in 1971 however the nature of the multinational collaboration process helped avoid major disruption of the Tornado programme 102 Research from the supersonic airliner Concorde contributed to the development and final design of the RB199 and of the engine control units 103 RB199 on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford To operate efficiently across a wide range of conditions and speeds up to Mach 2 the RB199 and several other engines make use of variable intake ramps to control the air flow 104 The hydraulic system is pressurised by syphoning power from both or either operational engine the hydraulics are completely contained within the airframe rather than integrating with the engine to improve safety and maintainability 105 In case of double engine or double generator failure the Tornado has a single use battery capable of operating the fuel pump and hydraulics for up to 13 minutes 106 Relatively rarely among fighter aircraft the RB199 is fitted with thrust reversers to decrease the distance required to land safely 55 107 To fully deploy the thrust reverser during landings the yaw damper is connected to the steering of the nosewheel to provide greater stability 108 In August 1974 the first RB199 powered flight of a prototype Tornado occurred and the engine completed its qualification tests in late 1978 109 The final production standard engine met both reliability and performance standards though the development cost had been higher than predicted in part due to the ambitious performance requirements 110 At the time of the Tornado s introduction to service the turbine blades of the engine suffered from a shorter life span than desired which was rectified by the implementation of design revisions upon early production engines 111 Several uprated engines were developed and used on both the majority of Tornado ADVs and Germany s Tornado ECRs 112 113 The DECU Digital Engine Control Unit 114 is the current engine control unit for RB199 engines superseding the analogue MECU Main Engine Control Unit also known as CUE 115 RAF GR4 of No 9 Squadron shows off a payload including Paveway Brimstone and Litening pod Upgrades Edit Being designed for low level operations the Tornado required modification to perform in medium level operations that the RAF adopted in the 1990s 116 The RAF s GR1 fleet was extensively re manufactured as Tornado GR4s Upgrades on Tornado GR4s included a Forward looking infrared a wide angle HUD Head up display improved cockpit displays NVG Night vision devices capabilities new avionics and a Global Positioning System receiver The upgrade eased the integration of new weapons and sensors which were purchased in parallel including the Storm Shadow cruise missile the Brimstone anti tank missile Paveway III laser guided bombs and the RAPTOR reconnaissance pod 117 86 118 The first flight of a Tornado GR4 was on 4 April 1997 The RAF accepted its first delivery on 31 October 1997 and deliveries were completed in 2003 119 In 2005 the RSAF opted to have their Tornado IDSs undergo a series of upgrades to become equivalent to the RAF s GR4 configuration 120 On 21 December 2007 BAE signed a 210m contract for CUSP the Capability Upgrade Strategy Pilot 121 This project would see RAF GR4 4A improved in two phases starting with the integration of the Paveway IV bomb and a communications upgrade followed by a new tactical datalink in Phase B 121 Beginning in 2000 German IDS and ECR Tornados received the ASSTA 1 Avionics System Software Tornado in Ada upgrade ASSTA 1 involved a replacement weapons computer new GPS and Laser Inertial navigation systems 122 The new computer allowed the integration of the HARM III HARM 0 Block IV V and Taurus KEPD 350 missiles the Rafael Litening II laser designator pod and GBU 24 Paveway III laser guided bombs 123 The ASSTA 2 upgrade began in 2005 primarily consisting of several new digital avionics systems and a new ECM suite these upgrades are to be only applied to 85 Tornados 20 ECRs and 65 IDSs as the Tornado is being replaced in part by the Eurofighter Typhoon 124 88 The ASSTA 3 upgrade programme started in 2008 will introduce support for the laser targeted Joint Direct Attack Munition along with further software changes 89 In January 2016 Bild newspaper stated that the newest upgrade of the ASSTA suite to version 3 1 which includes colour multifunctional LCD screens in place of monochrome CRT displays is interfering with helmet mounted night vision optical displays worn by pilots rendering German Tornado bombers deployed to Syria useless for night missions 125 126 The defence ministry admitted that bright cockpit lights could be a distraction for pilots and said that the solution will be implemented in a few weeks but denied the need to fly night missions in Syria 127 A new AMLCD TV TAB DU in test mode showing color bars The bezel is removed to allow a higher view angle The iconic TV TAB displays are used for route planning the forward looking infra red FLIR sensors targeting pods such as TIALD Thermal Imaging and Laser Designator and CLDP Convertible Laser Designator Pod The original MRCA TV TAB DU navigation display part number V22 498 90 has green CRT as picture source The original price for one CRT display version was 33 852 64 Due to the light environment the picture tube was pushed to the limit due to the high brightness levels causing wear of the picture tube An Active Matrix Liquid Crystal Displays AMLCD drop fit replacement with a digital screen TV TAB NSN 5895 99 597 1323 was developed to replace the old wear sensitive CRT versions The CRT versions are mainly recognisable by the two white domes at the top of the display containing the light sensors for automatic brightness regulation and the white buttons The newer digital version is mainly recognisable by the black buttons with big white dots on them The replacement AMLCD version has a color displays instead of the original green monochrome displays A new feature is that the AMLCD has a bezel that reduces the angle of view The main goal for the AMLCD upgrade was de intended significant reduction in life cycle costs But it s said that the newer AMLCD version fail rather quick due to the more sensitive and complex digital electronics compared to the much more simpler design of the original CRT display The old and newer version are a masterpiece of state of the art engineering and both are very well build For example there s a diagnose connector at the back panel for quick troubleshooting The display unit is eventually a rather dumb device The original display unit is just a display and a keypad To show a picture the separated video signal vertical and horizontal synchronisation signals have to be fed into the display unit since there s no internal electronics for synchronisation separation of the video signal The additional waveform generator WFG is needed to create the desired images for use in