- 4 months ago
For educational purposes
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany.
There are three primary Tornado variants :
- Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) fighter-bomber
- Tornado ECR (electronic combat/reconnaissance) SEAD aircraft
- Tornado ADV (air defence variant) interceptor aircraft.
The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multi-role combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Italy, the United Kingdom and Germany.
There are three primary Tornado variants :
- Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) fighter-bomber
- Tornado ECR (electronic combat/reconnaissance) SEAD aircraft
- Tornado ADV (air defence variant) interceptor aircraft.
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LearningTranscript
00:00Tornado
00:27The dictionary describes it as a small, violent storm, or an outburst of applause.
00:34Both are more apt than those who gave the Panavia tornado its name could ever have guessed.
00:40Since it first went into combat in January 1991, in the appropriately named operation Desert Storm,
00:46the tornado has won many devotees.
00:50The end product of the greatest multinational weapons development program in history,
00:55the tornado has emerged, despite pessimism from many quarters,
00:59as one of the finest of all modern multi-role combat aircraft flying anywhere.
01:04Disregarding predictions that it would be a jack-of-all-trades but master of none,
01:09the tornado has instead proved that you can be a master of all trades.
01:14Designed to meet the exacting requirements of three of the world's most professional air forces, plus a navy,
01:21it packs a punch much greater than that of many other aircraft, both larger and more costly.
01:28The story of how this was achieved goes back many years.
01:33Tactical aerial combat really began during the First World War.
01:36Initially, aircraft called scouts were used for reconnaissance and artillery observation duties.
01:43Then some crews started using small arms to shoot at each other,
01:47or carrying grenades to drop on troops on the ground.
01:50From these primitive beginnings emerged the concept of the fighter and the bomber.
01:56One was designed with speed and agility in mind, the other with range and load carrying.
02:01It would be a long time before the multi-role concept could be brought into being.
02:08During the Second World War, the Spitfire emerged as the epitome of the fighter.
02:13With beautiful lines and handling qualities, as well as a powerful battery of forward-firing guns,
02:19it could equally well shoot down enemy bombers or dogfight with their escorts.
02:31By the 1960s, most people regarded the fighter purely as an interceptor and the bomber as just a bomber.
02:38An inevitable consequence was aircraft like the Royal Air Force's Lightning.
02:42These sleek machines were almost all engine, and in terms of brute power have few rivals even today.
02:49No one could forget that vertical climb almost as soon as the wheels had left the runway.
02:55But the aircraft had very limited endurance and payload capacity.
03:00They could not carry out ground attack or reconnaissance missions.
03:03To combine such capabilities in one aircraft required something extra special,
03:09and it was obvious from the start that it would be expensive.
03:11By the late 1960s, several European nations were looking for replacements for existing aircraft.
03:19And after two years of preliminary discussions,
03:22in 1969, Britain, West Germany and Italy got together to design one.
03:28That it would be a two-seater with variable geometry wings was soon established.
03:33But to get the shape right required tens of thousands of hours in different kinds of wind tunnel.
03:38The wings would spread right out for high lift at take-off,
03:43be set at intermediate angles for cruising,
03:46and folded right back for high-speed penetration of enemy airspace.
03:51To get these features right, models were tested in spinning tunnels,
03:55or at varying angles of attack.
04:01They were also fitted with miniature external stores
04:04to check that they would separate smoothly.
04:08Eventually, by 1972, it was possible to draw a three-view plan
04:13showing what the new multi-role combat aircraft, or MRCA, would look like.
04:19At that time, it was secret,
04:21and only the designers from the British Aircraft Corporation,
04:25later named British Aerospace,
04:27Messerschmitt-Bull-Caublom,
04:28and Airitalia appreciated the fantastic compactness of their creation.
04:33It was even smaller than an F-4 Phantom,
04:36and a full 20 feet shorter than an F-111,
04:40the aircraft the RAF had originally wanted after the cancellation of TSR-2.
04:44Of course, Panavia, as the consortium was called,
04:49had started work later,
04:50and could benefit from more advanced technology.
04:53Much of their success came from sheer good engineering,
04:57not only by the major airframe partners,
04:59but by hundreds of subcontractors all over Europe,
05:02and, in the case of the main radar, in America as well.
05:05Everything had, eventually, to come together and fit together perfectly.
05:17Assembly lines were set up at Wharton in England,
05:20Manching in Germany, and Turin in Italy.
05:25Thousands of parts had to be tested exhaustively
05:27to discover, for example, the long-term effects of vibration,
05:31or that actuator rods would still work perfectly
05:34after hundreds of hours.
05:37The landing gear had to open and retract smoothly every time
05:41and absorb the weight of the aircraft on touchdown.
06:01Even the front of the fuselage and canopy
06:03were subjected to tests to determine the effect of bird strikes.
06:09Later, the engine intakes would also go through the same treatment.
06:15One major test program concerned the crew ejection system.
06:19A full-sized mock-up of the cockpit and large one-piece canopy
06:23was built into a rocket-propelled sled running on rails.
06:26Inside were two Martin Baker Mark 10 ejector seats,
06:35on which sat dummies in full-flying clothing.
06:44Once initiated, the whole ejection sequence had to be both rapid
06:48and fully automatic,
06:49and in production aircraft can be initiated by either crew member.
06:55The canopy flies off first,
06:57followed by the two seats,
06:58whose rockets propel them to a safe height for the parachutes to deploy.
07:02This means that tornado pilots can even eject while taking off or landing.
07:13Meanwhile, at Obendorf in Germany,
07:16the famous Mauser company began testing its new Mk 27-millimeter cannon.
07:20Most tornadoes are fitted with two of these,
07:24although the RAF's air defense variant only has one.
07:30The gun's magazines hold 180 rounds,
07:33which can be fired at two different rates,
07:35depending on the type of target.
07:43The engine selected for the MRCA
07:45was the Rolls-Royce RB199,
07:49which is built by another consortium
07:51of British, German, and Italian companies
07:53called Turbo Union.
