The end of an era: British Tornado jet fighter-bomber returns from operations for the last time

MARHAM ROYAL AIR FORCE BASE, England – First entering service in 1979, the Panavia Tornado jet fighter bomber of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force (RAF) have been used in operations across the world, most recently bombarding Daesh to push the terrorist group back through Syria and Iraq. The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

8 Feb. 2019 -- Families and friends of the present-day squadron members were on hand to welcome pilots of the last operational Tornado flight this week at Marham Royal Air Force Base, England. The Tornado is a contemporary of the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet jet fighter-bomber.

The weapons capabilities of the soon-to-retire Tornados are being delivered by RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets. The Tornado jet fighter-bomber will be officially retired from service at the end of March and will be used only for training over the United Kingdom in the intervening period.

Originally named the Tornado GR1 the aircraft’s first use in live operations was during the Gulf War in 1991, when 60 Tornado GR1s were deployed from bases in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. Later they were upgraded to the GR4 model, which has been used ever since over the skies of Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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