The Panavia Tornado is a multinational European supersonic twin-engined multirole combat aircraft that employs distinctive variable-sweep wings and entered service at the height of the Cold War, during the late 70s and early 80s.
The Panavia Tornado is a multirole combat jet airplane capable of supersonic flight and developed by a multinational European consortium backed by the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy.
The Tornado, named after the weather phenomenon following the British tradition (and sharing its name with the ill-fated Hawker Tornado of the 40s, a failed replacement of the famous Hawker Hurricane), originally came into existence as a multirole fighter-bomber to replace numerous previous airframes in service with the Air Forces of most Western European nations.
About the Panavia Tornado
The 1960s were a period where variable-geometry wings technology matured and began seeing widespread application.
On December 21, 1964, the supersonic F-111, the first production variable-sweep wing airplane, had its first flight.
Three years later, in June 1967, the Soviet MiG-23 took to the skies for the first time, followed in July of the same year by the more successful Sukhoi Su-24 tactical bomber.
Meanwhile, the United Kingdom was studying the supersonic BAC TSR-2 tactical strike and reconnaissance aircraft, only to cancel it on April 1, 1965, for budget constraints. This followed the earlier cancellation of the extremely advanced variable-sweep Vickers Swallow project in 1957. The project was led by Barnes Wallis, of WW2 fame and the inventor of the earthquake bombs, and of the bouncing bomb used in the dam-breaking Operation Chastise.
After further cancelation in 1967 the acquisition of the F-111 (the very plane which was chosen instead of the TSR-2), and the French withdrawal from BAC/Dassault AFVG variable-sweep project, the Royal Air Force remained in need of a replacement for its Avro Vulcan strategic bomber and Blackburn Buccaneer strike aircraft.
Similarly, West Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Canada were looking into replacing their fleets of Lockheed F-104G Starfighter planes (the famous interceptor that was increasingly adapted and deployed in the fighter-bomber role) and initiated the Multi-Role Aircraft (MRA) Program in 1968, later renamed as the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) and joined by Britain.
Reduced to 4 partners by 1969 after the retirement of Canada and Belgium, and then to 3 in 1970, the remaining nations founded the multinational Panavia Aircraft Gmbh (with the UK and Germany holding each 42.5% of the stakes, and Italy the remaining 15%) to develop and manufacture the MRCA.
In June 1970 a separate company, Turbo-Union (with 40% of the shares owned by the British Rolls-Royce, 40% by the German MTU, and 20% by the Italian FIAT), was formed to develop and build the engines for the plane.
By September 1971 the plane, then briefly known as the Panavia Panther, had matured into the two-seat design preferred by the Royal Air Force, intended for low-level strikes against Soviet positions.
The first development aircraft finally flew at Manching (Germany) on August 14, 1974, but three of the 15 prototypes were lost or seriously damaged in incidents during development
Having finally overcome testing issues, and having expanded its roles to tactical strike, reconnaissance, air defence, and maritime operations, the first production airframe from the Batch 1 contract (signed on July 29, 1976) had its first flight on July 10, 1979, at BAE Warton.
Production planes started reaching the RAF on June 5, 1979, followed the next day by deliveries to the German Air Force and finally by airframes for the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare) from September 25, 1981.
The Luftwaffe received the 500th Tornado to be produced on December 19, 1987.
The RAF No. IX (B) Squadron on June 1, 1982, became the first front-line squadron in the world to operate the Tornado, but also registered the first British Tornado incident on September 27, 1983.
During the closing stages of the Cold War many Tonkas, as the Tornado is affectionately called in Britain as a reference to old Tonka toy trucks, were deployed to bases in Germany in anticipation of striking Warsaw Pact targets in case of war, but the plane got its combat debut only in 1991 with the Gulf War, where both Italian and British planes hit multiple Iraqi targets, including using special runway denial bombs against airfields.
On January 17, 1991, the first Tornado to be lost in open warfare, an RAF plane, was shot down by an Iraqi SA-16 (Igla-1 MANPADS) missile, while on January 18 the only Italian Tornado lost in the war, the MM7074 Tornado flown by Major Gianmarco Bellini and navigator Captain Maurizio Cocciolone, was shot down by an Iraqi ZSU-23-4 Shilka SPAAGs (Self-Propelled Anti-Air Gun) immediately after hitting its assigned target, the only plane in that strike package able to refuel and hit the objectives in difficult weather conditions.
On January 19, another RAF Tornado was shot down during an intensive raid on Tallil Air Base, and by the end of the war, the Royal Air Force had lost 6 Tonkas.