07:56The engine is a three-spool turbofan,
07:59developing 16,000 pounds of thrust,
08:02yet is tiny in size,
08:04only 128 inches long,
08:07including the afterburner and target-type thrust reverser
08:10to help the aircraft pull up on wet or icy runways.
08:13The reverser is a real bonus
08:16and something that rival aircraft do not have.
08:20During test runs at Manching in 1974,
08:24it was found that the engine suffered from surging,
08:27so the compressor blades had to be redesigned.
08:31Then the turbine disc proved too weak
08:34and had to be strengthened.
08:35But eventually, the engine was ready
08:46for flight testing beneath an RAF Vulcan.
08:49There was great political pressure
08:51to get the MRCA into the air
08:53because of a vindictive campaign
08:55to destroy the whole program.
08:57But such things can't be rushed,
08:59and before the first flight,
09:02the engines had run over 2,000 hours on the ground
09:05and 320 hours in the air.
09:10The first prototype, D9591,
09:14was built in Germany and flew from Manching.
09:17It was painted bright red and white
09:19and at that time had no weapons,
09:21while most of the advanced mission avionics
09:24were also absent.
09:25The aircraft, piloted by Paul Millett
09:31with Niels Meister in the back seat,
09:34began taxiing and testing its brakes
09:36during the afternoon of August the 14th, 1974.
09:41Eventually satisfied,
09:43Millett lined up at the end of the runway
09:45and, holding the aircraft on its brakes,
09:48ran the engines up to full reheat.
09:51Then it surged forward,
09:52accelerating rapidly to 140 knots
09:55when the nose wheel unstuck
09:57and finally lifted into the air
10:00at 165 knots.
10:11From the very beginning,
10:13the MRCA handled like a dream.
10:15The variable geometry wings,
10:18both with and without stores
10:19on swiveling pylons,
10:21cycled from one extreme to the other
10:23with no change in trim.
10:26All the test pilots loved it
10:28and soon other prototypes
10:29were flying in Germany,
10:31Italy and England.
10:34Over the next five years,
10:36a total of 15 development aircraft
10:39were built and flown
10:40and it was christened Tornado.
10:44Engine surging still proved a problem,
10:46which was only gradually resolved.
10:49But the test aircraft
10:50were soon flying mission profiles.
10:53Here, the CSAS,
10:55or Command and Stability Augmentation System,
10:57comes into its own.
11:00Using CSAS,
11:02the pilot's stick and rudder pedal movements
11:04are translated into electronic control signals,
11:07which are passed to the mechanical actuators
11:09physically driving the flying control surfaces.
11:13At the heart of the CSAS
11:15is one self-monitoring computer
11:17to control pitch
11:18and a second to control roll and yaw.
11:22Pilot demands from the stick and rudder pedals
11:24are fed into the appropriate computers
11:27and combined with signals
11:28from pitch roll and yaw rate gyroscopes
11:31to give the correct commands
11:32for control surface deflection.
11:34The main control surfaces
11:37are the rudder,
11:38tailor-ons,
11:39and spoilers.
11:41Yaw demands result in rudder movement.
11:43Pitch demands are reflected
11:45in symmetrical movement of the tailor-ons.
11:48Roll demands by differential movements.
11:51At low sweep angles,
11:52roll demands are also fed to the spoilers.
11:56The CSAS system is tolerant of single failures.
12:00If multiple faults occur,
12:01a direct electrical link
12:03is provided to the actuators.
12:06In case of total CSAS failure,
12:08which might be caused by battle damage,
12:11a mechanical backup linkage
12:12continues to operate the tailor-ons,
12:15providing a get-you-home safety feature.
12:23Wing sweep is most carefully designed,
12:26but in the event of failure,
12:28the tornado can be landed
12:29with them fully swept back.
12:31The fuselage slots
12:33have simple but effective elastic seals.
12:37About 5% of the wing area
12:39disappears into the fuselage
12:40at maximum sweep.
12:43Since tailor-ons and spoilers
12:44are used as control surfaces,
12:46the entire trailing edge
12:48is available for powerful
12:49double-slotted flaps.
12:52Along the whole span
12:53of the leading edge
12:54are equally powerful slaps
12:56in three sections,
12:57augmented by Kruger flaps,
12:59which fold down
13:00from under the leading edge
13:01of the fixed inboard portion of wing.
13:04When in the high-lift mode,
13:06the tornado wing
13:07has the highest lift coefficient
13:09in the world.
13:10This helps shorten the landing,
13:12which is further assisted
13:13by large air brakes
13:14either side of the fuselage rear.
13:16The men who are going to fly the tornado
13:28all converge on Cottesmoor in England
13:31for their conversion training.
13:33They come from the Royal Air Force itself,
13:35from Germany's Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine,
13:38and from Italy's Aeronautica Militare.
13:44All pilots and backseaters,
13:47called either navigators
13:48or weapons system officers,
13:50receive the same basic training
13:52at the TTTE,
13:54the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment.
13:57Here, the aircrew of several nationalities
14:00learn how to work together.
14:02For example,
14:03a German Navy pilot
14:05with an English backseater
14:06might find themselves
14:07flying a tornado built in Italy.
14:11Dedication is total,
14:13for flying a tornado
14:14is just about the ultimate goal
14:16for many airmen,
14:17and their concentration
14:18and physical fitness
14:19have to be absolute.
14:21Each training or operational mission
14:30begins in the tight security
14:32of the CPGS,
14:34the Cassette Preparation Ground Station,
14:36which is normally actually underground
14:38or in a hardened shelter.
14:41Here, an ordinary audio cassette
14:44is inserted into a computer
14:45linked to a special sensor head.
14:49This is placed
14:50on an equally special map
14:51with very carefully surveyed
14:53location coordinates.
14:55Each time the button is pressed,
14:57the computer records
14:58the mission waypoint or target.