the airplane To power the display unit a three phase 115VAC 400Hz including neutral and a 28VDC signal have to be supplied to the display unit The CRT version has a Low Voltage Power Supply LVPS for creating the needed low voltage signals There s also a High Voltage Power Supply HVPS for creating the desired high voltage for the CRT picture tube Since the newer AMLCD has no CRT picture tube the high voltages are not needed an the mechanical and electrical design is completely different except for the connections mounting points and functionality The newer AMLCD version only needs 28VDC for functionality But since a drop fit replacement is mandatory the AMLCD version has a built in three phase 115VAC 400Hz conversion to 28VDC By removing the rear three phase conversion power supply plug in board and applying 28VDC lt 4 1A to the power supply board the device can be powered for avionics enthusiast use The AMLCD has a built in menu for selecting the airplane type GR1 GR4 or F3 a self test and a display test like a grid pattern and color bars shown in the picture 128 BAE Systems announced that in December 2013 it had test flown a Tornado equipped with parts made with 3D printing equipment The parts included a protective cover for the radio a landing gear guard and air intake door support struts The test demonstrated the feasibility of making replacement parts quickly and cheaply at the air base hosting the Tornado 129 The company claimed that with some of the parts costing less than 100 to manufacture 3D printing already resulted in savings of more than 300 000 and would offer further potential cost savings of more than 1 2 million through 2017 130 Operational history EditGerman Air Force Luftwaffe Edit A German Air Force Tornado IDS 43 13 flying above Nevada US 2007 The first Tornado prototype made its first flight on 14 August 1974 from Ingolstadt Manching Airport in West Germany 131 Deliveries of production Tornados began on 27 July 1979 The total number of Tornados delivered to the German Air Force was 247 including 35 ECR variants 132 Originally Tornados equipped five fighter bomber wings Geschwader with one tactical conversion unit and four front line wings replacing the Lockheed F 104 Starfighter 133 When one of the two Tornado wings of the German Navy was disbanded in 1994 its aircraft were used to re equip a Luftwaffe s reconnaissance wing formerly equipped with McDonnell Douglas RF 4E Phantoms 134 14 German Tornados undertook combat operations as a part of NATO s campaign during the Bosnian War 135 The Tornados operating from Piacenza Italy flew reconnaissance missions to survey damage inflicted by previous strikes and to scout new targets 136 These reconnaissance missions were reportedly responsible for a significant improvement in target selection throughout the campaign 137 In 1999 German Tornados participated in Operation Allied Force NATO airstrikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War This was Germany s first offensive air mission since World War II 138 The ECR aircraft escorted various allies aircraft while carrying several AGM 88 HARM missiles to counter attempted use of radar against the allied aircraft 139 During the Kosovo hostilities Germany s IDS Tornados routinely conducted reconnaissance flights to identify both enemy ground forces and civilian refugees within Yugoslavia 140 141 The German Tornados flew 2108 hours and 446 sorties firing 236 HARM missiles at hostile targets 142 A Luftwaffe Tornado 44 80 of Jagdbombergeschwader 31 taking off from Eielson Air Force Base Alaska in 2004 In June 2007 a pair of Luftwaffe Tornados flew reconnaissance missions over an anti globalisation demonstration during the 33rd G8 summit in Heiligendamm 143 144 Following the mission the German Defence Ministry admitted one aircraft had broken the minimum flying altitude and that mistakes were made in the handling of security of the summit 145 In 2007 a detachment of six Tornados of the Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 Immelmann 51st reconnaissance wing were deployed to Mazar i Sharif Northern Afghanistan to support NATO forces 146 The decision to send Tornados to Afghanistan was controversial one political party launched an unsuccessful legal bid to block the deployment as unconstitutional 147 148 In support of the Afghanistan mission improvements in the Tornado s reconnaissance equipment were accelerated enhancing the Tornado s ability to detect hidden improvised explosive devices IEDs 149 The German Tornados were withdrawn from Afghanistan in November 2010 150 Defence cuts announced in March 2003 resulted in the decision to retire 90 Tornados from service with the Luftwaffe This led to a reduction in its Tornado strength to four wings by September 2005 151 152 On 13 January 2004 the then German Defence Minister Peter Struck announced further major changes to the German armed forces A major part of this announcement was the plan to cut the German fighter fleet from 426 in early 2004 to 265 by 2015 153 The German Tornado force was to be reduced to 85 with the type expected to remain in service with the Luftwaffe until 2025 124 The aircraft being retained have been undergoing a service life extension programme 154 Currently the Luftwaffe operates Tornados with Tactical Wings Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 in Cochem Buchel Air Base Rhineland Palatinate and with Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 Immelmann in Jagel Schleswig Holstein German Tornado aircrew training took place at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico US from January 1996 155 at the Taktische Ausbildungskommando der Luftwaffe USA TaktAusbKdoLw USA Tactical Training Command of the Luftwaffe USA which was responsible for training both German F 4 Phantom and Tornado crews In 1999 the training command was renamed as Fliegerisches Ausbildungszentrum der Luftwaffe FlgAusbZLw Luftwaffe Training Center In March 2015 Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen decided to continue this training in Germany 156 In September 2017 flight training in Holloman for the Tornado was discontinued and transferred to Taktischen Luftwaffengeschwader 51 in Jagel with the US location command dissolved in 2019 157 In April 2020 it was reported that the German defence ministry planned to replace its Tornado aircraft with a purchase of 30 Boeing F A 18E F Super Hornets 15 EA 18G Growlers and 55 Eurofighter Typhoons 158 The Super Hornet was selected due to its compatibility with nuclear weapons and availability of an electronic attack version In March 2020 the Super Hornet was not certified for the B61 nuclear bombs but Dan Gillian head of Boeing s Super Hornet program previously stated We certainly think that we working with the U S government can meet the German requirements there on the required timeline 159 In 2021 Airbus offered to replace Luftwaffe s 90 ageing