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Tornado ADV

RAF Tornado F3
Type Interceptor
Manufacturer British Aerospace
Maiden flight 27 October 1979
Introduced 1 May 1985
Primary users Royal Air Force
Royal Saudi Air Force
Italian Air Force
Number built 218
Developed from Panavia Tornado IDS

The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) is a fighter interceptor version of the Panavia Tornado in service with the Royal Air Force. An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing building testing selling and maintaining Aircraft, Aircraft parts British Aerospace (BAe was a UK aircraft and defence-systems manufacturer that is now part of BAE Systems. The maiden flight of an Aircraft is the first occasion on which an aircraft leaves the ground of its own accord Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1979: Events January January 12 - Pilatus Aircraft acquires Events 305 - Diocletian and Maximian retire from the office of Roman Emperor. This is a list of Aviation -related events from 1985: Events Ryanair founded initially as a full-service carrier The Royal Saudi Air Force (القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية) is the Air force branch of Saudi Arabian armed forces. The Aeronautica Militare is the Air force of Italy. It has held a prominent role in modern Italian military history. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979 and entered service in 1986. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) It is a long ranged twin engine aircraft, originally designed to intercept Soviet bombers as they came in from the east to strike the United Kingdom. The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR was a constitutionally Socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991 A bomber is a Military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets primarily by dropping Bombs on them The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Tornado ADV for the Royal Saudi Air Force were produced to F3 standard. The Royal Saudi Air Force (القوات الجوية الملكية السعودية) is the Air force branch of Saudi Arabian armed forces. Both the RAF and RSAF are replacing the Tornado ADV with the Eurofighter Typhoon. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout

Contents

Design and development

Tornado ADV prototype in 1980
Tornado ADV prototype in 1980

The aircraft was developed to meet an RAF requirement (Air Staff Requirement 395 or ASR. 395) for a long-range interceptor to replace the Lightning F6 and Phantom FGR2. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout See also F-4 Phantom II The McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom II variants were numerous versions and designations of the F-4 and are described below Development was approved on 4 March 1976, with BAe to provide 3 prototypes. Events 51 - Nero, later to become Roman Emperor, is given the title Princeps iuventutis (head of the youth Year 1976 ( MCMLXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [1] The first prototype was rolled out at Warton on 9 August 1979. Warton Aerodrome is located near to Warton village on the Fylde peninsula in Lancashire, England. Events 48 BC - Caesar's civil war: Battle of Pharsalus - Julius Caesar decisively defeats Pompey at Pharsalus Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) The prototype made its maiden flight on 27 October 1979. Events 312 - Constantine the Great is said to have received his famous Vision of the Cross. Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) [1]

The Tornado ADV's differences compared to the IDS include a greater sweep angle on the inboard fixed wing sections, a longer radome for the Foxhunter airborne interception radar, and a fuselage stretch of 1. 36 m to allow the carriage of four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles. The British Aerospace Skyflash was a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile This stretch was applied to the Tornado front fuselage being built by the UK, with a plug being added immediately behind the cockpit, which had the incidental benefit of reducing drag and making space for an additional fuel tank (Tank '0') carrying 200 imperial gallons (909 L/240 U.S. gal) of fuel. Imperial units or the Imperial system is a collection of units first defined in the British Weights and Measures Act of 1824 A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries The litre or liter (see spelling differences) is a unit of Volume. US customary units, also known in the United States as English units or Imperial units (in reference to the British Empire) (but see English A gallon is a measure of Volume. It is in current use in the United States and still has limited use in many other English-speaking countries [2]

The Mk 104 engines were optimised for high-altitude use with longer afterburner nozzles. The IDS's ground-attack systems were replaced by a Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter air-interception radar, housed in a radome extended by 2. Marconi Electronic Systems (MES, or GEC-Marconi as it was until 1998 was the defence arm of The General Electric Company (GEC The AI24 ( Foxhunter) airborne Radar is carried by the Panavia Tornado ADV (F3 Fighter aircraft and gives it an all-weather day and night 16 metres (7 ft 1 in). The port cannon was also deleted. Port is the nautical term (used on Boats and Ships) that refers to the left side of a ship as perceived by a person on board the ship and

