Panavia Tornado

The Panavia Tornado is a jet engine fighter-bomber jointly developed as the Multi-role combat aircraft - or MRCA - by Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom. It first flew on August 14th, 1974. International co-operation continued after its entry into service within a tri-nation training and evaluation unit operating from Cottesmore in Rutland in the English Midlands.

Table of contents

1 Variants 2 Specifications 3 Development timeline 4 See also

Variants

• Interdictor/Strike (IDS) - UK, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia
  Known as the GR4 in RAF service. A minor variant of the GR4 is the GR4A, in which GR4's 27mm cannon is replaced by a reconnaissance pod. The GR1 was delivered in a grey/green camoflage but this was changed to dark grey during the late 1990s. In operations over Iraq some GR1s received a sandy pink scheme. GR4s participating in the 2003 Iraq War were painted in a light grey scheme. German Navy examples normally sport a distinctive black/blue/grey camouflage pattern.
• Air Defence Variant (ADV) - UK, Saudi Arabia
  Known as the F3 in RAF service, this aircraft have recently been modified to be able to fire the ALARM anti-radiation missile, and thus be able to take on the mission of Suppression of Enemy Air Defences or SEAD. There are also rumoured plans to equip the F3's with TIALD pods, giving them the ability to drop laser guided bombs, making them true multirole aircraft. The F3 is painted in standard air-defence grey. Some original RAF F3s were loaned to the Italian Air Force as an interim replacement for the F-104 Starfighter, until the Eurofighter Typhoon enters service. However faced with delays to the Typhoon's In Service Date (ISD) the Italian Air Force has leased F-16s and returned the RAF aircraft.
• Electronic Combat & Reconnaissance (ECR) - Germany, Italy (see picture)
  The ECR is primarily a SEAD aircraft. The aircraft features an emitter-locator system (ELS) which is capable of locating enemy radar sites. The ECR is equipped with the AGM-88 HARM. Luftwaffe ECRs were delivered new, Italy converted 16 IDSs.

• Crew: 2
• Wing Span: (Variable geometry wing)
  • At 250 deg. wing position : 13.91 m
  • At 670 deg. wing position: 8.60 m
• Length: 16.72 m
• Height: 5.95 m
• Weight empty: 14,091 kg
• Weight Max. Load: 27,951 kg
• Engines:
  • Two Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk 101 turbofans, each with 37.7 kN thrust or 66.1 kN with afterburner.
  • Newer types: Turbo-Union R.B199-34R Mk 103 turbofans, each with 38.48 kN thrust, or 71.5 kN with afterburner.
• Max. Speed: clean: 2,338 km/h
• Max. Height: 15,240 m
• Max. Range: 3,890 km with 4 disposable fuel tanks
• Operational radius: 1,390 km
• Weapons
  • Max. 9000 kg on 4 brackets under the wings and 3 under the fuselage.
  • Mauser BK-27 cannon - 2 on GR1, 1 on GR1A, GR4 and F3 and none on GR4A

• 1969
  • 26 March - Panavia Aircraft GmbH formed by four partner nations, Germany, Italy, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
  • May - Project definition phase, concluded in early 1970. Two aircraft designs result, the single seat Panavia 100, and the twin seat Panavia 200. Initially favouring the Panavia 100, Germany eventually chose the Panavia 200, the RAF's favoured aircraft.
  • 1 June - Turbo Union Ltd formed to develop the RB199 engine.
  • July - Netherlands leaves project
• 1971
  • September - Intention to Proceed (ITP) signed by the three goverments.
  • 27 September - First test run of RB199 engine.
• 1974
  • 14 August - First flight of prototype P01 from Manching, Germany.
  • 30 October - First flight of prototype P02 from Warton, UK.
• 1975
  • 5 December - First flight of P05 from Turin, Italy.
• 1976
  • 29 July - Contract signed for Batch 1 aircraft.
• 1979
  • 5 June - First Tornado IDS delivered to RAF.
  • 6 June - First IDS handed over to Luftwaffe.
  • 9 August - First Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) prototype rolls off Warton production line.
• 1981
  • 29 January - Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) officially opened at RAF Cottesmore.
  • 25 September - First Italian IDS delivered.
• 1984
  • May - UK Ministry of Defence issues requriment for first Tornado upgrade project.
  • 5 November - First delivery of interim Tornado F2 standard to RAF.
• 1985
  • 11 July - First flight of RAF reconnaissance version, GR1A.
  • 26 September - UK and Saudi Arabia sign Al Yamamah I contract consisting, amongst other things, of the sale of 48 IDS and 24 ADV Tornados.
• 1986
  • 26 March - First flight of RSAF IDS.
• 1989
  • 9 February - First RSAF ADV delivered.
• 1990
  • 21 May - First deliveries of German ECR variant.
• 1991
  • 16 January - RAF GR1s participate in Operation Desert Storm, the first stage of the liberation of Kuwait. ALARM missile and TIALD pod rushed into service for the war.
• 1993
  • March - Tornado Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) project relaunched - with reduced capabilites from a 1989 upgrade plan.
  • 29 May - First flight of GR4 upgrade development aircraft.
  • June - Al Yamamah II contract signed - 48 additional IDSs.
• 1994
  • 14 February - First deliveries of RAF GR1B maritime strike version.
  • 29 July - UK signs contract for MLU of GR1/GR1A/GR1Bs to GR4/GR4A standard.
• 1995
  • July - First of 24 RAF F3s delivered on lease to Italy.
• 1996
  • 5 March - UK MoD announced F3 Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP,) to allow carriage of ASRAAM and AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.
• 1997
  • 4 April - First flight of upgraded GR4
  • 31 October - First GR4 delivered to RAF
• 1998
  • First CSP upgraded F3s enter service.
  • 28 April - GR4 enters front line service
  • 24 September - Final Tornado leaves production line, a RSAF IDS from Warton.
• 2002
  • GR4 deliveries completed.
  • Flight testing and aircraft integration of Storm Shadow begins.
• 2003
  • March - Iraq War - Combat debut of GR4 and Storm Shadow missile.

• RAF Tornado F3 interceptor
• RAF Tornado GR4 IDS, strike, version