Panavia Tornado IDS
Photo from The Warplane Picture Archive -- This is a Marineflieger Tornado
The Panavia Tornado program has demonstrated that nations can collaborate to do wonderful things. The IDS is a wonderful airplane. With a combination of high-thrust fuel efficient turbofans, variable geometry wings and an incredible array of ordnance which can be carried the Panavia Tornado IDS has distinguished itself as one of the best attack aircraft in the world. Roughly comparable to the American F-15E or F-111 and the Russian Su-24 "Fencer"or Su-34 "Flanker". Germany is the first country to order the new Tornado ECR or Electronic Combat Reconnaissance. This version is extremely advanced and fulfills recon and EW missions for the Luftwaffe. In England 220 IDS Tornados have been delivered to replace Buccaneers, Phantoms, and Jaguars. Tornados are undergoing a mid-life upgrade to GR.4 standard. In Italy and Germany Tornados replaced F-104Gs 112 for the Marine Flieger, 212 for the Luftwaffe, and 35 ECR variants. In Italy 100 IDS Tornados have been delivered, and in Saudi Arabia 72 have been delivered. In England BAe has developed an Air Defence Variant known as the Tornado ADV.
Specifications
(Data for IDS/GR.1)
Origin: Panavia Aircraft GmbH (An international corporation formed of BAe in England, MBB in Germany, and Aeritalia in Italy)
Type: All-Weather Attack Aircraft
Crew: 2
Powerplant: Two Turbo-Union RB199 Mk 103 afterburning turbofans each delivering 7 675 kg (16 920 lbs) of thrust
Dimensions
Span: At 25 degree sweep 13.9 m (45' 7.25"); At 67 degree sweep 8.6 m (28' 2.5")
Height: 5.7 m (18' 8.5")
Length: 18.08 m (59' 4")
Maximum Loaded Weight: 18 150 kg (60 000 lbs)
Performance
Maximum Speed: Mach 2.2 (2 335 kph) (1 450 mph)
Cruising Speed:
Climb Rate:
Range Combat: 1 390 km (863 miles)
Service Ceiling: Over 15 240 m (50 000 feet)
Armament
Two 27 mm Mauser Cannons & Upto 8 165 kg (18 000 lbs) of external ordnancev including (Rockets, AIM-9s, Sea Eagle, Kormoran, Maverick, Alarm, Harm, BLU-1B, GBU-15, Paveway Series GBUs, AS.30, AS.30L, Martel, Aspide, BL.755, JP.233, MW-1, Harpoon)
First Flight: August 14, 1974
User(s): Germany, UK, Italy, Saudi Arabia
Production: 699 +
Unit Cost:
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