RAF Tornados became frequent visitors to the Middle East, first taking part in the no-fly-zone in Iraq (Operation Southern Watch and Operation Provide Comfort) and in the 1998 strikes on Iraqi targets (Operation Desert Fox), and later returning during the Invasion of Iraq in 2003 (with the last Tornado being retired from Iraq in 2009) and again in 2014-2015 to bomb I.S./Daesh targets from the RAF base at Akrotiri.
Tonkas also took part in operations in Afghanistan from 2009, and in 2011 were forward-deployed to southern Italy along with Typhoons for Operation Odyssey Dawn against Libya.
RAF Tornado also took part, along with French and American planes, in the April 14, 2018 strike against Syrian targets involved in the regime’s chemical attacks on civilians.
4 German Tornados participated in the multinational operations to end the Bosnian War in 1995, and later joined their Italian and British counterparts in the 1999 Operation Allied Force to end the Kosovo War, and later also saw service in Afghanistan.
Over the years, the Luftwaffe received a total of 247 Tornado, with 35 of them being the ECR Electronic Warfare version, while the German Navy’s Marineflieger obtained a further 112 (the naval planes being retired in June 2005).
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The Royal Air Force obtained 385 Tornado, 230 GR (ground attack version), and 165 F (air defense/fighter version), with the former being retired in 2019 and the latter in 2011.
The Italian Air Force operated a total of 100 Tornado IDS (also known locally as A-200 Tornado), and also leased 24 ADV (British F3) from the RAF from 1995 to 2004 to fill the gap between the retirement of the F-104 and the debut of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Export of the type instead proved troublesome, with Saudi Arabia being the only customer to acquire the plane, after the retirement of Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands during development, and after later losing the competition to provide aircraft to Australia, Canada (who both instead selected the F/A-18 Hornet), Japan (losing to the F-16-derivate Mitsubishi F-2), Taiwan, South Korea, and Oman.
Despite these setbacks, the Tornado was able to reach a production run of 990 airframes, with the last aircraft (a Tornado IDS) being produced in 1998 for Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia also employed its Tonkas in warfare, starting with the Gulf War and ending with the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen (an operation that claimed at least two crashes for malfunctions, and a Tornado shot down by the Houthi rebels).
As of 2024, Britain is the only country to have retired the Tornado, while at least 86 airframes (63 Tornado IDS, 21 Tornado ECR and 2 IDS for training) are still in service with the Luftwaffe, 46 with the Italian Air Force (27 Tornado IDS, 13 Tornado ECR and 6 IDS for training) and 81 Tornado IDS with Saudi Arabia (having retired the Tornado ADVs in 2006.
Panavia Tornado: Variants
Popular variants of the Panavia Tornado aircraft are mentioned below.
Panavia Tornado IDS GR1
Interdictor/Strike version for the RAF. 228 produced, plus 7 prototypes, with the first production aircraft delivered on June 5, 1979.
Panavia Tornado IDS GR1B
Anti-shipping variant of the GR1 to replace the Blackburn Buccaneer. 26 airframes converted from GR1s, able to carry up to 4 Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles.
Panavia Tornado IDS GR1A
Reconnaissance version for the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force.
Panavia Tornado IDS GR4
Updated GR1 airframes, starting in 1994. 142 Tornados converted.
Panavia Tornado IDS GR4A
Updated GR1A Tornados.
Tornado IDS
Interdictor/Strike version for Germany, Italy, and Saudi Arabia. 555 produced, including 9 prototypes.
Tornado ECR
Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance version of the IDS for SEAD (Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses) missions.
First delivered on May 21, 1990.
35 airframes for Germany and 16 for Italy.
Tornado ADV
Air Defence version with improved engines, longer airframe and greater fuel capacity, employed as an interceptor.
F2 and F3 variants.
205 airframes, 181 for the United Kingdom (including 24 leased to Italy) and 24 for Saudi Arabia.
Panavia Tornado: Operators
As of 1998 when production ended, 990 Tornados plus 11 prototypes (while a total of 15 airframes were used for testing) have been made.
As of 2024, only 213 remain operative, with the majority since retired and only a limited number having crashed (and only 7 British, one of them a friendly fire incident from an American Patriot SAM, 1 Italian, and 1 Saudi Tornados being shot down in combat).
Tornados have been in service with 4 countries, but only 3 of them still retain the planes, even if they are all planning to retire the type in the coming years (being replaced with F-35s and Typhoons in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy, while Saudi Arabia has bought F-15s and Typhoons).