Tornado Interdiction and Strike IDS and Electronic Combat Reconnaissance ECR aircraft with 85 new Eurofighter Tranche 5 standard from 2030 160 In 2022 the German defence ministry announced that 35 Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning IIs will replace the Tornado fleet for nuclear sharing instead of the discussed 30 Boeing Super Hornets 161 162 German Navy Marineflieger Edit A German Navy Tornado 43 65 landing at RAF Mildenhall in 1984 In addition to the order made by the Luftwaffe the German Navy s Marineflieger also received 112 of the IDS variant in the anti shipping and marine reconnaissance roles again replacing the Starfighter These Tornados equipped two wings each with a nominal strength of 48 aircraft The principal anti ship weapon was the AS 34 Kormoran anti ship missile which were initially supplemented by unguided bombs and BL755 cluster munitions and later by AGM 88 HARM anti radar missiles Pods fitted with panoramic optical cameras and an infrared line scan were carried for the reconnaissance mission 163 The end of the Cold War and the signing of the CFE Treaty led Germany to reduce the size of its armed forces including the number of combat aircraft To meet this need one of the Marineflieger s Tornado wings was disbanded on 1 January 1994 its aircraft replaced the Phantoms of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance wing 164 165 The second wing was enlarged and continued in the anti shipping reconnaissance and anti radar roles until it was disbanded in 2005 with its aircraft and duties passed on to the Luftwaffe 166 Italian Air Force Aeronautica Militare Edit The first Italian prototype made its maiden flight on 5 December 1975 from Turin The Aeronautica Militare received 100 Tornado IDSs known as the A 200 in Italian service 167 16 A 200s were subsequently converted to the ECR configuration the first Italian Tornado ECR known as the EA 200 167 was delivered on 27 February 1998 168 As a stop gap measure for 10 years the Aeronautica Militare additionally operated 24 Tornado ADVs in the air defence role which were leased from the RAF to cover the service gap between the retirement of the Lockheed F 104 Starfighter and the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon 169 Two Italian A 200 Tornados participating in NATO exercise Dragon Hammer May 1987 Italian Tornados along with RAF Tornados took part in the first Gulf War in 1991 Operation Locusta saw eight Tornado IDS interdictors deployed from Gioia del Colle Italy to Al Dhafra Abu Dhabi as part of Italy s contribution to the coalition 170 During the conflict one aircraft was lost to Iraqi anti aircraft fire the pilots ejected safely and were captured by Iraqi forces 171 A total of 22 Italian Tornados were deployed in the NATO organised Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999 the A 200s served in the bombing role while the EA 200s patrolled the combat region acting to suppress enemy anti aircraft radars 172 firing 115 AGM 88 HARM missiles 173 In 2000 with delays to the Eurofighter the Aeronautica Militare began a search for another interim fighter While the Tornado was considered any long term extension to the lease would have involved upgrade to RAF CSP standard and thus was not considered cost effective In February 2001 Italy announced its arrangement to lease 35 F 16s from the United States under the PEACE CAESAR programme 174 The Aeronautica Militare returned its Tornado ADVs to the RAF with the final aircraft arriving at RAF St Athan on 7 December 2004 175 One aircraft was retained for static display purposes at the Italian Air Force Museum 176 In July 2002 Italy signed a contract with the Tornado Management Agency NETMA and Panavia for the upgrading of 18 A 200s the first of which was received in 2003 177 The upgrade introduced improved navigation systems integrated GPS and laser INS and the ability to carry new weapons including the Storm Shadow cruise missile Joint Direct Attack Munition and Paveway III laser guided bombs 178 A 200 Tornados of 50 Stormo during Operation Unified Protector 2011 In response to anticipated violence during the 2010 Afghanistan elections Italy along with several other nations increased its military commitment in Afghanistan dispatching four A 200 Tornados to the region 179 Italy has opted to extend the Tornado s service life at the expense of alternative ground attack aircraft such as the AMX International AMX in 2010 a major upgrade and life extension programme was initiated to provide new digital displays Link 16 communications capability night vision goggles compatibility and several other upgrades 180 In the long term it is planned to replace the Tornado IDS ECR fleet in Italian service with the Lockheed Martin F 35 Lightning II 181 with the final Italian Tornado scheduled to be phased out in 2025 58 The Aeronautica Militare received its first of an eventual 15 upgraded Tornado EA 200s on 15 June 2013 182 Italian Tornado A 200 and EA 200 aircraft participated in the enforcement of a UN no fly zone during the 2011 military intervention in Libya 183 Various coalition aircraft operated from bases in Italy including RAF Tornados 184 Italian military aircraft delivered a combined 710 guided bombs and missiles during the strikes against Libyan targets Of these Aeronautica Militare Tornados and AMX fighter bombers released 550 guided bombs and missiles and Italian Navy AV 8Bs delivered 160 guided bombs Italian Tornados launched 20 to 30 Storm Shadow cruise missiles with the rest consisting of Paveway and JDAM guided bombs 185 On 19 August 2014 two Aeronautica Militare Tornados collided in mid air during a training mission near Ascoli 186 On 14 November 2014 Italy announced it was sending four Tornado aircraft with 135 support staff to Ahmad al Jaber Air Base and to 2 other bases in Kuwait in participation of coalition operations against the Islamic State The four aircraft will be used for reconnaissance missions only 187 188 In October 2018 it was announced that the EA 200 Tornado had successfully completed operational testing of the AGM 88E AARGM 189 providing capabilities of an expanded target set counter shutdown capability advanced signals processing for improved detection and locating geographic specificity and a weapon impact assessment broadcast capability 190 Royal Air Force Edit Tornado GR1 ZA613 of No 27 Squadron arriving at RIAT July 1983 Nicknamed the Tonka by the British 191 their first prototype XX946 made its maiden flight on 30 October 1974 from BAC Warton 192 The first full production Tornado GR1 ZA319 flew on 10 July 1979 from Warton 35 The first RAF Tornados ZA320 and ZA322 were delivered to the TTTE at RAF Cottesmore on 1 July 1980 193 Crew that qualified from the TTTE went onto the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit TWCU which formed on 1 August 1981 at RAF Honington before being posted to a front line squadron 