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