Panavia Tornado

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado

The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole
combat aircraft, which was 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.

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 used by the Royal Air Force (RAF), Italian Air Force and RSAF
during the 1991 Gulf War, in which the Tornado conducted many low-altitude
penetrating strike missions. The Tornados of various operators were also used in
conflicts in the former Yugoslavia during the Bosnian War and Kosovo War, the
Iraq War, Libya during the Libyan civil war, as well as smaller roles in
Afghanistan, Yemen, and Syria. Including all variants, 992 aircraft were built.

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, allowing for minimal
drag during the critical low-level dash towards a well-prepared enemy, had been
desired from the project's start. 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. For long
range bombing missions, the Tornado has a retractable refuelling probe.


Role
Multirole aircraft, strike aircraft

Manufacturer
Panavia Aircraft GmbH

First flight
14 August 1974

Introduction
1979

Status
In service

Primary users
Royal Air Force
Italian Air Force
German Air Force
Royal Saudi Air Force

Produced
1979–1998

Number built
992

Variants
Panavia Tornado ADV

The level of wing sweep, 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. 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. 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.

Royal Air Force

Nicknamed the "Tonka" by the British, the Tornado made its combat debut as part
of the British contribution to the Gulf War in 1991. Operation Granby saw nearly
60 RAF GR1s deploy to air bases at Muharraq in Bahrain and Tabuk and Dhahran in
Saudi Arabia. Several Tornado ADVs were deployed to provide air cover, the
threat of their long range missiles being a significant deterrent to Iraqi
pilots, who would deliberately avoid combat when approached.

German Air Force (Luftwaffe)

The first Tornado prototype made its first flight on 14 August 1974 from
Manching airbase, in what was then West Germany. Deliveries of production
Tornados began on 27 July 1979. The total number of Tornados delivered to the
German Air Force numbered 247, including 35 ECR variants. Originally Tornados
equipped five fighter-bomber wings (Geschwader), with one tactical conversion
unit and four front line wings, replacing the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. 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 RF-4E Phantoms.

Royal Saudi Air Force

On 25 September 1985, the UK and Saudi Arabia signed the Al Yamamah I contract
including, amongst other things, the sale of 48 IDS and 24 ADV model Tornados.
The first flight of a RSAF Tornado IDS was on 26 March 1986, and the first Saudi
ADV was delivered on 9 February 1989. Saudi Tornados undertook operations during
the Gulf War. In June 1993 the Al Yamamah II contract was signed, the main
element of which was 48 additional IDSs.

Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare)

The first Italian prototype made its maiden flight on 5 December 1975 from
Turin, Italy. The Aeronautica Militare received a total of 100 Tornado IDS. 16
IDSs were subsequently converted to the ECR configuration; the first Italian
Tornado ECR was delivered on 27 February 1998. 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.

On 14 November 2014, Italy announced it was sending four Tornado aircraft with
135 support staff to Ahmed Al Jaber Air Base in Kuwait in participation of
coalition operations against the Islamic State. The four aircraft will be used
for reconnaissance missions only.

Specifications (Tornado GR4)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 16.72 m (54 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 13.91 m at 25° wing sweep, 8.60 m at 67° wing sweep (45.6 ft / 28.2
ft)
Height: 5.95 m (19.5 ft)
Wing area: 26.6 m2 (286 ft2)
Empty weight: 13,890 kg (30,620 lb)
Loaded weight: 20,240 kg (44,620 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 28,000 kg (61,700 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk 103 afterburning turbofans Dry thrust:
43.8 kN (9,850 lbf) each
Thrust with afterburner: 76.8 kN (17,270 lbf) each


Performance
Maximum speed: Mach 2.2 (2,400 km/h, 1,490 mph) at 9,000 m (30,000 ft) altitude;
800 knots, 1,482 km/h, 921 mph indicated airspeed near sea level
Range: 1,390 km (870 mi) for typical combat mission
Ferry range: 3,890 km (2,417 mi) with four external drop tanks
Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 76.7 m/s (15,100 ft/min)
Thrust/weight: 0.77

Armament

Guns: 1× 27 mm (1.06 in) Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon internally mounted under
starboard side of fuselage with 180 rounds
Hardpoints: 4× light duty + 3× heavy duty under-fuselage and 4× swivelling
under-wing pylon stations with a capacity of 9,000 kg (19,800 lb) of payload,
the two inner wing pylons have shoulder launch rails for 2× Short-Range AAM
(SRAAM) each and provisions to carry combinations of: Missiles:
AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missiles for self-defence
6× AGM-65 Maverick; or
12× Brimstone missile; or
2× Storm Shadow
9× ALARM anti-radiation missile

Bombs:
5× 500 lb Paveway IV; or
3× 1000 lb (UK Mk 20) Paveway II/Enhanced Paveway II; or
2× 2000 lb 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 time






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