TECHNICAL

JaBoG 38

Prototypes 9

RAF

229 IDS; 173 ADV

Luftwaffe

210 IDS; 35 ECR

Marineflieger 112 IDS

Aeronautica Militare

100 IDS (including 16 modified to ECR standard)

Royal Saudi Air Force

96 IDS, 24 ADV

German Panavia Tornado ECR

reg. 46+33 (/844/GS266/4333)

during takeoff in Fairford,

England (9 July 2012).

(photo: Petr Soukop)

Tornado ECR

In the mid-1980s Germany realized it needed

a combat aircraft capable of destroying the

enemy’s air defense. Until these the missions had been assigned to RF-4E and RF-104G which have become obsolete for the

role. The Luftwaffe approached the issue in

a similar way as the American air force i.e.

developing a specialized aircraft based on

the already proven design. New and just introduced Tornado IDS aircraft was chosen,

appropriately modified to conduct the radio-electronic warfare and radio-electronic

reconnaissance. This version was designated ECR. First ECR prototype was a modified

IDS aircraft P-16 (98+03). In 1986 the West

German parliament approved the purchase

of 35 Tornadoes ECR new off the assembly

lines in the 7th production batch (as opposed

to the airplanes for the Italian Aeronautica

Militare which were rebuilt from the IDS version).

The ECR basic equipment corresponded to

Tornadoes IDS from the 6th production batch

which already featured the digital data bus

and had capability to deploy AGM-88 HARM

(High-speed Anti-Radiation Missile) anti-radar missiles . The airplane made its maiden

flight on August 18, 1988. The first production

aircraft 46+23 (featured in our kit sporting

the anniversary markings) was completed

in October 1989. The first ECR was delivered

to the Luftwaffe in May 1990. In 1992 there

were already 30 Tornadoes ECR in the Luftwaffe inventory operating in two flights. The

remaining 5 were backup and research purposes. The last manufactured Tornado ECR,

and the very last aircraft for Luftwaffe inventory, was the airframe carrying the fuselage

designation 46+57 (it is also featured in out

kit sporting one of its colorful markings).

Afterwards only aircraft for Saudi Arabia

continued being manufactured in Great Britain. The first flight was formed at JaBoG

(Jagdbombergeschwader) 38 “Friesland''

at Jever airport in the north of Germany at

the Dutch border and the second flight was

established at JaBoG 32 at Lechfeld air base

in Bavaria.

At JaboG 38, in addition to the combat training the basic training and crew conversion

to Tornado IDS and ECR were conducted.

German Panavia Tornado ECR reg. 46+57 (cn 906/GS290/4357) landing in heavy rain at Wittmundhafen (Wittmund ETNT, 28 Jun 2013).

(photo: Petr Soukop)

German Tornado ECR 46+57 landing over the runway threshold at

Poznan-Krzesiny airport in Poland (EPKS, 18 May 2018).

(photo: Petr Soukop)

INFO Eduard - FEBRUARY 2022

eduard

11