The Royal Air Force obtained 385 Tornado, 230 IDS (retired in 2019), and 165 ADV (retired in 2011).
The Luftwaffe received a total of 247 Tornado IDS, with 35 of them being the ECR version.
Still flown by the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 at Büchel (IDS) and by the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 “Immelmann” at Jagel/Schleswig (ECR).
The German Navy’s Marineflieger obtained a 112 Tornado IDS, and retired them in June 2005.
The Italian Air Force operated a total of 100 Tornado IDS, converted 18 of them to ECR, and also leased 24 British ADV F3s from 1995 to 2004.
Currently, all Tornados are based at Ghedi (Brescia), operated by the 102° Gruppo, 6° Stormo (IDS), the 154° Gruppo, 6° Stormo (IDS), and the 155° Gruppo E.T.S., 6° Stormo (IDS/ECR).
The Royal Saudi Air Force operated 96 Tornado IDS and 24 ADV, with the interceptors retired in 2006.
Still operates Tornados IDS with the 7th Squadron RSAF, the 75th Squadron RSAF, and, the 83rd Squadron RSAF.
Panavia Tornado: Specifications
The general characteristics and other specifications of the Panavia Tornado are given below.
General Characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 16.72 m (54 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 13.91 m (45 ft 8 in) at 25° sweep, 8.60 m (28 ft 3 in) swept at 67° sweep
- Height: 5.95 m (19 ft 6 in)
- Empty weight: 13,890 kg (30,622 lb)
- Gross weight: 20,240 kg (44,622 lb)
- Max. Ordnance Load: 9,000 kg (19,841 lb)
- Internal Fuel: 4,660 kg (10,273 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 x 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 or 1,300 kn) / Mach 2.2
- Combat range: 3,148 km (1,956 mi, 1,700 nmi)
- Ferry range: 3,890 km (2,420 mi, 2,100 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 15,240 m (50,000 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 1 x 27 mm (1.06 in) Mauser BK-27 revolver cannon inside the fuselage with 180 rounds
(2 x 27 mm Mauser BK-27, each with 180 rounds in GR.1, GR.1B, and IDS) - Hardpoints: 3 x under-fuselage and 4 x under-wing with a capacity of 9,000 kg (19,841 lb).
- Missiles: AIM-9 Sidewinder or AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air IR-guided missiles for self-defence, British Aerospace Skyflash or AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air radar-guided missiles (Tornado ADV), ALARM anti-radiation missile or HARM anti-radiation missile, Up to 12 Brimstone air-to-surface missiles or 2 Storm Shadow cruise missiles.
- Bombs: 500 lb (230 kg) Paveway IV or 1,000 lb (450 kg) Paveway II/Enhanced Paveway II or 2,000 lb (910 kg), Paveway III (GBU-24), BL755 cluster bombs, B61 or WE.177 tactical nuclear weapons
Tornados can also carry the JP233 or MW-1 munitions dispensers for anti-airfield operations, and (depending on configuration), up to 4 drop tanks.
Panavia Tornado Milestones
Some of the milestones reached by the Panavia Tornado;
- Multi-Role Aircraft (MRA) Program: 1968
- Founding of Panavia Aircraft GmbH: 26 March 1969
- Founding of Turbo-Union: June 1970
- Prototype Tornado first flight: 14 August 1974
- Tornado Batch 1 contract signed: 29 July 1976
- Production Tornado first flight: 10 July 1979
- First delivery to RAF: 5 June 1979
- First delivery to Luftwaffe: 6 June 1979
- First delivery to Aeronautica Militare: 25 September 1981
- First front-line squadron to operate the Tornado: 1 June 1982
- First British Tornado incident: 27 September 1983.
- Contract with Saudi Arabia: 25 September 1985
- Saudi Arabian Tornado first flight: 17 February 1986
- First Saudi Arabian Tornado delivered: 26 March 1986
- 500th Tornado delivered: 19 December 1987
- Tornado combat debut: 1991
- First Tornado shot down in combat: 17 January 1991
- First Saudi Arabian Tornado combat mission: 17 January 1991.
- First Italian Tornado shot down in combat: 18 January 1991
- End of production: 1998
- First German offensive air mission since World War II: 1999
- Tornado retired by the German Navy: June 2005
- Tornado ADV retired by Saudi Arabia: 2006
- Tornado ADV retired by the UK: 2011
- Tornado IDS retired by the UK: 1 April 2019
