When I arrived on 20 Squadron we quickly built up to our full strength of aircraft and aircrew and began training first for the strike role (easier because this was always a single aircraft) and then the attack role (for example, formations conducting offensive counter air missions against airfields etc, or interdiction of lines of communication, like bridges, and so on). The limiting factor for precision conventional attack was that we still only dropped dumb 1000lb or BL755 cluster bombs (it didn’t matter quite so much in the nuclear case!).
When combined with its state of the art navigation / attack system, the Tornado could define its 3-D position in space much better than Harrier, Jaguar or Buccaneer and therefore could bomb much more accurately than any of its predecessors. This was a brand new capability for the RAF. Bear in mind it was designed specifically to carry out low-level nuclear (Strike) and conventional (Attack) missions at high subsonic speeds (the clean aircraft was supersonic at low-level), in any weather and by day or by night. Swing-wing and fly-by-wire were all new to us. The MRCA / Tornado marked a step change in capability for the RAF when it came into service. My own involvement with the aircraft began with a first flight at the TTTE on 9 January 1984 and finished on 14 November 1991 after three years on 20 Squadron as Tornado was introduced into service in RAF Germany, and then as an instructor / squadron commander back at the TTTE around 1500 hours flying in total. So, finally, I thought I’d have a stab at assessing Tornado’s place in the development of RAF tactical offensive air power over the last 40 years or so, illustrated by some bits from my own experience. In the event it proved difficult to find anything to say which others haven’t already said and better than I could (such as in Paul McDonald’ s excellent ‘Winged Warriors’ for example). When Gareth asked me to write something about Tornado (GR) I thought it would be easy to come up with something entertaining from my life and times on the jet.
Tornado – first thoughts on its place in history
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