Panavia Tornado IDS
By the beginning of the 1970s, the nations of Western Europe had come to the realization that a dedicated strike aircraft was desperately needed. Most of NATO was depending on the F-104G Starfighter as their primary interdiction and strike aircraft, while France had only aging Mysteres and modified Mirage IIIs. The United Kingdom did not even have that: the promising TSR.2 had been cancelled, as had a British version of the F-111 Aardvark. Moreover, the UK also lacked an interceptor, relying on the outdated Lightning F.6. Finally, as the emerging European Common Market (the forerunner of the European Union) sought to distance itself from the United States, Western Europe desired an aircraft designed by Europeans for Europeans, rather than depending on American designs.
All parties agreed that the new Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) should be a twin-engined dedicated strike aircraft, with variable-sweep wings that would allow it high dash speed at low-level to the target, yet allow it to operate from short runways or semi-improved fields. Political infighting over who would lead the MRCA project led France to withdraw from the program, followed by Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands, leaving just West Germany, Britain, and Italy by 1971. Production of the MRCA would be divided between Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Bohm (MBB) of Germany, the British Aircraft Company (BAC) of the UK, and Fiat of Italy, under the umbrella of Panavia; the engines would similarly be produced by all three nations, with Britain’s Rolls-Royce in the lead, as Turbo-Union. Though Germany preferred a single-seat aircraft and the UK wanted an interceptor, the nations agreed to a two-seat aircraft to lessen the pressure on the pilot, while the MRCA would also be developed as an interceptor to satisfy the British requirement. The emphasis, however, was on the immediate development of a strike aircraft.
With the finalization of the aircraft design, what became the Panavia Tornado came together relatively quickly, with the first prototype flight in August 1974. Testing also went smoothly: the loss of two prototypes to crashes was traced to problems with the variable-flow intakes and the thrust reverser, which had been added to the design to improve its short-field landing performance. The strike version, designated Tornado IDS (Interdiction/Strike) for Germany and Italy, and Tornado GR.1 for Britain, entered service in 1979. Despite the hopes of the Panavia partners, the Tornado was never an export success, with only Saudi Arabia purchasing the aircraft: the F-16 and Mirage F.1 were cheaper alternatives, with more weapons options and less mechanically complex.
The Tornado IDS nonetheless proved to be a superb aircraft, with excellent handling in all flight profiles, and open to continual improvement. After the success of the American Wild Weasel program, Germany and Italy opted for a further development of the Tornado IDS to a dedicated anti-SAM aircraft, the Tornado ECR (Electronic Countermeasures/Reconnaissance).
The Tornado would never be called on to fight a war in Central Europe against the Soviet Union, which it had been designed to do. Instead, its first combat would come in the deserts of Iraq in the First Gulf War. RAF Tornados were tasked specifically with runway interdiction of Iraqi airfields—tactics that had been practiced often in anticipation of a Third World War. The result was near-disastrous: Iraqi antiaircraft fire accounted for three Tornados in as many days, as RAF pilots had trained to use terrain avoidance in Europe to mask them from ground fire; in Iraq, there was no terrain to hide behind. This forced the Tornado force to medium altitudes and freefall bombs only, as the Tornado IDS/GR.1 lacked the ability to launch precision-guided munitions.
The Tornado has since done better. Continually improved to carry a wide variety of weaponry, including the ALARM antiradar missile, Brimstone antitank missile, Kormoran and Sea Eagle antiship missiles, and American-built JDAMs, Tornados from Germany, Italy, and the UK have participated in wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. In Afghanistan, German Tornado ECRs have been invaluable using their onboard sensors to detect improvised explosive devices, while Italian Tornado IDS and RAF Tornado GR.4s essentially grounded the Libyan Air Force in the first days of the conflict by hitting runways and hangars; RAF Tornados flew from bases in the UK to Libya in the longest missions since the 1982 Falklands conflict. RAF, Luftwaffe, and AMI Tornado IDS/GR.4s will remain in service until at least 2025, to be replaced by either more Typhoons or the F-35 Lightning II. With 992 Tornados produced, the aircraft has easily been the most successful European aircraft built since World War II.