15:02Additional information
15:03on flight paths,
15:04headings,
15:05weapons load,
15:06times,
15:06speeds,
15:07and fuel states
15:08is pre-programmed
15:09onto the cassette as well.
15:11A hard paper copy
15:12is also printed.
15:14Then the cassette
15:15is loaded into the aircraft's
15:16own main navigation computer.
15:20Meanwhile,
15:21the ground crews
15:21will be loading
15:22external fuel tanks,
15:24bombs,
15:24missiles,
15:25or other stores.
15:26With Tornado,
15:28this is not the laborious process
15:29it used to be
15:30because sway bracing
15:31is automatic.
15:38Once these preparations
15:39have been made,
15:41the crew walk out
15:42to their aircraft
15:42to begin their pre-flight checks.
15:44The weapons system operator
15:49programs the weapons load
15:50into the digital weapons
15:52control system.
15:53From then on,
15:54the aircraft knows
15:55what weapons
15:56are on which pilot.
15:59The access door
16:00is latched firmly secure.
16:08At the same time,
16:09the pilot walks around
16:10making his external checks.
16:12Inside the spacious
16:15front cockpit,
16:16the pilot's tasks
16:17are to fly the aircraft,
16:19to monitor the aircraft's systems,
16:21engage ground targets
16:23visually if necessary,
16:24and handle air-to-air combat.
16:28The weapons system officer,
16:30who is also the navigator,
16:32first loads
16:33the mission profile cassette.
16:34His main displays
16:43are two screens
16:44called tabs
16:45either side
16:46of the circular radar
16:47and map display.
16:49These give control
16:50over the mission route plan.
16:52They also show
16:53the current navigation situation
16:55throughout the flight.
16:57In addition,
16:57they can be formatted
16:58for attacks
16:59and navigation updates
17:00either automatically
17:02or manually.
17:05The air-to-surface weapons
17:07are all controlled
17:08from the rear cockpit.
17:10Weapons release data
17:11is programmed
17:12into the control panel
17:13while the aircraft
17:14is still on the ground.
17:16Near the target,
17:17pressing a single button
17:19will then release
17:19the appropriate weapon.
17:21No traditional bombsite
17:23is needed.
17:24The onboard navigation aids,
17:26target sensors,
17:27and weapon control systems
17:28steer the aircraft
17:29and release its bombs
17:31or missiles
17:31with devastating accuracy.
17:36A hundred and twenty-nine
17:37of the eight hundred and nine
17:39aircraft built
17:39for the three original
17:41partner nations
17:41are dual control versions
17:43for conversion training.
17:45They still have
17:46the same operational capability
17:48as the standard version.
17:50As the pilot taxis out,
17:52he cannot tell
17:53if he is flying
17:54a one- or two-stick aircraft.
17:57Looking through
17:58his head-up display
17:59or HUD,
18:00he rolls out
18:01of the parking area
18:02to the runway.
18:03As he pushes
18:04the throttles forward
18:05for full take-off power,
18:07only the weapon control
18:09computer can tell him
18:10that he may have
18:11ten tons of weapons aboard,
18:13more than twice the load
18:14of a typical
18:15Second World War
18:16heavy bomber.
18:18The Tornado
18:18is a true
18:19multi-role combat aircraft.
18:21Its designers
18:22built into it
18:23the capability
18:24to carry out
18:25seven basic missions.
18:27Deep interdiction,
18:28counter-air attacks,
18:30battlefield air interdiction,
18:32close air support
18:33of ground forces,
18:34reconnaissance,
18:36maritime strike,
18:37and point interception.
18:40All had to be capable
18:42of being flown
18:42at a low level
18:43and high speed,
18:45at night
18:45or in bad weather.
18:46These requirements
18:52meant from the start
18:53that the crew
18:53had to learn
18:54total reliance
18:55on their avionic systems.
18:59In flight,
19:00Tornado's navigation system
19:02is fed from four sensors.
19:04Their data
19:05is optimized
19:06in the main computer
19:07by Kalman filtering.
19:08The primary
19:11inertial navigation
19:12sensor
19:12is in the tail
19:13and provides
19:14instant information
19:15on present heading,
19:17attitude,
19:17and speed.
19:19A secondary system
19:20uses Doppler radar
19:21to check on
19:22attitude and velocity.
19:24The air data
19:26computer
19:26is at the same time
19:27monitoring true airspeed
19:29and Mach number
19:30so that the pilot
19:31always knows
19:32his aircraft's
19:33exact position,
19:34height,
19:34speed,
19:35and attitude.
19:35It all adds together
19:38with the weapons
19:38control system
19:39in the back seat
19:40to make it possible
19:41for a tornado
19:42to fly straight
19:43to its target
19:44at about 200 feet
19:45and deliver
19:46a precision attack
19:47without the crew
19:48necessarily being able
19:50to see anything
19:50at all
19:51out of the canopy.
19:54Actual navigation
19:55information
19:55is displayed
19:56on the right-hand
19:57television tab
19:58in the rear cockpit.
20:00Many kinds
20:00of flight data
20:01could be called up
20:02at the push
20:03of a button.
20:04In the center
20:05of the navigator's
20:06view
20:06is the all-important
20:08combined moving map
20:09and radar display.
20:11The map can be
20:12switched through
20:12range scales
20:13of one million,
20:14half a million,
20:15or a quarter
20:16of a million.
20:17The navigator
20:18can then change
20:19to a radar-only display.
20:22Here,
20:23at 10-mile range scale,
20:25the resolution
20:25will even reveal
20:26such features
20:27as a line
20:28of electricity pylons.
20:29switching to the four-mile scale
20:38produces even more detail,
20:40such as the shape
20:41of gravel pits
20:42or even individual trees.
20:50For weapon aiming,
20:51the display is keyed
20:52into the mission cassette,
20:54which was fed in
20:54on the ground
20:55and has extremely precise
20:57waypoints
20:57and target designations.
