Tornado F3
| Tornado ADV | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| RAF Tornado F3 | |
| Role | Interceptor |
| Manufacturer | Panavia Aircraft GmbH |
| First flight | 27 October 1979 |
| Introduction | 1 May 1985 |
| Retired | 2011 (RAF) |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users |
Royal Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force Italian Air Force |
| Number built | 218 |
| Unit cost |
£14 million (1980)
|
| Developed from | Panavia Tornado IDS |
| Tornado ADV F2 cutaway illustration | |
 Hi-res cutaway of Tornado ADV F2 by Flight Global, 2006. |
 Documentary on the Panavia Tornado ADV
|
|
|
A Tornado F3 performing an aerobatic display in Sussex, 2005
|
|
|
Footage of Tornado F3 squadron operations
|
The Panavia Tornado Air Defence Variant (ADV) was a long-range, twin-engine interceptor version of the swing-wing Panavia Tornado. The aircraft's first flight was on 27 October 1979, and it entered service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1986. It was also previously operated by the Italian Air Force (AMI) and the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF).
The Tornado ADV was originally designed to intercept Soviet bombers as they were traversing across the North Sea with the aim of preventing a successful air-launched nuclear attack against the United Kingdom. In this capacity, it was equipped with a powerful radar and beyond-visual-range missiles, however initial aircraft produced to the F2 standard lacked radars due to development issues. The follow-up F3 standard was the definitive variant used by the RAF, as well as all Tornado ADV aircraft that were leased by the AMI and procured by the RSAF.
During its service life, the Tornado ADV received several upgrade programs which enhanced its aerial capabilities and enabled it to perform the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) mission in addition to its interceptor duties. Ultimately, both the RAF and RSAF retired their Tornado ADV fleets; the type has been replaced in both services by the newer, multi-role Eurofighter Typhoon.
The Tornado ADV had its origins in an RAF requirement (Air Staff Requirement 395 or ASR.395), which called for a long-range interceptor to replace the Lightning F6 and Phantom FGR2. The requirement for a modern interceptor was driven by the threat posed by the large Soviet long-range bomber fleet, in particular the supersonic Tupolev Tu-22M. From the beginning of the Tornado IDS's development in 1968, the possibility of a variant dedicated to air defence had been quietly considered; several American aircraft had been evaluated, but found to be unsuitable. However, the concept proved unattractive to the other European partners on the Tornado project, thus the UK elected to proceed in its development alone. On 4 March 1976, the development of the Tornado ADV was formally approved; it was announced on this day that 165 of the 385 Tornados that were on order for the RAF would be of the Tornado ADV variant.
...
Wikipedia