194 No IX B Squadron became the first front line squadron in the world to operate the Tornado when it reformed on 1 June 1982 having received its first Tornado GR1 ZA586 on 6 January 1982 195 196 No IX B Squadron was declared strike combat ready to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe SACEUR in January 1983 197 Two more squadrons were formed at RAF Marham in 1983 No 617 Squadron on 1 January and No 27 Squadron on 12 August 194 The first RAF Tornado GR1 loss was on 27 September 1983 when ZA586 suffered complete electrical failure and crashed 198 Navigator Flt Lt Nigel Nickles ejected but the pilot Sqn Ldr Michael Stephens died in the crash after ordering ejection 199 In January 1984 the TWCU became No 45 Reserve Squadron 200 RAF Germany RAFG began receiving Tornados after the formation of No XV Designate Squadron on 1 September 1983 at RAF Laarbruch followed by No 16 Designate Squadron in January 1984 who were both Blackburn Buccaneer squadrons 201 They were then joined by No 20 Designate Squadron in May 1984 who were operating the SEPECAT Jaguar GR1 from RAF Bruggen 200 Unlike the Tornado squadrons based in the UK which were under control of the British military those stationed in RAFG were under the control of SACEUR with the aircraft on Quick Reaction Alert Nuclear QRA N being equipped with the WE 177 nuclear bomb 202 In the event of the Cold War going hot the majority of RAFG Tornado squadrons were tasked with destroying Warsaw Pact airfields and surface to air missile SAM sites in East Germany 203 While No 20 Squadron was given a separate responsibility of destroying bridges over the rivers Elbe and Weser to prevent Warsaw Pact forces from advancing 204 By early 1985 Nos XV 16 and 20 Squadrons at RAF Laarbruch had been declared strike combat ready to SACEUR 205 Tornado GR1 ZA491 of No 20 Squadron in the desert pink used for Operation Granby at RAF Brize Norton September 1991 Tornados began to arrive at RAF Bruggen in September 1984 with the formation of No 31 Designate Squadron No 17 Designate Squadron was formed in December 1984 with the two Bruggen squadrons joined by No 14 Designate Squadron in mid 1985 206 No IX B Squadron relocated from RAF Honington to RAF Bruggen on 1 October 1986 arriving in a diamond nine formation The outcome of the Reykjavik Summit in October 1986 between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev led the end of QRA Nuclear for the Tornado force 207 By the end of 1986 the Tornado GR1 fleet had been equipped with a Laser Ranger and Marked Target Seeker LRMTS under the nose and had begun to be equipped with the BOZ 107 chaff and flare dispenser 208 209 The Tornado made its combat debut as part of Operation Granby the British contribution to the Gulf War in 1991 This saw 49 RAF Tornado GR1s deploy to Muharraq Airfield in Bahrain and to Tabuk Air Base and Dhahran Airfield in Saudi Arabia 210 18 Tornado F3s were deployed to provide air cover the threat of their long range missiles being a deterrent to Iraqi pilots who would avoid combat when approached 211 210 Early on in the conflict the GR1s targeted military airfields across Iraq deploying a mixture of 450 kg 1 000 lb unguided bombs in loft bombing attacks and specialised JP233 runway denial weapons On 17 January 1991 the first Tornado to be lost was shot down by an Iraqi SA 16 missile following a failed low level bombing run 212 On 19 January another RAF Tornado was shot down during an intensive raid on Tallil Air Base 213 The impact of the Tornado strikes upon Iraqi airfields is difficult to determine 214 215 A total of six RAF Tornados were lost in the conflict four while delivering unguided bombs one after delivering JP233 and one trying to deliver laser guided bombs 216 The UK sent a detachment of Blackburn Buccaneer aircraft equipped with Westinghouse Electric Corporation Pave Spike laser designators allowing Tornado GR1s to drop precision guided weapons guided by the Buccaneers A planned programme to fit GR1s with the GEC Marconi TIALD laser designation system was rapidly accelerated to give the Tornado force the ability to self designate targets Author Claus Christian Szejnmann declared that the TIALD pod enabled the GR1 to achieve probably the most accurate bombing in the RAF s history 83 217 Although laser designation proved effective in the Gulf War only 23 TIALD pods had been purchased by 2000 shortages hindered combat operations over Kosovo 218 Tornado GR1s of Nos 31 17 14 and XV R Squadrons lined up at CFB Goose Bay June 1992 After the war s opening phase the GR1s switched to medium level strike missions typical targets included munition depots and oil refineries 219 Only the reconnaissance Tornado GR1As continued flying the low altitude high speed profile emerging unscathed despite the inherent danger in conducting pre attack reconnaissance 220 After the conflict Britain maintained a military presence in the Gulf Around six GR1s were based at Ali Al Salem airbase in Kuwait contributing the southern no fly zone as part of Operation Southern Watch Six additional GR1s participated in Operation Provide Comfort over Northern Iraq 221 The upgraded Tornado GR4 made its operational debut in Operation Southern Watch patrolling Iraq s southern airspace from bases in Kuwait Both Tornado GR1s and GR4s based at Ali Al Salem Kuwait took part in coalition strikes at Iraq s military infrastructure during Operation Desert Fox in 1998 222 In December 1998 an Iraqi anti aircraft battery fired six to eight missiles at a patrolling Tornado The battery was later attacked in retaliation and no aircraft were lost during the incident 223 It was reported that during Desert Fox RAF Tornados had successfully destroyed 75 of their targets and out of the 36 missions planned 28 had been successfully completed 224 The GR1 participated in the Kosovo War in 1999 Tornados initially operated from RAF Bruggen Germany and later from Solenzara Air Base Corsica 225 Experiences from Kosovo led to the RAF procuring AGM 65 Maverick missiles and Enhanced Paveway smart bombs for the Tornado 84 Following the Kosovo War the GR1 was phased out as aircraft were upgraded to GR4 standard the final upgrade was returned to the RAF on 10 June 2003 226 The GR4 was used in Operation Telic Britain s contribution to the 2003 invasion of Iraq RAF Tornados flew alongside American aircraft in the opening phase of the war striking Iraqi targets 227 Aiming to minimise civilian casualties Tornados deployed the Storm Shadow cruise missile for the first time Whilst 25 of the UK s air launched weapons in Kosovo were precision guided four years later in Iraq this ratio increased to 85 84 Tornado GR4 ZA557 of No XV Reserve Squadron in flight over Iraq during Operation Telic August 2004 On 23 March 2003 a Tornado GR4 was shot down over Iraq by friendly fire from a US Patriot missile battery killing both crew members 228 229 In July 2003 a US board of