21:00The combined map
21:01and radar display
21:02give incredibly
21:03accurate information
21:04on where the tornado
21:05and its targets are,
21:07although the navigator
21:08may have to feed in
21:09slight adjustments
21:10after an hour or so.
21:11He uses a simple
21:12hand controller
21:13for this.
21:15The basic interdiction
21:17strike versions
21:18of the tornado
21:19have a combat radius
21:20of eight to nine hundred miles,
21:22depending on weapons load
21:24and atmospheric conditions,
21:26which mean they will need
21:27in-flight refueling
21:28on many missions.
21:30The hydraulically retractable probe,
21:32which bolts onto
21:33the starboard fuselage side,
21:35can refill the tanks
21:36from a Victor
21:37or similar tanker aircraft
21:39in about 10 minutes.
21:44Alternatively,
21:45a hose reel pack
21:47can be carried
21:47by another tornado.
21:49This method
21:50is called buddy refueling
21:52and is often done
21:53because the tanker tornado
21:54is still fully combat ready.
21:58Similarly,
21:59while the probe
22:00and fairing itself
22:01appear large,
22:02they do not affect
22:03the tornado's performance
22:04or handling in any way.
22:07Air refueling
22:08is just about the only part
22:10of the tornado's mission
22:11which has to be flown
22:12by the pilot
22:13using his own
22:14eyeball skills alone.
22:17For almost everything else,
22:19he relies on his
22:20head-up display,
22:21which normally displays
22:22symbols in the form
22:23of commands.
22:25You can see
22:26the aircraft symbol
22:27in the center,
22:28flanked by bars
22:29which show
22:30where the ground
22:31and the horizon are
22:32and the aircraft's
22:33attitude in respect
22:34of them.
22:36Whether flying manually,
22:38an exciting
22:38and demanding experience
22:40at these low levels,
22:41or using the autopilot,
22:43the HUD tells the pilot
22:45exactly where he is
22:46at all times.
22:47On autopilot,
22:49the terrain following
22:50radar and automatic
22:52throttle adjustments
22:53keep the aircraft
22:54just where he wants it,
22:56guided by an invisible
22:57ski tow riding
22:58over the countryside
22:59ahead.
23:00The computers
23:01are constantly
23:02checking themselves
23:03to help guarantee
23:04flight safety.
23:05The pilot can select
23:07a hard,
23:08medium,
23:09or soft ride,
23:10depending on circumstances.
23:12The hard option
23:13giving the lowest
23:14possible altitude
23:15to take advantage
23:16of terrain features
23:17and avoid enemy radar.
23:22This very exaggerated
23:23animated diagram
23:24shows how the system
23:25works.
23:26The terrain following
23:27radar's input
23:28is digested
23:29by the computer,
23:30which then adjusts
23:31the flying controls
23:32to climb the aircraft
23:33to avoid an obstacle.
23:35Even if the pilot
23:36is flying manually,
23:37there are built-in
23:38safeguards.
23:40Once clear,
23:41the aircraft
23:42automatically drops
23:43down again,
23:44having been seen
23:45on enemy radar
23:46for only fractions
23:47of a second.
23:50As the tornado
23:51approaches its target,
23:53the attack is initiated
23:54by the navigator.
23:56He inputs final data
23:58into the weapon
23:58control panel,
24:00where he has already
24:00made his pre-selection,
24:02and checks
24:03the weapon aiming
24:03mode selector.
24:05By this time,
24:06one of his tab displays
24:07is in the attack format.
24:21At top left,
24:23alongside the letter Y,
24:24could be seen
24:25the closing range
24:26to target.
24:26up front,
24:31the pilot knows
24:31the target is ahead
24:32and can sometimes
24:33see it through the HUD.
24:35The head-up display
24:37shows the predicted
24:38bomb fall line
24:39together with the target
24:40bar at the top
24:41and the real target
24:42in the distance
24:43lined up with it.
24:45If visibility is bad,
24:47the CCIP,
24:49or Continuously Computed
24:50Impact Point,
24:52will keep the aircraft
24:53dead on target.
24:54bomb release
24:56is then automatic.
24:57The aiming system
24:58allows for the weapon's
24:59ballistics
25:00and also knows
25:01the aircraft height,
25:02speed,
25:03heading,
25:04dive angle,
25:05and any crosswind.
25:07Even inexperienced crews
25:08get pinpoint results
25:10every time.
25:16Returning to base,
25:17the tornado glides in
25:18as if on rails,
25:19which in an electronic
25:21sense it is.
25:23It has no braking
25:25parachute,
25:26unlike most military
25:27aircraft.
25:28Instead,
25:29those air brakes,
25:30thrust reversers,
25:31flaps,
25:32spoilers,
25:32and tailor-ons
25:33glue it to the runway
25:34before the powerful
25:36wheel brakes take effect.
25:38If all else fails,
25:39the tornado even
25:40has an arrestor hook,
25:42although it is definitely
25:43not designed
25:44for carrier operations.
25:45All the tornado's
25:48electronics are built up
25:50on a basis of
25:50line-replaceable units,
25:52or LRUs,
25:54the good old
25:54modular system.
25:56This includes
25:57the Texas Instruments
25:58main radar,
25:59which is completely
26:00exposed by opening
26:01the nose like a door.
26:03Most other avionic systems
26:04are at convenient
26:05eye level along
26:06the fuselage.
26:06It is the work
26:09of only a few moments
26:10to take out one module
26:11and plug in a replacement.
26:13No matter how complex,
26:15no calibration is needed
26:16after connecting up
26:17the new box.
26:19Every item has
26:20what is known as
26:21BITE,
26:22or built-in test equipment.
26:25BITE tells the flight
26:26and ground crews
26:27what, if anything,
26:28has gone wrong,
26:29and what needs to be done
26:30to correct it.