The Tornado ADV has been criticised for its lack of "true" fighter performance. However to criticise the aircraft for this is to misunderstand the mission for which it was developed. The ADV was designed to fly and patrol far from base over the North Sea and Northern Atlantic and to intercept its targets at long range, not to have significant dogfighting capabilities. The North Sea is a marginal, Epeiric sea of the Atlantic Ocean on the European Continental shelf. [3]

Operational history

Royal Air Force

Tornado F2

The Tornado F2 (sometimes written as F. 2) was an interim version of the air superiority version (ADV) of the Panavia Tornado in Royal Air Force service, with 18 being built. It was powered by the RB. 199 Mk 103 engines used by the IDS Tornado, was only able to carry two underwing Sidewinder missiles rather than the four missiles carried by the definitive aircraft, and omitted automatic wing sweep. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters [4] Serious problems were discovered with the Foxhunter radar, which meant that the aircraft were delivered with concrete and lead ballast installed in the nose as an interim measure until they could be fitted with the radar sets. The concrete radar was nicknamed Blue Circle, which was both in line with British radar nomenclature (e. g. Blue Fox) and a play on a British brand of concrete called Blue Circle. [4] These aircraft were used primarily for training until they were upgraded or retired.

The Tornado F2 first flew on March 5, 1984, was first delivered to the RAF on 5 November 1984, and its short career came to an end four years later when the new F3s came into the RAF. Events 363 - Roman Emperor Julian moves from Antioch with an army of 90000 to attack the Sassanid Empire, in a Events 1499 - Publication of the Catholicon in Treguier ( Brittany) Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Some F2 airframes were later updated to Tornado F2A standard (similar to the F3 but without the engine upgrade) as attrition replacements. Only one F2A, the Tornado Integrated Avionics Research Aircraft (TIARA), remains flying, having been customised by QinetiQ for UAV trials at MoD Boscombe Down.

Tornado F3

The Tornado F3 made its maiden flight on 20 November 1985. Events 284 - Diocletian was chosen as Roman Emperor. 762 - Bögü Khan of the Uyghurs, Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) [1] Entering service in July 1986, 152 F3s were ordered. The F3's primary weapons when it entered service were the short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder and British Aerospace Skyflash, a British medium-range air-to-air missile based on the American AIM-7 Sparrow. The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a heat-seeking, short-range Air-to-air missile carried by Fighter aircraft and recently certain gunship helicopters The British Aerospace Skyflash was a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile derived from the US AIM-7 Sparrow missile The AIM-7 Sparrow is a medium-range Semi-active radar homing Air-to-air missile operated by the United States Air Force, United States Navy

The Tornado made its combat debut in the 1991 Gulf War with 18 aircraft deployed to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. This article is about Dhahran the city For the Saudi Aramco residential compound see Dhahran Aramco Camp. However, they did not get the opportunity to engage any enemy aircraft. The F3 lacked modern IFF and a full suite of defensive aids, thus they flew patrols further back from Iraqi airspace where encounters with enemy aircraft were less likely. Secondary Surveillance Radar ( SSR) is a Radar system used in Air traffic control (ATC which not only detects and measures the position of aircraft After 1991 combat operations continued as the southern no-fly zones over Iraq were patrolled. The Iraqi no-fly zones are two separate No-fly zones (NFZs and were proclaimed by the United States, United Kingdom and France after the The Tornados flew from Saudi Arabia under Operation Bolton and then Operation Resinate South. On average six aircraft were involved. These operations continued right up until 2003 when Iraq was invaded again. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. The 2003 invasion of Iraq, from March 20 to May 1 2003 was spearheaded by the United States, backed by British forces and smaller contingents from Australia Operation Telic saw 14 F3s deployed to Saudi Arabia. Operation (or Op TELIC is the codename under which all British operations of the 2003 Invasion of Iraq and after are being conducted The F3s (of 43(F) and 111(F) Sqns) were, unlike during the 91 Gulf War, deployed deep into Iraq both before and after the shock and awe air strikes. No 43 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars No 111 (Fighter Squadron of the Royal Air Force operates the Panavia Tornado F3 from RAF Leuchars Again no air-to-air victories were scored as the Iraqi Air Force flew no sorties at all during the 2003 campaign. The Iraqi Air Force or IQAF (Arabic Al Quwwa al Jawwiya al Iraqiya القوة الجوية العراقية is the military branch in Iraq responsible