inquiry exonerated the battery s operators observing the Tornado s lack of functioning IFF Identification Friend or Foe as a factor in the incident 230 Problems with Patriot were also suggested as a factor multiple incidents of mis identification of friendly aircraft have occurred including the fatal shootdown of a US Navy F A 18 a few weeks after the Tornado s loss 231 232 233 Britain withdrew the last of its Tornados from Iraq in June 2009 234 In early 2009 several GR4s arrived at Kandahar Airfield Afghanistan to replace the British Aerospace Harrier GR7 9 aircraft which had been deployed there since November 2004 235 In 2009 Paveway IV guided bombs were brought into service on the RAF s Tornados having been previously used in Afghanistan by the Harrier II 236 In Summer 2010 extra Tornados were dispatched to Kandahar for the duration of the 2010 Afghan election 237 British Tornados ended operations in Afghanistan in November 2014 having flown over 5 000 pairs sorties over 33 500 hours including 600 shows of force to deter Taliban attacks During more than 70 engagements 140 Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV bombs were deployed and over 3 000 27 mm cannon shells fired 238 Prior to the 2010 Strategic Defence and Security Review SDSR s publication the Tornado s retirement was under consideration with savings of 7 5 billion anticipated 239 The SDSR announced the Tornado would be retained at the expense of the Harrier II although numbers would decline in the transition to the Eurofighter Typhoon and the F 35 Lightning II 240 241 By July 2013 59 RAF GR4s were receiving the CUSP avionics upgrade which achieved Initial Service Date ISD in March 2013 242 Tornado GR4 ZD744 over Iraq during Operation Shader September 2014 On 18 March 2011 British Prime Minister David Cameron announced that Tornados and Typhoons would enforce a no fly zone in Libya 243 In March 2011 several Tornados flew 3 000 mile 4 800 km strike missions against targets inside Libya in what were according to Defence Secretary Liam Fox the longest range bombing mission conducted by the RAF since the Falklands conflict 244 A variety of munitions were used during Tornado operations over Libya including laser guided bombs and Brimstone missiles 245 In August 2014 Tornado GR4s were deployed to RAF Akrotiri Cyprus to support refugees sheltering from Islamic State militants in the Mount Sinjar region of Iraq The decision came three days after the United States began conducting air attacks against the Islamic State Tornados were pre positioned to gather situational awareness in the region 246 247 On 27 September 2014 after Parliament approved airstrikes against Islamic State forces inside Iraq two Tornados conducted their first armed reconnaissance mission in conjunction with coalition aircraft 248 The next day two Tornados made the first airstrike on a heavy weapons post and an armoured vehicle supporting Kurdish forces in northwest Iraq 249 By 1 March 2015 eight RAF Tornados had been deployed to Akrotiri and conducted 159 airstrikes against IS targets in Iraq 250 On 2 December 2015 Parliament approved air strikes in Syria as well as Iraq to combat the growing threat of ISIL Tornados began bombing that evening 251 On 14 April 2018 four Tornado GR4s from RAF Akrotiri struck a Syrian military facility with Storm Shadow cruise missiles in response to a suspected chemical attack on Douma by the Syrian regime the previous week 252 Tornado GR4 in a retro scheme to mark the Tornado GR4 s retirement departing RAF Marham January 2019 On 10 July 2018 nine Tornado GR4s from RAF Marham flew over London to celebrate 100 years of the RAF 253 During late 2018 the RAF commemorated the Tornado s service with three special schemes 254 ZG752 paid homage to its early years with a green grey wraparound camouflage ZG775 and ZD716 both wore schemes commemorating the final units to operate the type No IX B Squadron and No 31 Squadron respectively 255 On 31 January 2019 the Tornado GR4 flew its last operational sorties in Operation Shader 256 The eight Tornados formerly stationed at RAF Akrotiri returned to RAF Marham in early February 2019 their duties assumed by six Typhoons 257 Between September 2014 and January 2019 RAF Tornados accounted for 31 of the estimated 4 315 casualties inflicted upon ISIL by the RAF during the operation 258 To celebrate 40 years of service and to mark the type s retirement several flypasts were carried out on 19 20 and 21 February 2019 over locations such as BAE Warton RAF Honington and RAF Lossiemouth 259 On 28 February nine Tornados flew out of RAF Marham for a diamond nine formation flypast over a graduation parade at RAF Cranwell before returning and carrying out a series of passes over RAF Marham 260 On 14 March 2019 the final flight of an RAF Tornado was carried out by Tornado GR4 ZA463 the oldest remaining Tornado over RAF Marham during the disbandment parade of No IX B Squadron and No 31 Squadron 261 262 The Tornado GR4 was officially retired from RAF service on 1 April 2019 the 101st anniversary of the force 263 264 Post retirement five Tornados returned to RAF Honington via road for the Complex Air Ground Environment CAGE which simulates a Tornado flight line for training purposes 265 Royal Saudi Air Force Edit RSAF Tornado IDS 7507 of 75 Squadron arriving at RAF Coningsby August 2013 On 25 September 1985 the UK and Saudi Arabia signed the Al Yamamah I contract including the sale of 48 IDS and 24 ADV model Tornados 266 The first flight of a Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado IDS was on 26 March 1986 and the first Saudi ADV was delivered on 9 February 1989 Saudi Tornados took part in the Gulf War In June 1993 the Al Yamamah II contract was signed the main element of which was 48 additional IDSs 267 268 Following experience with both the Tornado and the McDonnell Douglas F 15E Strike Eagle the RSAF discontinued low level mission training in the F 15E in light of the Tornado s superior low altitude flight performance 269 Ten of the Saudi Tornados were fitted with equipment for performing reconnaissance missions The 22 Tornado ADVs were replaced by the Eurofighter Typhoon the retired aircraft were purchased back by the UK 270 By 2007 both the Sea Eagle anti ship missile and the ALARM anti radiation missile that previously equipped the RSAF s Tornados had been withdrawn from service 269 As of 2010 needs update Saudi Arabia has signed several contracts for new weapon systems to be fitted to their Tornado and Typhoon fleets such as the short range air to air IRIS T missile and the Brimstone and Storm Shadow missiles 271 In September 2006 the Saudi government signed a contract worth 2 5 billion US 4 7 billion with BAE Systems to upgrade up to 80 RSAF Tornado IDS aircraft to keep them in service until 2020 The first RSAF Tornado was returned to BAE Systems Warton in December 2006 for upgrade under the Tornado