26:32A central maintenance panel
26:33displays the status
26:35of each item
26:35and allows the ground crew
26:37to identify any malfunction
26:39with confidence
26:40using a checklist.
26:43An even more extensive
26:44system survey
26:45can be made
26:46by loading a special
26:47test program cassette
26:48in through the cockpit
26:49voice recorder.
26:51This feeds into
26:52the main computer
26:53and the results
26:54can be read off
26:54the right-hand tab
26:56in the rear cockpit.
26:58If anything needs attention,
27:00the specialist tradesmen
27:01know it will be easy
27:02to get at,
27:03unlike in some
27:04combat aircraft.
27:06Over 46%
27:07of the tornado's
27:08exterior surface
27:09is made up
27:10of 430 access panels.
27:13Even in the most
27:14extreme operational conditions,
27:16in desert,
27:17Arctic,
27:18or jungle,
27:19all maintenance
27:19is made as easy
27:20as possible.
27:22If only cars
27:23were built like this.
27:25In the turnaround
27:26between missions,
27:27the greatest delay
27:28is caused by refueling,
27:30although even this
27:31takes little time.
27:32fuel is pumped in
27:34through a single
27:34NATO-standard
27:35pressure connector
27:36at the very high rate
27:38of 2,400 pounds a minute.
27:40The tanks are filled
27:41in order,
27:42from front to back,
27:44for if the fin tank
27:45was filled first,
27:46the aircraft might tip up
27:47with its nose in the air.
27:50The line-replaceable unit
27:52principle has even been
27:53carried as far
27:54as the turbo-union
27:55RB199 engines.
27:57This, in fact,
27:59is common practice
28:00in most military aircraft
28:01these days.
28:02But even so,
28:03the diminutive size
28:05of the Rolls-Royce design
28:06helps the engineers
28:07enormously.
28:10Changing the entire
28:11engine installation
28:12is thus simple.
28:13On other aircraft,
28:14the engines have to be
28:15pulled out backwards,
28:17or the whole tail removed.
28:18To change a tornado's engine,
28:22the lower fairing shell
28:23of the engine compartment
28:24is open,
28:25and after undoing
28:26the quick-release connections
28:27to the fuselage,
28:29the RB199
28:30is lowered by mini-hoists
28:32onto a dolly.
28:43Even under field conditions,
28:45the whole procedure
28:45only takes a few minutes.
28:48The engine weighs
28:52only 2,000 pounds,
28:54or less than half as much
28:55as that of an F-111.
29:00The old engine
29:01is wheeled away
29:02and its replacement
29:03brought up,
29:04hoisted into place,
29:05and connected up
29:06in a similarly
29:07short space of time.
29:18The crews who fly Tornado
29:35have enormous confidence,
29:37born of the experience
29:38that everything works.
29:40Their aircraft
29:41are normally housed
29:42in hardened shelters,
29:44and bombing up,
29:45fueling,
29:45and pre-flight checks
29:46are all done undercover.
29:54Tornado flight time
29:56is fast approaching
29:57a million hours.
29:58That's a lot of experience
30:00when you bear in mind
30:01the intensity
30:01of the workload
30:02on each mission.
30:04Training flights
30:05are normally conducted
30:06at a height of 500 feet
30:08and are subsonic
30:09while overpopulated areas.
30:14In war,
30:15the aircraft
30:15would be traveling
30:16much lower and faster,
30:18regardless of weather
30:19or visibility.
30:20The precision
30:22of the terrain following
30:24and Doppler radars,
30:25coupled with the
30:26inertial navigation system,
30:28allow Tornado
30:28to approach its target
30:30and escape,
30:31using every fold
30:32in the ground
30:32for cover.
30:35Even though
30:36inexperienced crews
30:37can quickly obtain results
30:39which a few years ago
30:40would have seemed fantastic,
30:41that does not alter
30:43the fact that
30:43to fly Tornado properly,
30:45you have to be
30:46a highly trained professional.
30:48It also takes guts.
30:50To attack airfields,
31:01you have to fly
31:02right down the runway
31:03at low level,
31:04and the Gulf War
31:05showed that that's
31:06one way to lose aircraft.
31:08The principal weapon
31:09used to attack airfields
31:11is the hunting
31:12JP-233 cluster dispenser.
31:15The rear of each container
31:17ejects 30 parachute-retarded bombs.
31:20which first penetrate the runway
31:22and then explode beneath it.
31:25From the front of each container
31:26fall 215 small area denial lines
31:30to hinder repair operations.
31:32Another of Tornado's main missions
31:37is to take out
31:38enemy radar installations,
31:40in particular,
31:41those controlling
31:42surface-to-air missiles.
31:44To achieve this,
31:45Tornadoes can be fitted
31:46with up to nine
31:47air-launched
31:48anti-radiation missiles,
31:49or alarms.
31:52The missiles can even be carried
31:53on the side of the wing pylons,
31:55in addition to a full bomb load.
31:57This British aerospace weapon
32:03has only just entered service.
32:05It's a complete
32:06fire-and-forget system.
32:08Its nose houses
32:09four antennae,
32:10which lock on
32:11to an enemy radar
32:12and guide the missile
32:13through a digital processor
32:15straight to its target,
32:17where an advanced
32:17high-explosive warhead
32:19with laser proximity fuse
32:20does the rest of the work.
32:22If the enemy switches off
32:25his radar,
32:26Alarm will climb
32:27and deploy a parachute,
32:29then descend slowly to Earth,
32:31looking for a target.
32:33If nothing else appears,
32:35it homes on the last one
32:37to switch off.
32:38No other anti-radiation missile
32:41can do this.
32:42Of course,
32:43a chaff flare dispenser
32:44and active jamming pod
32:46are carried on outboard pylons
32:48as well.
32:50Tornado can also carry
32:51all other existing
32:53or projected
32:53NATO tactical stores,
32:55again a unique claim.
