The Panavia Tornado is a
family of twin-engine combat
aircraft, which was jointly
developed by the United
Kingdom, Germany and Italy.
There are three primary
versions of the Tornado; the
Tornado IDS
(Interdictor/Strike)
fighter-bomber, the
suppression of enemy air
defences Tornado ECR
(Electronic
Combat/Reconnaissan
more

The Panavia Tornado is a
family of twin-engine combat
aircraft, which was jointly
developed by the United
Kingdom, Germany and Italy.
There are three primary
versions of the Tornado; the
Tornado IDS
(Interdictor/Strike)
fighter-bomber, the
suppression of enemy air
defences Tornado ECR
(Electronic
Combat/Reconnaissance) and the
Tornado ADV (Air Defence
Variant) interceptor. It is
one of the world's most
sophisticated and capable
interdiction and attack
aircraft, with a large
payload, long range and high
survivability.Developed and
built by Panavia, a
tri-national 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 the 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,
England. Including all
variants, 992 aircraft were
built for the three partner
nations and Saudi
Arabia.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.The program
was intended to produce a
single-seat replacement for
the F-104G, and a two-seat
strike fighter for Britain and
Germany. Canada and Belgium
pulled out in 1969. The four
remaining partner nations -
United Kingdom, Germany,
Italy, and the Netherlands,
formed Panavia Aircraft GmbH
on 26 March 1969, though the
Netherlands would pull out in
1970. The United Kingdom and
Germany each had a 42.5%
stake, with the remaining 15%
going to Italy. The scope of
work for production was also
agreed upon - the front
fuselage and tail assembly in
the UK, the center fuselage in
Germany, and the wings in
Italy. A separate
multinational company, Turbo
Union, was formed in June 1970
to develop and build the RB199
engines for the aircraft, with
ownership similarly split 40%
Rolls-Royce, 40% MTU, and 20%
FIAT.The Tornado was
originally designed as a
low-level supersonic ground
attack bomber, capable of
taking off and landing in
short distances. This requires
good high-speed and low-speed
flying characteristics. In
general, an aircraft which is
designed to fly at high speeds
usually has poor low-speed
characteristics. In order to
achieve the desired high-speed
performance, an aircraft has a
highly swept or 'delta' wing
platform. However, these wing
designs are very inefficient
at low speeds where unswept
wing planforms are required.
In order for an aircraft to be
operated efficiently at both
high and low speeds, variable
wing sweep is a desirable
feature; this was incorporated
into the Tornado design.When
the wings are swept back, the
Tornado IDS increases its
high-speed low-level
capability by reducing drag.
When sweeping, the wings
partially slide into the
fuselage, reducing the exposed
wing area. This gives the
aircraft a low gust response
in turbulent low-level winds.
This not only makes flight
much more comfortable for the
aircrew but makes the aircraft
a more stable platform from
which to aim and deliver
unguided weapons at low
level.The aircraft was
designed to be land-based and
operate from large airfields
that were considered to be
vulnerable to aerial attack.
Therefore, during the
development of the aircraft,
short field landing capability
was considered essential in
order to enable the aircraft
to operate from short strips
on potentially damaged runways
and taxiways. With the wings
swept fully forwards the
Tornado IDS generates greater
lift because of the increased
exposed wing area and the
utility of full-span flaps and
slats. This gives greater lift
at lower speeds, reducing the
minimum landing speed required
and therefore giving shorter
landing distances.

Category Travel & Places

Tags IDS, Tornado