Sustainment Programme TSP to equip the IDS fleet with a range of new precision guided weapons and enhanced targeting equipment in many cases common with those systems already fielded by the UK s Tornado GR4s 120 In December 2007 the first RSAF aircraft to complete modernisation was returned to Saudi Arabia 272 Starting from the first week of November 2009 RSAF Tornados along with Saudi F 15s performed air raids during the Shia insurgency in north Yemen It was the first time since Operation Desert Storm in 1991 that the RSAF had participated in a military operation over hostile territory 273 RSAF Tornados are playing a central role in Saudi led bombing campaign in Yemen 274 On 7 January 2018 Houthi fighters claimed to have shot down a Saudi warplane which was conducting air raids over northern Yemen 275 According to Saudi reports the downed aircraft was an RSAF Tornado which was on a combat mission over Saada province in northern Yemen it was lost for technical reasons and both crew were rescued 276 On 12 July 2018 another RSAF Tornado crashed in Asir region after returning from Saada Yemen due to a technical malfunction 277 On 14 February 2020 a Saudi Tornado was shot down during close air support mission in support of Saudi allied Yemeni forces in the Yemeni Al Jouf governorate by Houthis On the day after the Saudi command confirmed the loss of a Tornado while a video was released showing the downing using a two stage surface to air missile Both pilots ejected and were captured by Houthis 278 279 280 Variants EditTornado IDS Edit RAF Tornado GR4 ZA597 displaying at Kemble Air Show in 2008 the wings are partially swept Luftwaffe Tornado ECR 46 54 participating in Operation Allied Force in April 1999 Aeronautica Militare Tornado F3 MM7234 of 36º Stormo at Gioia del Colle Air Base 2002 Tornado GR1RAF IDS interdictor strike variants were initially designated the Tornado GR1 with later modified aircraft designated Tornado GR1A Tornado GR1B Tornado GR4 and Tornado GR4A The first of 228 GR1s was delivered on 5 June 1979 and the type entered service in the early 1980s Tornado GR1BThe Tornado GR1B was a specialised anti shipping variant of the GR1 replacing the Blackburn Buccaneer 26 aircraft were converted and were based at RAF Lossiemouth Scotland 281 Each aircraft was equipped to carry up to four Sea Eagle anti ship missiles 87 At first the GR1B lacked the radar capability to track shipping instead relying on the missile s seeker for target acquisition later updates allowed target data to be passed from aircraft to missile 282 Tornado GR1PA single Tornado GR1 ZA326 the eighth production aircraft was re designated GR1P after being partially rebuilt using parts from different production batches following a fire during engine testing This aircraft served with the Royal Aircraft Establishment and the Empire Test Pilot s School until 2005 when it was retired being the last GR1 in service anywhere in the world 283 Tornado GR4The UK Ministry of Defence began studies for a GR1 Mid Life Update MLU in 1984 284 The update to GR4 standard approved in 1994 would improve capability in the medium altitude role based on lessons learned from the GR1 s performance in the 1991 Gulf War British Aerospace later BAE Systems upgraded 142 Tornado GR1s to GR4 standard beginning in 1996 and finished in 2003 117 59 RAF aircraft later received the CUSP avionics package which integrated the Paveway IV bomb and installed a new secure communications module from Cassidian in Phase A 242 121 followed by the Tactical Information Exchange TIE datalink from General Dynamics in Phase B 242 121 Tornado GR1A GR4AThe GR1A is the reconnaissance variant operated by the RAF and RSAF fitted with the TIRRS Tornado Infra Red Reconnaissance System replacing the cannon 94 The RAF ordered 30 GR1As 14 as GR1 rebuilds and 16 new aircraft 285 When the Tornado GR1s were upgraded to become GR4s GR1A aircraft were upgraded to GR4A standard 286 The switch from low level operations to medium high level operations means that the internal TIRRS was no longer used 287 As the GR4A s internal sensors are no longer essential the RAF s Tactical Reconnaissance Wing operated both GR4A and GR4 aircraft 288 Tornado ECR Edit Operated by Germany and Italy the ECR Electronic Combat Reconnaissance is a Tornado variant devoted to Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses SEAD missions It was first delivered on 21 May 1990 The ECR has sensors to detect radar usage and is equipped with anti radiation AGM 88 HARM missiles 75 The Luftwaffe s 35 ECRs were delivered new while Italy received 16 converted IDSs Italian Tornado ECRs differ from the Luftwaffe aircraft as they lack built in reconnaissance capability and use RecceLite reconnaissance pods Only Luftwaffe ECRs are equipped with the RB199 Mk 105 engine which has a higher thrust rating 49 The German ECRs do not carry a cannon 289 The RAF used the IDS version in the SEAD role instead of the ECR and also modified several of its Tornado F 3s to undertake the mission 290 Tornado ADV Edit Main article Panavia Tornado ADV The Tornado ADV air defence variant was an interceptor variant of the Tornado developed for the RAF designated Tornado F2 or F3 and also operated by Saudi Arabia and Italy The ADV had inferior agility to fighters like the McDonnell Douglas F 15 Eagle 291 but was not intended as a dogfighter rather as a long endurance interceptor to counter the threat from Cold War bombers 292 Although the ADV had 80 parts commonality with the Tornado IDS the ADV had greater acceleration improved RB199 Mk 104 engines a stretched body greater fuel capacity the AI 24 Foxhunter radar and software changes It had only one cannon to accommodate a retractable inflight refuelling probe 57 113 Operators Edit Operators of the Panavia Tornado Main article List of Panavia Tornado operators GermanyLuftwaffe 210 IDS and 35 ECR Tornados delivered 293 By December 2018 94 IDS and 28 ECR aircraft remained in service 294 Marineflieger 112 IDS Tornados delivered retired in June 2005 with some aircraft being reallocated to the Luftwaffe 295 ItalyAeronautica Militare 100 IDS A 200 Tornados delivered 18 converted to ECR EA 200s 296 24 ADV F3 aircraft later leased from the RAF between 1995 and 2004 297 By December 2018 70 A 200 and 5 EA 200 aircraft remained in service 294 Saudi ArabiaRoyal Saudi Air Force 96 IDS and 24 ADV Tornados delivered 298 ADVs retired in 2006 299 By December 2018 81 IDS aircraft remained in service 294 Former operator Edit United KingdomRoyal Air Force 385 IDS GR1 and ADV F2 F3 Tornados delivered including 230 GR1s 300 142 later upgraded to GR4s 301 18 F2s and 147 F3s retired in 2011 302 194 GR4 was retired on 1 April 2019 263 Aircraft on display Edit Gate guardian Tornado IDS 44 96 on display at Schleswig Air Base Tornado F3 MM7210 at the Italian Air Force Museum Tornado GR1 ZA374 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force