The Tornado jet was one plane designed to replace a whole fleet
In the late 1960s, several NATO countries wanted replacements for very different aircraft. Instead of buying many types, Britain, West Germany and Italy built one swing-wing jet to do nearly everything: strike, reconnaissance, air defence. The Panavia Tornado first flew in 1974, and 990 were eventually built. Its test pilot thought the first flight felt like a simulation.
The Tornado's roots lie in a string of cancellations. Britain scrapped the TSR-2 strike aircraft in 1965, then its order for the American F-111K in 1967, and an Anglo-French swing-wing project collapsed when France withdrew that same year. Meanwhile, in 1968, a group including Canada, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and West Germany began studying replacements for the F-104G Starfighter under the name Multi Role Combat Aircraft. Britain joined, and by the end of 1968 prospective orders totalled 1,500 aircraft.
Partners dropped away. Canada found the project too focused on Western Europe, Belgium was tempted by a French offer, and the Netherlands left in 1970, judging the design too complicated. On 26 March 1969 the remaining partners had set up Panavia Aircraft GmbH. The final split gave Britain and West Germany 42.5 percent of the work each and Italy 15 percent, largely a product of political bargaining: British Aircraft Corporation made the front fuselage and tail, MBB the centre section, and Aeritalia the wings. A two-seat design beat a single-seat rival, and the jet was briefly called the Panther.
The first of fifteen development aircraft flew at Manching on 14 August 1974. Pilot Paul Millett called the handling delightful. Testing still exposed problems, including engine instability at high altitude and the need for extra nose-wheel steering to counter the thrust reversers on landing. Two prototypes were lost to pilot error. In a Cold War twist, an MBB planning chief, Manfred Rotsch, passed details of the aircraft to the KGB from 1967 until 1984.
Service began in 1979 and 1980 in three main forms: the IDS fighter-bomber, the ECR for electronic combat and reconnaissance, and the ADV interceptor. Saudi Arabia became the only export customer. A joint training unit at RAF Cottesmore kept the three nations working together. Tornados flew low-level strike missions in the 1991 Gulf War and later saw action over Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Libya, with smaller roles elsewhere.
Source: Panavia Tornado
