Panavia Tornado

The two-seat Tornado variable-geometry, all-weather NATO combat aircraft - the first European combat aircraft able to operate in all weathers, day and night - is produced by Panavia Aircraft GmbH, a tri-national company set up jointly by British Aerospace (42,5 per cent), Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm of Germany (42,5 per cent) and Alenia (previously Aeritalia), Italy (15 per cent). Each country manufactures major components - the UK, front and rear fuselages; Germany, center fuselage; and Italy, the wing, but each country assembles the aircraft for its own Services. Tornados are powered by Turbo-Union RB-199 engines and carry a wide range of air-to-air and air-to-surface weapons.

Over 900 Tornados have been ordered by the forces of the tree partner nations and Saudi Arabia.

The Tornado IDS (Interdictor Strike) is an all-weather, day and night combat aircraft in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF), German Air Force, Italian Air Force, German Navy and the Royal Saudi Air Force.

The IDS Tornado is designed primarily to fly at transonic speeds, hugging the ground day and night.

The Royal Air Force also operates a reconnaissance version of the Tornado IDS, designated GR.1A in which the space otherwise taken by the guns and ammunition is used to house three infrared sensors, one downwards looking and two sideways looking, producing real time reconnaissance.

The Tornado GR4, the mid-life update for the RAF, is currently under development and represents a major upgrade to the GR1.

The Tornado ADV (Air Defense Variant) has been developed in the UK as a long-range interceptor for the Royal Air Force, where it is designated F.2/F.3. It is also in service with the Royal Saudi Air Force.

Compared with the IDS, the ADV has a 54 inch (1.36 m) longer front fuselage section to house the Foxhunter Air Intercept (AI) radar and can carry Sky Flash missiles and has additional avionics and fuel tank.

The Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat and Reconnaissance) has been ordered by the German Air Force. Based on the latest standard of IDS aircraft, the introduction of new sensors, displays and equipment gives this variant a unique ECR capability which enables it to undertake hard and/or soft kill operations and to act as a pathfinder and thereby as a true force multiplier.

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Technical Description for Tornado IDS

		Full name				Panavia Tornado IDS
		Type				Multi-role combat aircraft
		Origin				Germany, Italy and UK
		Length				54' 10" (16.72 m)
		Wing span				Extended: 45' 8" (13.91 m) Swept: 28' 3" (8.60 m)
		Height				19' 6" (5.95 m)
		Empty Weight				31,065 lb. (14,091 kg)
		Max Take Off Weight				60,000 lb. (27,216 kg)
		Powerplant				Two 16,075 lb. (7,292 kg) afterburning thrust Turbo-Union RB.199-34R Mk 103 turbofans
		Speed				Mach 2.2
		Range				Combat radius 864 miles (1,390 km) with heavy weapon load
		Armament				Two 27 mm IWKA-Mauser cannon with 180 rounds per gun; provision for 19,840 lb. (9,000 kg) of disposable stores, including a 500 kiloton nuclear weapon, Hunting JP233 weapon packs, ALARM anti-radar missiles, AAMs, ASMs, anti-ship missiles, free-fall and guided bombs, cluster bombs, drop tanks and ECM pods, carried on seven external hardpoints.
		Crew				2
		Unit cost				Currently unavailable

Technical Description for Tornado ADV

		Full name				Panavia Tornado ADV
		Type				All-weather air-defence interceptor
		Origin				Germany, Italy and UK
		Length				61' 4" (18.68 m)
		Wing span				Extended: 45' 8" (13.91 m) Swept: 28' 3" (8.60 m)
		Height				19' 6" (5.95 m)
		Empty Weight				31,970 lb. (14,501 kg)
		Max Take Off Weight				61,700 lb. (27,987 kg)
		Powerplant				Two 16,520 lb. (7,493 kg) afterburning thrust Turbo-Union RB.199-34R Mk 104 turbofans
		Speed				Mach 2.2
		Range				Intercept radius, supersonic more than 345 miles (555 km) and subsonic more than 1,150 miles (1,853 km)
		Armament				One 27 mm IWKA-Mauser cannon with 180 rounds; provision for 12,800 lb. (5,806 kg) of disposable stores, including Sky Flash medium-range AAMs, AIM-9L Sidewinder short-range AAMs and drop tanks, carried on four underfuselage and two underwing hardpoints.
		Crew				2
		Unit cost				Currently unavailable

Sources

The info for this plane was taken from the following sources on the internet and all credit should go to them. If you want to know more about this aircraft, I suggest checking out these great sites.
Panavia Tornado
Military Analysis Network
The Library of World's Weapons
Tornado by Emmanuel Gustin
Tornado Pic Archive

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