Tornado F3 ZH552 gate guardian RAF Leeming Tornado IDS 43 74 of the German Navy on display at the Pima Air amp Space Museum Arizona Tornado GR4 ZA469 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford Tornado IDS 45 30 at Aeronauticum Nordholz Panavia Tornado GR4 ZD744 at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre AustraliaZG791 Tornado GR4 on display at Aviation Heritage Museum Bull Creek Western Australia 303 Austria44 66 Tornado IDS on display at Gross Siegharts Lower Austria 304 305 Bulgaria44 13 Tornado IDS on display at the National Museum of Military History Sofia 306 EstoniaZE256 Tornado F3 on display at the Estonian Aviation Museum Lange 307 GermanyD 9591 Tornado Prototype P 01 on display at Militarhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin Gatow 308 XX948 Tornado Prototype P 06 on display at Hermeskeil 309 43 55 Tornado IDS on display at Aeronauticum Nordholz 310 43 70 Tornado IDS on display at Buchel Air Base Cochem 311 43 86 Tornado IDS MTU corporate design paint scheme at MTU Aero Engines Munich 312 43 96 Tornado IDS on display at Wengerohr Wittlich 313 314 44 31 Tornado IDS Blue Lightning paint scheme of the 31st Fighter Bomber Wing Boelcke at Norvenich AB 315 44 35 Tornado IDS on display at the Cologne Bonn Airport Cologne 316 44 56 Tornado IDS on display at Fliegergeschichtliche Museum TG JaboG 34 Memmingen 317 318 44 68 Tornado IDS on display at the Militarhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin Gatow 319 320 44 84 Tornado IDS on display at Furstenfeldbruck Air Base Furstenfeldbruck 321 44 96 Tornado IDS gate guard at Schleswig Air Base in Jagel near Schleswig 322 44 97 Tornado IDS of the Einsatzgeschwader Expeditionary Air Wing Mazar i Sharif at the Deutsches Museum Flugwerft Schleissheim Oberschleissheim 323 45 30 Tornado IDS on display at Aeronauticum Nordholz 310 45 44 Tornado IDS gate guard at Buchel Air Base Cochem 324 ItalyMM7001 Pre production Tornado P 14 on display at Cameri Air Base Cameri 325 MM7046 Tornado A 200 gate guard at Ghedi Air Base Brescia 326 MM7080 Tornado A 200 gate guard at Aviano Air Base Pordenone 327 MM7210 ex ZE836 176 Tornado F3 on display at the Italian Air Force Museum Vigna di Valle 328 NetherlandsXX947 Tornado Prototype P 03 on display at PS Aero Baarlo painted as 98 08 of the German Air Force 329 330 Saudi Arabia765 Tornado IDS on display at King Abdul Aziz Air Base Dhahran 331 332 2915 Tornado ADV on display at the Royal Saudi Air Force Museum in Riyadh 333 United KingdomXX946 Tornado Prototype P 02 on display at the RAF Museum Cosford England 192 XZ630 Pre production Tornado P 12 on display as a GR4 on the parade ground at RAF Halton Buckinghamshire England 334 335 XZ631 Tornado GR4 Prototype P 15 on display at Yorkshire Air Museum Elvington England 336 ZA267 Tornado F2T on display at RAF Syerston Nottinghamshire England 337 ZA319 Tornado GR1T on display at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection Wiltshire England 338 ZA326 Tornado GR1P on display at South Wales Aviation Museum Vale of Glamorgan Wales 334 339 ZA354 Tornado GR1 on display at Yorkshire Air Museum Elvington England 336 ZA357 Tornado GR1 on display at RAF Syerston Nottinghamshire England 337 ZA362 Tornado GR1 previously on display at Highland Aviation Museum Inverness Scotland until December 2020 ZA398 Tornado GR4A on display at Cornwall Aviation Heritage Centre Cornwall England the sole surviving RAF RECCE A variant 340 ZA399 Tornado GR1 on display in Knutsford Cheshire England 341 ZA452 Tornado GR4 on display at Midland Air Museum Coventry England 342 ZA457 Tornado GR1B on display at Royal Air Force Museum London Hendon England 343 ZA465 Tornado GR1 on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford England 344 ZA469 Tornado GR4 on display at Imperial War Museum Duxford England 345 346 ZA475 Tornado GR1 on the gate at RAF Lossiemouth Scotland 347 ZA556 Tornado GR4 on display at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom Shrivenham England 348 349 ZA607 Tornado GR4 on the gate at MoD Sealand Wales 350 ZA614 Tornado GR4 on the gate at RAF Marham Norfolk England 351 ZD744 Tornado GR4 on display at Montrose Air Station Heritage Centre Angus Scotland 352 ZE204 Tornado F3 on display at the North East Land Sea and Air Museums Tyne and Wear England 353 ZE760 Tornado F3 on the gate at RAF Coningsby Lincolnshire England 354 ZE887 Tornado F3 on display at Royal Air Force Museum London Hendon England 355 ZE934 Tornado F3 on display at National Museum of Flight East Fortune Scotland 356 ZE966 Tornado F3 on display at Tornado Heritage Centre Hawarden Airport Wales 357 ZE967 Tornado F3 on the gate at Leuchars Station Fife Scotland 358 ZG771 Tornado GR4 on display at Ulster Aviation Society Lisburn Northern Ireland 359 ZH552 Tornado F3 on display at RAF Leeming North Yorkshire England 360 United StatesZA374 Tornado GR1 on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force Wright Patterson AFB Ohio 361 43 74 Tornado IDS of the German Navy Marinefliegergeschwader 1 at the Pima Air amp Space Museum Tucson Arizona 362 43 75 Tornado IDS on display at Holloman Air Force Base New Mexico 363 45 11 Tornado IDS on display at the New Mexico Museum of Space History New Mexico 364 365 Specifications Tornado GR4 Edit Panavia Tornado IDS 3 view drawing Data from International Warbirds An Illustrated Guide to World Military Aircraft 1914 2000 55 Tornado Modern Fighting Aircraft 366 General characteristicsCrew 2 Length 16 72 m 54 ft 10 in Wingspan 13 91 m 45 ft 8 in at 25 sweep Swept wingspan 8 60 m 28 ft 3 in swept at 67 sweep Height 5 95 m 19 ft 6 in Wing area 26 6 m2 286 sq ft Empty weight 13 890 kg 30 622 lb 367 Gross weight 20 240 kg 44 622 lb 368 Powerplant 2 Turbo Union RB199 34R Mk 103 afterburning 3 spool turbofan 43 8 kN 9 800 lbf thrust each dry 76 8 kN 17 300 lbf with afterburnerPerformance Maximum speed 2 400 km h 1 500 mph 1 300 kn at 9 000 m 30 000 ft note 1 1 482 km h 921 mph 800 kn IAS near sea level dd dd dd Maximum speed Mach 2 2 Range 1 390 km 860 mi 750 nmi Ferry range 3 890 km 2 420 mi 2 100 nmi Service ceiling 15 240 m 50 000 ft Rate of climb 77 m s 15 100 ft min 369 370 verification needed Wing loading 767 kg m2 157 lb sq ft Thrust weight 0 77Armament Guns 1 27 mm 1 06 in Mauser BK 27 revolver cannon internally mounted under starboard side of fuselage with 180 rounds note 2 Hardpoints 3 under fuselage and 4 under wing pylon stations note 3 with a capacity of 9 000 kg 19 800 lb with provisions to carry combinations of Missiles 2 x AIM 132 ASRAAM air to air missiles for self defence 12 Brimstone missile or 2 Storm Shadow 9 ALARM anti radiation missile Bombs 5 500 lb 230 kg Paveway IV or 3 1 000 lb 450 kg UK Mk 20 Paveway II Enhanced Paveway II or 2 2 000 lb 910 kg Paveway III GBU 24 Enhanced Paveway III EGBU 24 or BL755 cluster bombs or Up to 2 JP233 or MW 1 munitions dispensers for