32:58And delivery accuracy
32:59is unrivaled,
33:00as has been proven
33:01in the United States
33:02Strategic Air Command
33:03bombing competitions.
33:05The German Marine Flieger,
33:08or Naval Air Arm,
33:09has important
33:09anti-shipping duties,
33:11particularly in the Baltic.
33:13Its two wings,
33:15MFG-1 and 2,
33:17operate a hundred
33:17interdictor strike
33:19or IDS tornadoes,
33:20plus 12 dual-control trainers.
33:24Their chief anti-ship missile
33:25is Kormoran,
33:27which was specially developed
33:28for the German Navy
33:29by Messerschmitt-Bulkau-Blund.
33:32They also make
33:33the warhead for alarm.
33:35Kormoran is a large
33:36fire-and-forget missile,
33:38which has a powerful
33:39352-pound warhead,
33:41with a special fuse
33:43designed to explode
33:44after penetrating
33:45up to three-and-a-half
33:46inches of armor plate.
33:49On launch,
33:50it's propelled
33:51by two booster rockets
33:52for a second
33:53before the sustainer
33:54takes over.
33:55It's propelled
33:56by two booster rockets
33:56for a second
33:57before the sustainer
33:58takes over.
33:58It then descends
34:12to about a hundred feet
34:13and can travel
34:14over 20 miles
34:15toward its target,
34:17guided by both
34:18an active radar transmitter
34:19and a passive receiver.
34:21It's claimed
34:22that this system
34:23is immune
34:23to enemy jamming.
34:25Approaching its target,
34:27Kormoran descends
34:27to a mere
34:28ten feet above the water.
34:30It was originally intended
34:37that the Luftwaffe,
34:38the German air force,
34:39should be the biggest
34:40tornado user,
34:41with nearly 600,
34:43but eventually
34:44the order fell
34:45to 212.
34:47Today,
34:48these equip
34:48nine Stafel,
34:50or squadrons,
34:51two each
34:52with the four
34:52operational wings
34:53and one
34:54with the training wing.
34:56Thirty-five
34:57of the German
34:58tornadoes
34:58are designated
34:59attack leaders
35:00and fly in pairs
35:02ahead of the main
35:03formations,
35:04armed with
35:05American high-speed
35:06anti-radiation missiles
35:07or HAAR.
35:09Theirs is the
35:10Wild Weasel mission
35:11to knock out
35:13enemy radars
35:13in advance
35:14of the following bombers.
35:29All the German squadrons
35:37fly intensively,
35:39as in this mission
35:40to penetrate
35:41a Norwegian fjord
35:42at low level.
35:52To the uninitiated,
35:54it seems strange
35:55to be within a few feet
35:56of a hard cliff face
35:57one moment
35:58and then a minute later
35:59to be ten miles
36:01further on.
36:09The pilots have
36:10to be constantly alert,
36:12scanning their rear-view mirrors
36:13as well as watching
36:14the forward view
36:15through the HUD,
36:16but concentrating primarily
36:18on their electronic displays,
36:20keyboards,
36:20and menu buttons.
36:25The job is made easier
36:26by the comfortable temperature,
36:28smooth ride,
36:29and low noise level,
36:31just the sound
36:32of the transonic air
36:33rushing past.
36:34One of the Luftwaffe's
36:39most effective
36:40weapon systems
36:41is MW-1,
36:43equivalent to
36:43the Royal Air Force's
36:45JP-233
36:46cluster munitions dispenser.
36:48This was designed
36:49by Messerschmitt
36:50Bolkau-Blom
36:51specifically for the tornado
36:52and is a truly
36:54formidable weapon.
36:55It consists
36:56of four slab-sided sections
36:58with slightly streamlined
37:00nose and tail,
37:01and inevitably
37:02its huge size,
37:03as big as a large
37:04estate car,
37:05exerts considerable drag.
37:08MW-1
37:09is a gigantic
37:10box of firepower
37:12containing 112
37:13double-ended tubes
37:15firing sideways.
37:16Each tube
37:17has a diameter
37:18of nearly six inches
37:19and fires munitions
37:21left and right
37:22simultaneously
37:22to cancel out recoil.
37:25Munitions include
37:26the KB-44
37:27shaped charge bomber
37:29to attack tanks
37:30from overhead,
37:31MIFF,
37:32an anti-tank mine
37:34with a passive sensor
37:35which responds
37:36to engine noise.
37:38MUSA,
37:39a parachute-retarded
37:40fragmentation mine
37:41for use against
37:42soft targets.
37:45MUSPA,
37:46an area-denial
37:47fragmentation mine
37:48with a delayed
37:49action fuse
37:50designed to be strewn
37:51along enemy runways.
37:54STABO,
37:55a large parachute-retarded
37:57runway cratering bomb.
37:58ASW,
38:00a rocket-propelled weapon
38:02designed to penetrate
38:03hardened aircraft
38:04shelters.
38:06MW-1
38:07is loaded
38:07with whichever weapon
38:08or combination
38:09of weapons
38:10is most suitable
38:11for the intended target.
38:13The system
38:13is particularly
38:14effective
38:14against large
38:15formations
38:16of enemy tanks
38:16and troops
38:17or against air feeders.
38:20A single
38:20high-speed pass
38:21has devastating effect,
38:23even seen
38:24in slow motion.
38:25The number
38:26of munitions
38:27carried varies
38:28according to type,
38:29from 224
38:31of the large stable
38:32to an incredible
38:334,700 KB-44s.
38:37Similarly,
38:38by making their attack
38:39at different heights,
38:41the crew can scatter
38:41a wide
38:42or compact area
38:43of ground.
38:47.
38:48.
38:49.
38:51After a mission,
38:52the empty
38:53MW-1 containers
38:54are jettisoned,
38:55leaving the aircraft
38:56clean to make
38:57a supersonic escape.
38:59.
39:00.
39:01.
39:03.
39:04.
39:05.
39:06.
39:07.
