Panavia Tornado F4 Fighter on final approach to RAF Lossiemouth, Moray. XAV 4932-461
The Tornado made its operational debut in patrols during Operation Southern Watch. The aircraft flew from Ali Al Salem in Kuwait, and patrolled a large part of southern Iraq. Several times bombs were dropped when the aircraft were fired upon by Iraqi ground defences. Its full wartime debut came in Operation Telic, the British part of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. The aircraft, according to all indications in the public domain, performed well. The campaign in Iraq marked a number of firsts for the aircraft. No. 617 Squadron debuted the Storm Shadow Missile, and enhanced Paveway smart bombs were used in an anti-runway capacity 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, 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 2-seat strike craft 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 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 England, 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
Size: 4009px × 4971px
Location: RAF Lossiemouth, Moray, Grampian Region Scotland
Photo credit: © David Gowans / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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