runway cratering operations Up to 4 B61 or WE 177 tactical nuclear weapons Other Up to 4 drop tanks for ferry flight extended range flight timeAvionics RAPTOR aerial reconnaissance pod Rafael LITENING targeting pod or TIALD laser designator pod GEC Sky Shadow electronic countermeasure podPopular culture EditMain article Panavia Tornado in fictionSee also Edit United Kingdom portal Italy portal Aviation portal War portalFuture Combat Air System Wild WeaselRelated development Panavia Tornado ADVAircraft of comparable role configuration and era Dassault Mirage 2000 General Dynamics F 111 Aardvark Grumman F 14 Tomcat McDonnell Douglas F 15E Strike Eagle Mikoyan MiG 27 Sukhoi Su 24 Xian JH 7Related lists List of military aircraft of Germany List of active Italian military aircraft List of aircraft of the Royal Air ForceReferences EditNotes Edit with operable variable intake ramps which have been inhibited on the majority of Tornado aircraft except ADV variants 2 each with 180 rounds in GR 1 GR 1B and IDS the two inner wing pylons have shoulder launch rails for 2 short range air to air missiles each Citations Edit a b Variants www panavia de a b c d e Segell 1997 p 124 British French Work On New Military Plane Periled by Cost Fight Archived 2 November 2012 at the Wayback Machine Wall Street Journal 22 June 1967 Willox 2002 p 11 Hirschberg Mike 1 November 2000 V STOL Fighter Programs in Germany 1956 1975 PDF p 48 retrieved 24 December 2018 presented at 2000 International Powered Lift Conference Flight International 1 June 1967 p 896 Flight international 23 May 1968 p 798 a b c Morris Joe Alex Jr Messerschmitt Back in Business St Petersburg Times 30 April 1969 a b c Scutts 2000 p 53 Jefford et al 2002 p 25 Haglund 1989 pp 47 48 European Nations Plan Mammoth Military Aircraft Sarasota Journal 14 January 1969 p 9 via Google News Jefford et al 2002 p 28 a b Haglund 1989 p 48 Jefford et al 2002 p 26 Haglund 1989 p 49 Jefford et al 2002 pp 28 29 Black Ian July 2014 RAF Tornado 1974 onwards all marks and models Yeovil Haynes Publishing p 16 ISBN 978 0 85733 247 9 Haglund 1989 pp 52 56 a b Segell 1997 p 125 a b c Long Wellington Swing Wing Wonder Weapon Is Going Into Production Ludington Daily News 24 August 1976 Dorrell David ed Britain s Aircraft Industry enters the 1970s Air Pictorial Volume 32 No 9 September 1970 p 306 Lewis Paul Europe s Fighter Jet Program Tornado Offers Competition for U S Concerns Project Valued at 17 billion The New York Times 13 November 1979 Retrieved 13 November 1979 Jefford et al 2002 pp 89 90 Jefford et al 2002 pp 91 92 95 96 Quinn Jim 2 Tornado Concept Evolution The White Tornado Talbot Ted 2013 17 Concorde A Designer s Life The Journey to Mach 2 History Press ISBN 978 0752489285 Burger K H In Flight Short Field Landing Investigations on a Combat Aircraft with Thrust Reverser International Journal of Turbo 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Tornado on Canadian fighter shortlist Flight International 1978 p 1153 Lorell 1996 pp 108 121 Martin 1996 p 253 Harrison Michael and Raymond Whitaker S Korea lines up pounds 360m Tornado order BAe and partners would benefit from new arms policy less dependent on US The Independent 28 June 1993 Australian International Airshow Wild Weasel air defence upgrade offered to RAAF Flight International 20 February 2001 a b Jackson et al 1998 p 241 Royal Air Force Continues Libya Operations in Face of Force Structure Challenges defenceiq com 25 July 2011 Bristol Chris Tornado jets that fly from RAF Marham in Norfolk clock up a million flying hours Archived 24 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Watton and Swaffham Times 27 June 2011 Lake 2002 pp 446 455 Martin Guy All The World s Tornados AirForces Monthly October 2008 p 56 Scutts 2000 pp 53 55 a b c d Fredriksen 2001 p 255 Jefford et al 2002 p 136 a b c Eagles 1991 pp 88 91 a b Niccoli Air International June 2007 p 29 Spick Green and Swanborough 2001 p 33 Aeroguide 21 1988 p 6 Scutts 2000 p 54 Richardson 1986 p 18 Lake 2002 p 446 Aeroguide 21 1988 pp 2 8 Aeroguide 21 1988 p 2 Jukes 2004 p 48 Jarrett 2005 pp 3 4 BAE SYSTEMS Receives 70 Million Contract For Radar Map Display Subsystem On U K Tornado Aircraft Archived 8 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine BAE Systems 9 February 2004 Moir and Seabridge 2011 pp 2 23 Moir and Seabridge 2011 pp 2 22 Moir and Seabridge 2011 p 17 Pratt 2000 p 236 Ministry of Defence 2006 p 18 Moir and Seabridge 2011 pp 447 448 a b Jackson et al 1998 p 237 Jackson et al 1998 pp 240 241 Whitaker Richard Ferranti Mission Managers Flight International 15 August 1981 p 506 Richardson 1991 p 27 Tornado Infra Red Reconnaissance System TIRRS United Kingdom Airborne electro optic EO systems Archived 9 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine Jane s Avionics 23 March 2009 Evans 1999 pp 97 99 RAPTOR Archived 23 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Royal Air Force Retrieved 29 November 2011 UK Upgrades Airborne Reconnaissance 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Defence via reprint Conway 2006 ISBN 1 85753 384 4 Scutts Jerry 27 October 2000 Postwar Aircraft Osprey Modelling Manuals Oxford UK Osprey Publishing 2000 ISBN 978 1 84176 159 6 Segell Glen 1 January 1997 Wither or Dither British Aerospace Collaborative Procurement with Europe Staffordshire UK Glen Segell Publishers 1997 ISBN 1 901414 03 5 Spick Mike and William Green Gordon Swanborough Illustrated Anatomy of the World s Fighters Zenith Imprint 2001 ISBN 0 7603 1124 2 Szejnmann Claus Christian W Rethinking History Dictatorship and War New Approaches and Interpretations New York Continuum International Publishing 2009 ISBN 0 8264 4323 0 Taylor John W R Jane s All The World s Aircraft London Jane s 1975 1976 ISBN 0 354 00521 9 Taylor Michael J H Flight International World Aircraft amp Systems Directory London Reed Business Information 3rd Edition 2001 ISBN 0 617 01289 X Taylor Michael J H Jane s Aviation Review London Jane s Information Group 1987 ISBN 0 7106 0446 7 V STOL 1968 Flight International Volume 93 Number 3089 23 May 1968 pp 793 804a Wertheim Eric Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World Their Ships Aircraft and Systems Annapolis Maryland Naval Institute Press 2007 ISBN 1 59114 955 X External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panavia Tornado Panavia Managing Tornado Tornado BAe on Fas org Panavia Tornado IDS Attack Bomber on Aerospaceweb org Panavia Tornado on Tornado data com List of all active German Tornados German IDS Tornado 44 97 at the Deutsches Museum subsidiary Flugwerft Oberschleissheim Germany DE MRCA Six Years After TSR 2 a 1971 Flight article Supremacy Panavia MRCA a 1975 advertisement in Flight Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Panavia Tornado amp oldid 1131417900, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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