Panavia Tornado ADV by Des Brennan

Panavia Tornado ADV

Des Brennan has concentrated on the version that turned an attack aircraft into a long-range interceptor. The item on offer is a printed publication about the real machine.

An interceptor for the defense of airspace

The basic Tornado was created as a low-flying strike aircraft, but the British side needed something different: a machine that could stay for long hours over the sea and engage an opponent before it came near the coast. The fuselage therefore grew longer, a more capable radar went into the nose and medium-range guided missiles fitted under the fuselage. The variable-geometry wing gave the aircraft the endurance it needed on patrol and the speed it needed in the run-in. Its main task lay in barring the northern approach against formations of long-range bombers. Besides the Royal Air Force it was used by other countries as well, and it took its leave of the defense of the islands at the turn of the first decade of this century.

What the text examines

• The differences between the attack and the interceptor form of the type
• The lengthened fuselage and the onboard radar
• Armament with medium-range guided missiles
• Patrol service over the northern seas and foreign users
• The finishes and markings of air-defense units

Intended for

The title suits modelers who build combat aircraft of the 1980s and 1990s and need to tell the two basic forms of the type apart. It will also interest readers concerned with air defense at the end of the Cold War. It serves as well as an overview of the changes in European military cooperation in aviation.