Capability Sustainment Programme

Realising that in its current form the F3 would not continue as an effective platform up to its planned out of service date of 2010, the UK Ministry of Defence initiated the Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP). This project, announced on March 5, 1996, included;

The CSP would see the removal of a non-standard state of aircraft; various upgrades (notably to the Foxhunter radar) had led to the situation described as "fleets within fleets. " However the Foxhunter radar, having overcome many of the early difficulties, was to cause significant problems during the upgrade programme. This manifested itself when efforts were made to integrate the AMRAAM missile with the aircraft as a replacement for Skyflash. The radar had to be considerably modified to interface properly with the missile.

In what was criticised as shortsighted at the time, the F3 would not exploit the full capabilities of the AMRAAM missile. AMRAAM uses two mid-course updates after launch to refresh target information prior to its own seeker taking over. The CSP, as announced, would not provide this capability. Despite becoming operational before 2002 the F3 force deployed on operations with the Skyflash, not AMRAAM, leading to suggestions that the decision not to fully integrate the missile made it no more effective than the original missile. On June 8, 2001, the MoD signed a contract for a further upgrade to the F3 force to allow these midcourse updates. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. [5] The upgrade to give full AMRAAM capability, together with updated IFF, known as the AMRAAM Optimisation Programme (AOP) was incorporated in the remaining F3 fleet between December 2003 and September 2006. In Telecommunications, identification friend or foe (IFF is a Cryptographic identification System designed for command and control [5].

Tornado EF3

A further upgrade, undisclosed until early 2003, was the integration of the ALARM anti-radiation missile to allow suppression of enemy air defence missions. ALARM ( Air Launched Anti-Radiation Missile) is a British Anti-radiation missile designed primarily to destroy enemy radars for the purpose of SEAD (pronounced see-add or seed or Suppression of Enemy Air Defences, also known as " Wild Weasels quot and "Iron Hand" operations in the USA are [6] The F3's existing radar warning receivers formed the basis of an extremely effective Emitter Location System, which is used to locate radar antennae. The modified aircraft were then given the new designation Tornado EF3 and operated by XI Squadron. No 11 or XI(F Squadron is a Royal Air Force squadron The squadron operated the Tornado F3 until

Future

After 21 years, the replacement for the Tornado F3 is now on the horizon, as production of its successor, the Eurofighter Typhoon, has started. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Operational Evaluation Unit for the Typhoon has formed, and the Operational Conversion Unit was formed in 2004. 2005 saw the first squadron of Typhoons entering operational service, and by 2012, the F3 will be gone from RAF service. Delivering Security in a Changing World is the UK's vision for the future of the armed forces, as part of this on 21 July 2004 Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon detailed plans to reduce the number of F3 squadrons by one to three squadrons. The 2003 Defence White Paper, entitled Delivering Security in a Changing World sets out the future of the British military, and builds on the 1998 Events 356 BC - Herostratus sets fire to the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, one of the Seven Wonders of the World "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Geoffrey 'Geoff' William Hoon (born 6 December 1953 is a British Politician. This represents 16 aircraft and is the first stage in the transition to the Typhoon.