39:08Italy's
39:09Aeronautica Militare
39:10is quite small,
39:12so the multi-role concept
39:14was particularly attractive.
39:15.
39:16.
39:16.
39:17.
39:18.
39:19.
39:20They have 100
39:21IDS tornadoes,
39:23of which 12
39:24are dual-control
39:25conversion trainers.
39:26These are assigned
39:27to three groupies,
39:29the 154th,
39:30155th,
39:31and 156th,
39:33which respectively
39:34form part of the 6th,
39:3650th,
39:36and 36th
39:37storming,
39:38or wings.
39:39.
39:40.
39:41.
39:42.
39:43.
39:44.
39:45.
39:46The golden lightning flash
39:54on the tail
39:55identifies aircraft
39:56of the 156th Group Hall,
39:59based at Gioia del Colle
40:00in southern Italy,
40:02between Bari
40:02and Taranto.
40:04This unit has
40:05an anti-shipping commitment.
40:07.
40:07.
40:07.
40:08.
40:09.
40:13The tornado
40:13has allowed
40:14the Italian air force
40:15to dispense
40:16with specialized
40:16reconnaissance squadrons,
40:18and it is often flown
40:20with Messerschmitt
40:21Bullcow-Blum
40:21camera pods.
40:23In fact,
40:24the Italian tornadoes
40:25are almost identical
40:26to the German ones
40:27in avionics
40:28and weapons.
40:28.
40:29.
40:30.
40:31Because of Italy's
40:37strategic situation
40:38in the Mediterranean,
40:39the maritime strike role
40:41is particularly important,
40:43and Aeronautica
40:43Militari tornadoes
40:45carry the Cormoran missile
40:46in addition to American
40:48500-pound and 1,000-pound bombs.
40:51They can also carry
40:52British BL-755 cluster bombs,
40:56the MW-1 system,
40:58Maverick anti-tank missiles,
40:59and nuclear weapons.
41:01.
41:01.
41:01.
41:02.
41:02.
41:03.
41:03.
41:03.
41:04.
41:04.
41:04.
41:05.
41:05.
41:05.
41:06.
41:06.
41:07.
41:07.
41:07.
41:08.
41:09.
41:10.
41:11.
41:11.
41:13.
41:13.
41:14.
41:15.
41:16.
41:17.
41:18.
41:19El73. Increasingly, the Italian aircraft have also been fitted with a bolt-on flight refueling
41:26probe and used the American Sergeant Fletcher buddy pod to pass fuel to each other.
41:37Watching tornadoes land is quite educational and always fascinating. The fantastic array
41:43of flaps, slats, spoilers and air brakes generates so much lift on the final approach that it's
41:49quite incredible, as is the aircraft's ability to pull up on the ground in such a short space.
42:13So, let's get started.
42:23So, let's get started.
42:33So, let's get started.
42:39Kept secret for some time, even from Britain's partners in Panavia, was the Royal
43:09Air Force's requirement for an all-weather interceptor, or as it has become known, air defense variant,
43:15the ADV. The first prototype, known then as the Tornado F2, rolled out from Wharton for
43:23its maiden flight on the 27th of October, 1979. It would not enter production for another five
43:30years, because despite superficial appearances, it is really a different airplane inside a
43:36similar package. It's actually more than four feet longer than the IDS version, for three reasons.
43:43First was the need for a longer and more pointed nose radome for the Marconi Foxhunter radar.
43:49Second was the need to provide extra space under the fuselage for two tandem pairs of 12 feet long sky flash missiles.
43:57And third, after the 18th production aircraft, was the incorporation of a new variant of the RB199 engine with extended afterburners.
44:09Bonuses from all these modifications were improved supersonic performance and the ability to carry 200 extra gallons of fuel.
44:18Even so, maximum endurance without in-flight refueling is only about two hours. So the definitive Tornado F3 is fitted with a permanent, fully retractable refueling probe.
44:31It's built into the port side of the fuselage instead of being bolted onto the starboard. And, to make room for it, one of the Mauser 27mm cannon has been removed.
44:41This is no problem, because the F3 expects to rid the sky of enemies before getting within gun range. But it's nice to know the gun, seen here in slow motion, is there for emergencies.
44:54As an ADV lands back at Wharton, you can see the wings fully extended to a full 67 degrees, thanks to a modified wing block, and also the lack of Kruger flaps.
45:15Less obvious is the fact that the Taylorons have been modified to clear the thrust reverses, which had to be repositioned because of the enlarged afterburner and new tail profile.
45:28Like the old Lightning, the ADV is designed as an interceptor, so standby crews learn to run at the scramble alarm.
45:37The Royal Air Force now has 165 Tornado F3s, while a further 24 have been built for Saudi Arabia.
45:45Main armament is the four SkyFlash missiles under the fuselage, but short-range sidewinders are also carried.
45:53The SkyFlash is guided by a monopulse radar seeker, and was developed from the earlier American Sparrow.
46:00It has a range of 31 miles, and can be launched from as low as 100 feet.
46:05The older Sidewinder has an infrared seeker head, and an effective range of some 9 miles.
46:13The Foxhunter radar in the aircraft's nose allows the aircraft to track and engage targets flying at extreme altitude, or right down on the deck.
46:24The ADV is the most advanced interceptor the Royal Air Force has ever possessed.
46:30It can also be used in the attack role, carrying the same sort of 10-ton payload as the IDS.
46:36But its radar, avionics, cockpit displays, and above all computer software, are optimized for the air-to-air mission.
46:45It's not really a dogfighter, though, such as the American F-16 Fighting Falcon, for example.
46:51It's designed for the air defense of the United Kingdom, which means bringing the battle to the enemy as far from the shore as possible.
46:59As one pilot put it, it's supposed to engage hostile aircraft 400 miles out to sea on a dark and dirty night, with lots of targets at low level, and heavy electronic countermeasures.
47:11The pilot would not find his cockpit much different from that of an IDS.