It is a bit odd to find a Tornado in the American Southwest, but that's where Tornado IDS 43+74 ended up. It was one of just over a hundred Tornados delivered to the West German Marineflieger's MFG 1 in 1982, based at Jagel. Whereas the Luftwaffe's Tornados were optimized for strike and interdiction, the Marineflieger's aircraft were meant primarily for antiship roles: their role in wartime would be to sink any Warsaw Pact ships trying to break out into the North Sea, or land troops in Denmark or northern West Germany. Tactical reconnaissance was a secondary role, with provision for camera pods.
After the Cold War ended, MFG 1 was disbanded in 1993 as part of the post-Cold War drawdown. 43+74 was transferred to AKG 51 of the Luftwaffe, the service's reconnaissance unit, but never actually flew with AKG 51; instead, it was retired. Later that year, it was flown to the AMARG storage facility at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, to test if the Tornado could be stored there--Germany maintained a squadron of Tornados at Holloman AFB, New Mexico for training, and it would be more cost-effective to simply store them in Arizona rather than flying them back to Germany. Once testing was finished, 43+74 was donated to the USAF for display, and in 2006, it was handed over to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
As mentioned above, the American Southwest is the last place most would look for a German Tornado, but in reality, that's where three of the four Tornados on display in North America are located--two in New Mexico, and 43+74 at Pima. (The fourth is a former RAF Tornado GR.1 at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio). 43+74 retains the Cold War camouflage of Marineflieger units--unlike Luftwaffe units, which preferred wraparound colors, the Marineflieger aircraft used a medium gray over white scheme, which was preferred for overwater operations. Later Marineflieger Tornados switched to two shades of gray in a wraparound scheme. The Marineflieger anchor symbol is carried on the intakes, with a small "Marine" legend on the tail; MFG 1's crest is carried atop the tail.
When I was a kid, my favorite toy was a small Matchbox Panavia Tornado I got for Christmas in 1978. At that point, the Tornado was still known mainly as the MRCA, but mine was in Marineflieger camouflage. I cherished that toy until 1984, when it was lost in the move to Montana. At that point, I had to switch my affections (and my pretend fighter pilot career) to the A-4 Skyhawk.
Panavia Tornado IDS
By the beginning of the 1970s, the nations of Western Europe had come to the realization that a dedicated strike aircraft was desperately needed. Most of NATO was depending on the F-104G Starfighter as their primary interdiction and strike aircraft, while France had only aging Mysteres and modified Mirage IIIs. The United Kingdom did not even have that: the promising TSR.2 had been cancelled, as had a British version of the F-111 Aardvark. Moreover, the UK also lacked an interceptor, relying on the outdated Lightning F.6. Finally, as the emerging European Common Market (the forerunner of the European Union) sought to distance itself from the United States, Western Europe desired an aircraft designed by Europeans for Europeans, rather than depending on American designs.
All parties agreed that the new Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) should be a twin-engined dedicated strike aircraft, with variable-sweep wings that would allow it high dash speed at low-level to the target, yet allow it to operate from short runways or semi-improved fields. Political infighting over who would lead the MRCA project led France to withdraw from the program, followed by Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands, leaving just West Germany, Britain, and Italy by 1971. Production of the MRCA would be divided between Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Bohm (MBB) of Germany, the British Aircraft Company (BAC) of the UK, and Fiat of Italy, under the umbrella of Panavia; the engines would similarly be produced by all three nations, with Britain’s Rolls-Royce in the lead, as Turbo-Union. Though Germany preferred a single-seat aircraft and the UK wanted an interceptor, the nations agreed to a two-seat aircraft to lessen the pressure on the pilot, while the MRCA would also be developed as an interceptor to satisfy the British requirement. The emphasis, however, was on the immediate development of a strike aircraft.
With the finalization of the aircraft design, what became the Panavia Tornado came together relatively quickly, with the first prototype flight in August 1974. Testing also went smoothly: the loss of two prototypes to crashes was traced to problems with the variable-flow intakes and the thrust reverser, which had been added to the design to improve its short-field landing performance. The strike version, designated Tornado IDS (Interdiction/Strike) for Germany and Italy, and Tornado GR.1 for Britain, entered service in 1979. Despite the hopes of the Panavia partners, the Tornado was never an export success, with only Saudi Arabia purchasing the aircraft: the F-16 and Mirage F.1 were cheaper alternatives, with more weapons options and less mechanically complex.
