Portal:Royal Air Force/Selected ship/4
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| Tornado | |
|---|---|
 Tornado GR4s of the Royal Air Force over Iraq |
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| Type | Ground attack Interceptor Electronic warfare |
| Manufacturer | Panavia Aircraft GmbH |
| Maiden flight | 14 August 1974 |
| Introduced | 1979 |
| Status | Operational |
| Primary users | Royal Air Force Luftwaffe Aeronautica Militare Royal Saudi Air Force |
| Produced | 1979 - 1999 |
| Number built | 992 |
| Variants | Tornado IDS Tornado ADV Tornado ECR |
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine fighters, which was jointly developed by the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. There are three primary versions of the Tornado, the fighter-bomber Tornado IDS (Interdictor/Strike), the interceptor Tornado ADV (Air Defence Variant), and the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance).
Developed and built by Panavia, a trination consortium consisting of British Aerospace (then the British Aircraft Corporation), MBB of Germany, and Alenia Aeronautica of Italy, the Tornado first flew on August 14, 1974, and saw action with the RAF and AMI (Italian Air Force) in Operation Granby / Gulf War. International co-operation continued after its entry into service within the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment, a tri-nation training and evaluation unit operating from RAF Cottesmore in Rutland in the English Midlands. Including all variants, 992 aircraft were built for the three partner nations and Saudi Arabia. Though still in service, plans are currently underway to replace the aircraft.
Development
During the 1960s, aeronautical designers looked to variable geometry designs to gain the manoeuvrability and efficient cruise of straight wings with the speed of swept-wing designs. Britain and France initiated the AFVG (Anglo French Variable Geometry) project in 1965, which ended with French withdrawal in 1967. In 1968, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Canada formed a working group to examine replacements for the F-104 Starfighter, initially called the Multi Role Aircraft (MRA), and later called the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA). Britain joined the MRCA group in 1968, and a memorandum of agreement was drafted between Britain, Germany, and Italy.
 Tornado GR.4 taking off at the Farnborough Air Show, 2006.]] |
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 RAF Tornado ZA463 |
