Panavia F3 Tornado on full reheat at take off RAF Kinloss Moray Grampian Region Scotland SCO 2012
The Tornado F3 was selected for development from the original Tornado GR1 attack aircraft in the late 1970s as the RAF's dedicated fighter following an MoD review of other NATO candidate aircraft. A total of 170 were ordered. The main visible difference from the GR1 or GR4 attack aircraft is the longer fuselage, which permits greater internal fuel stowage. It entered service at an interim F2 standard with the RAF in 1985. A year later, initial deliveries of the definitive Tornado F3 were made. Fitted with the long range Foxhunter radar and more powerful engines, the aircraft successively replaced Lightning and Phantom fighter squadrons in the air defence role. The pilot in the front seat flies and fights the aircraft, while the rear seat weapons systems officer controls the radar and defensive countermeasures systems. An important feature of the F3 is its ability to patrol at long distance from its base, supported by air-to-air refuelling. The aircraft is capable of operation in all weathers and at night, using night-vision goggles. In the months before the 2003 Gulf War, a small number of Tornado F3s underwent a modification programme to allow them to operate in the Suppression of Enemy Air Defences (SEAD) role. The modifications permitted the carriage of a pair of ALARM missiles in place of the Skyflash or AMRAAM missiles, but the modified aircraft were not in the event deployed during the conflict. In its usual air defence role, the F3 can receive real-time information on approaching targets through a datalink from patrolling Airborne Early Warning Sentry aircraft and attack nominated targets using AMRAAM missiles. In the anti-radar role, F3s can pass information on the location of an opponent's radar site back to the Sentry or ground-stations for onward relay to other aircraft or ground forces. SCO 2012
Size: 5318px × 3613px
Location: RAF Kinloss Moray Grampian Region Scotland UK
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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