The Tornado IDS nonetheless proved to be a superb aircraft, with excellent handling in all flight profiles, and open to continual improvement. After the success of the American Wild Weasel program, Germany and Italy opted for a further development of the Tornado IDS to a dedicated anti-SAM aircraft, the Tornado ECR (Electronic Countermeasures/Reconnaissance).
The Tornado would never be called on to fight a war in Central Europe against the Soviet Union, which it had been designed to do. Instead, its first combat would come in the deserts of Iraq in the First Gulf War. RAF Tornados were tasked specifically with runway interdiction of Iraqi airfields—tactics that had been practiced often in anticipation of a Third World War. The result was near-disastrous: Iraqi antiaircraft fire accounted for three Tornados in as many days, as RAF pilots had trained to use terrain avoidance in Europe to mask them from ground fire; in Iraq, there was no terrain to hide behind. This forced the Tornado force to medium altitudes and freefall bombs only, as the Tornado IDS/GR.1 lacked the ability to launch precision-guided munitions.
The Tornado has since done better. Continually improved to carry a wide variety of weaponry, including the ALARM antiradar missile, Brimstone antitank missile, Kormoran and Sea Eagle antiship missiles, and American-built JDAMs, Tornados from Germany, Italy, and the UK have participated in wars in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. In Afghanistan, German Tornado ECRs have been invaluable using their onboard sensors to detect improvised explosive devices, while Italian Tornado IDS and RAF Tornado GR.4s essentially grounded the Libyan Air Force in the first days of the conflict by hitting runways and hangars; RAF Tornados flew from bases in the UK to Libya in the longest missions since the 1982 Falklands conflict. RAF, Luftwaffe, and AMI Tornado IDS/GR.4s will remain in service until at least 2025, to be replaced by either more Typhoons or the F-35 Lightning II. With 992 Tornados produced, the aircraft has easily been the most successful European aircraft built since World War II.
It is a bit odd to find a Tornado in the American Southwest, but that's where Tornado IDS 43+74 ended up. It was one of just over a hundred Tornados delivered to the West German Marineflieger's MFG 1 in 1982, based at Jagel. Whereas the Luftwaffe's Tornados were optimized for strike and interdiction, the Marineflieger's aircraft were meant primarily for antiship roles: their role in wartime would be to sink any Warsaw Pact ships trying to break out into the North Sea, or land troops in Denmark or northern West Germany. Tactical reconnaissance was a secondary role, with provision for camera pods.
After the Cold War ended, MFG 1 was disbanded in 1993 as part of the post-Cold War drawdown. 43+74 was transferred to AKG 51 of the Luftwaffe, the service's reconnaissance unit, but never actually flew with AKG 51; instead, it was retired. Later that year, it was flown to the AMARG storage facility at Davis-Monthan AFB, Arizona, to test if the Tornado could be stored there--Germany maintained a squadron of Tornados at Holloman AFB, New Mexico for training, and it would be more cost-effective to simply store them in Arizona rather than flying them back to Germany. Once testing was finished, 43+74 was donated to the USAF for display, and in 2006, it was handed over to the Pima Air and Space Museum.
As mentioned above, the American Southwest is the last place most would look for a German Tornado, but in reality, that's where three of the four Tornados on display in North America are located--two in New Mexico, and 43+74 at Pima. (The fourth is a former RAF Tornado GR.1 at the National Museum of the USAF in Dayton, Ohio). 43+74 retains the Cold War camouflage of Marineflieger units--unlike Luftwaffe units, which preferred wraparound colors, the Marineflieger aircraft used a medium gray over white scheme, which was preferred for overwater operations. Later Marineflieger Tornados switched to two shades of gray in a wraparound scheme. The Marineflieger anchor symbol is carried on the intakes, with a small "Marine" legend on the tail; MFG 1's crest is carried atop the tail.
When I was a kid, my favorite toy was a small Matchbox Panavia Tornado I got for Christmas in 1978. At that point, the Tornado was still known mainly as the MRCA, but mine was in Marineflieger camouflage. I cherished that toy until 1984, when it was lost in the move to Montana. At that point, I had to switch my affections (and my pretend fighter pilot career) to the A-4 Skyhawk.