Tornado - an icon of combat air

Published

19 July 2024

Business Air

On 14 August 1974, the airfield in Manching, Germany was the scene of aviation history - the first flight of one of the world's most successful combat aircraft, Tornado.

Flown by British Aircraft Corporation test pilot Paul Millett, the prototype of the Multi Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA) took to the skies in its distinctive red-and-white livery, the culmination of years of work from engineers in Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom.

It went on to be officially named Tornado and become the backbone of the partner nations of the tri-nation consortium, Panavia, and later go in to service with the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).

RS155516_RS15274_TORNADO FIRST FLIGHT (1)

At the heart of operations

Tornado continues in service in Germany, Italy and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today, playing a vital role five decades after its maiden voyage.

It served with distinction with the Royal Air Force having entered service in 1980 up until its retirement in 2019, when its air-to-surface role was taken on by the Eurofighter Typhoon following a major engineering effort, Project Centurion, led by BAE Systems.

It was part of NATO-led campaigns in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1995, Operation Granby, Desert Fox, Iraqi Freedom and Southern Watch in the 1990s and 2000s and in Afghanistan and Libya with Germany, Italy and the UK.

One aircraft, many variants

Having made its first flight in 1974, Tornado entered service in the early 1980s with the GR1, a deep strike aircraft, which quickly formed the heart of the German Air Force, Italian Air Force and Royal Air Force (RAF).

The GR1 was also converted by the UK to fulfil an anti-shipping role.

Following a major mid-life update, a number of RAF GR1 aircraft were upgraded by British Aerospace to GR4 standard. This enhanced the aircraft's medium-altitude role based on lessons learned in the Gulf War of 1991, delivering weapons able to be deployed with precision, the GR4 was the workhorse of the RAF's air power.

The RAF and RSAF both also operated an Air Defence Variant (ADV), Tornado F3, in operational roles including air defence over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.