47:16But in the back seat, it's not the same story.
47:19The arrangement of the tabs is side by side, and they have different tasks beyond that of navigation.
47:25The F-3 relies heavily on its Foxhunter radar in the nose, which could detect targets at very long range,
47:32continue to search for new targets while tracking others, and carry on operating in the face of severe jamming.
47:41Radar data is provided on the tabs in a variety of formats, such as target detection or target tracking with details of speed, height, and heading all flashed out for the operator.
47:52Foxhunter also gives high-quality ground mapping to update the navigation system.
48:04The big SkyFlash missiles, which may in due course be replaced by the American AMRAAM, or advanced medium range air-to-air missile,
48:12are forcibly ejected by Fraser Nash cartridge-powered ramps to ensure clean separation.
48:18The advantage of the more expensive newcomer is that it is fire and forget, whereas SkyFlash has to be monitored all the way to its target.
48:31When you see the Tornado F-3 at home in its element, flying nothing less than an aerial ballet,
48:37it's easy to forget that it's a deadly fighting machine.
48:40An aircraft which is proved through exhaustive tests that, probably better than any aircraft known,
48:46it can intercept and destroy enemy aircraft and cruise missiles,
48:50and that includes under conditions of the most intense electronic warfare interference,
48:55including high-powered jamming and the release of chaff or flares.
48:59It really has everything, including two reliable high-performance engines,
49:05which give its crews confidence way out over the ocean on maritime missions.
49:14Handling is carefree and endurance greater than any other air-defense fighter in the world.
49:19But of course, it's not just the airplane which makes the Tornado a weapon system about which so much can be said.
49:26Its highly skilled and professional crews deserve a round of applause as well.
49:32The F-3 seems to float rather than fly as it approaches its VC-10 tanker,
49:37in a display of elegance which might be rivaled but not surpassed.
49:41Such flexibility allows the fighter to defend an enormous volume of air-space from Iceland to the Baltic.
50:11Mt.
50:34One feature of the F-3 not yet mentioned is J-TIGS,
50:38the Joint Tactical Information Distribution System.
50:42This is a new secure data link system for passing information rapidly from ground stations to aircraft,
50:48giving the tornado back seaters instant access to the whereabouts of every aircraft in the vicinity
50:54and showing whether it is hostile or friendly.
50:57The information is presented on one of the two tabs.
51:08If this system works out, it will give the tornado ADV even more versatility than it already possesses.
51:27But, goodbye ADV and hello ECR.
51:56This electronic combat and reconnaissance variant is the latest tornado and has been developed for the Luftwaffe.
52:03The Italians are also keen, and there's even the possibility that it might be chosen as the future Wild Weasel aircraft for the United States Air Force,
52:12although no one is placing any bets.
52:15The most surprising thing is that, so far, none have been spoken for by the RAF, which badly needs such an aircraft.
52:26Although it can still fly a normal attack mission, the ECR has no guns.
52:39Its main mission is to find, pinpoint and destroy enemy air defense systems.
52:44It can also fly standoff reconnaissance and border patrol, advanced real-time reconnaissance, and give electronic support to friendly aircraft.
52:54Other tornadoes can also fulfill an airborne command and control role in a limited way, but this is something really new.
53:02The aircraft contains an emitter location system, which detects radars, determines whether they are hostile, compares them with a threat library built into the computer, and lists them in order of priority.
53:15The most dangerous, such as a surface-to-air missile guidance radar, is immediately jammed.
53:21Simultaneously, an imaginary aircraft is generated a safe distance away from the real aircraft to mislead the enemy missiles.
53:29How this apparent miracle is achieved is naturally very much top secret.
53:35The ECR can also carry infrared equipment, anti-radiation missiles, and special data links.
53:44The tornado first saw combat during the Gulf War to free Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in January to March 1991.
53:53Here, RAF and Saudi tornadoes joined together in perilous attacks on enemy air bases in the center and north of Iraq.
54:02They were painted in desert camouflage, and along with the rest of the Allied air forces, accomplished their task remarkably quickly.
54:10Unfortunately, and largely through simple bad luck, five tornadoes were lost.
54:16The principal weapon system deployed was the JP-233 cluster dispenser seen earlier.
54:26As this was a real war, the tornadoes flew most of their missions at what one pilot called the lowest possible height.
54:33It's not, however, advisable to use JP-233 at less than 200 feet to avoid damaging one's own aircraft.
54:41This was real nap of the earth flying.
54:55The tornado's sophisticated terrain following and navigation radars allowing them to hug the wadis
55:01and avoid Iraqi radars which had not already been destroyed during earlier wild weasel missions.
55:11Subsequently, the tornadoes knocked out many hardened aircraft shelters.
55:18On many of the longer missions, in-flight refueling was essential, and old Victor tankers yet again proved their worth.
55:39Once part of Britain's frontline bomber force, the victors were not the only oldies but goldies in the Gulf.
55:49With the
56:15By the end of January, targets included large bridges over the rivers Tigris and Euphrates.
56:42This was a job for smart laser-guided bombs, and buccaneers were sent out to provide active laser designation.
56:51The RAF's GR1 and many other tornadoes have a laser ranger and marked target seeker in a small chisel window fairing under the nose.
57:00It cannot send out a laser beam, as can the American AVQ-23E paved spike pod carried underneath a buccaneer.
57:09The collaboration between old and new showed the world what precision aiming really means.
57:15The laser-guided bombs destroyed each of their targets with an accuracy worthy of the dam busters, and of course, one tornado squadron is 617.
57:28It's possible, especially since the buccaneer is running out of air life, that a later mark of tornado, designated GR4, will carry an active laser designator and ranger to replace the existing equipment.
57:42Until that time comes along, though, the tornado is still doing a fine job, and proving that the multiple-role concept really does work.
57:51In fact, during the Gulf War, you might say that if Saddam Hussein sowed the whirlwind, he reaped the tornado.
58:00the tornado!!!
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