Royal Saudi Air Force

The UK and Saudi Arabia signed a memorandum of understanding on 26 September 1985 for the Al Yamamah arms deal. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar dedicates a Year 1985 ( MCMLXXXV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays 1985 Gregorian calendar) Al Yamamah ( اليمامة The Dove) is the name of a series of a record Arms sales by the United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia, which This involved the supply of 24 Tornado ADVs along with other aircraft, weapons, radar, spares and a pilot-training programme. [1] The RSAF received its first ADV on 9 February 1989. Events 474 - Zeno crowned as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) [1]

Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare)

In the early 1990s the Italian Air Force (AMI) identified a requirement for a "bridging fighter" to boost its air defence capabilities pending introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon. These fighters were to operate alongside the service's F-104ASA Starfighters which were approaching obsolesence, particularly with regard to multinational and coalition operations. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout The Tornado ADV was selected from, amongst others, the F-16. In 1994 Italy announced its intention to lease 24 Tornado F3s from the RAF for a period of ten years. [7] At this time the Eurofighter Typhoon was expected to begin entry into service around 2000.

First training of AMI pilots began in March 1995 at RAF Coningsby while technicians gained experience at RAF Cottesmore and Coningsby. RAF Coningsby, is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England. Station crest The badge of RAF Cottesmore consists of a Hunting horn, a Five-pointed star and a horseshoe The first aircraft was accepted on 5 July 1995 and flown to its Italian base the same day. Events 1295 - Scotland and France form an alliance the beginnings of the Auld Alliance, against England. Year 1995 ( MCMXCV) was a Common year starting on Sunday. Events of 1995 Delivery of the first batch was completed by 1996. The second batch was delivered between February and July 1997 and these aircraft were of a slightly higher specification. [7]

AMI Tornados flew combat air patrols during Operation Allied Force, the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia in early 1999. The NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (code-named Operation Allied Force) was NATO 's military operation against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia that See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian

In 2000, with major delays hampering the Eurofighter, the AMI began a search for another interim fighter. While the Tornado itself was considered, any long term extension to the lease would have involved upgrade to RAF CSP standard at least. This was not considered cost effective and 34 ex-USAF F-16s were selected instead. By 2003 the AMI began returning Tornados to the RAF, with the final aircraft arriving at RAF Saint Athan on 7 December 2004. One aircraft was retained by the Italian Air Force. [8]

Tornados in Italian service suffered poor serviceability rates. While this could be surprising given Italy's fleet of the Tornado IDS, the service did not have immediate access to spare equipment and engines available to the RAF. The aircraft did however allow the AMI to participate in multi-national training and operations.

Variants

Tornado F2 
Tornado F2A 
Tornado F3 
Tornado EF3 

Operators

A Tornado F3 aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force sits on the flight line during Operation Desert Shield
A Tornado F3 aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force sits on the flight line during Operation Desert Shield
Flag of Italy Italy
Flag of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom

Specifications (Tornado F3)

Tornado IDS graphic

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Comparable aircraft

Related lists

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Taylor, Michael J. WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft. Please see WikipediaWikiProject Aircraft/page content for recommended layout For the fictional aircraft of the novel and movie "Firefox", see Mikoyan MiG-31 (fictional. This is a list of currently-active Military aircraft in use by the United Kingdom. H. (2001). Flight International World Aircraft & Systems Directory, 3rd Edition, United Kingdom: Reed Business Information, 189-190. ISBN 061701289X.  
  2. ^ Evans 1999, p. 121
  3. ^ Butler, Tony (2001). British Secret Projects: Jet Fighters Since 1950. England: Midland Publishing. ISBN 1857800958.  
  4. ^ a b Evans 1999, p. 126
  5. ^ a b Willis, David (December 2007), “Tornado F. 3 - At its Peak”, Air International (Stamford, Lincs, England: Key Publishing) 73 (6): p. 22-26, ISSN 0306-5634 
  6. ^ Tornado F3. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication. Royal Air Force. Retrieved on 2008-03-26. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor.
  7. ^ a b Sacchetti, Renzo. "Italy's British Tornados", Air Forces Monthly, Key Publishing, October 2003, pp. Air Forces Monthly is a military aviation magazine published by Key Publishing, based in Stamford, United Kingdom.  50. Retrieved on 2006-10-02. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule  
  8. ^ "Final AMI Tornados F3s Returned", Air Forces Monthly, Key Publishing, February 2005, pp.  9. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony  

External links

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