Tornado ECR 46+38
At this year's NATO Tiger Meet held in Beja, Portugal, the 1st Squadron of Germany’s Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 based at Schleswig, Germany, was present with six Tornado aircraft in both the IDS and ECR versions. The aircraft with fuselage number 46+38 was adorned with a matte sand scheme reflecting the Desert Tiger theme. The camouflage was very attractive and finished second in terms of the most attractive scheme, right behind a domestic F-16.
REPORT
NATO Tiger Meet 2025 Beja
Ing. Jaroslav Špaček
Photo credits:
Jaroslav Spacek,
Uli Metternich
and TLG 51.
At this year's NATO Tiger Meet held in Beja,
Portugal, the 1st Squadron of Germany’s
Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 based
at Schleswig, Germany, was present with
six Tornado aircraft in both the IDS and ECR
versions. The aircraft with fuselage number
46+38 was adorned with a matte sand
scheme reflecting the Desert Tiger theme.
The camouflage was very attractive and
finished second in terms of the most attractive
scheme, right behind a domestic F-16.
The Tornado ECR was created by modifying
the airframe of the IDS attack version, into
which sophisticated electronic equipment
for the suppression of enemy air defense
systems (SEAD) was installed. In the space
where the normal attack version of the IDS
has cannons, the ELS (Emitter Location
System) was installed, which can detect,
determine the position of and classify various
sources of electromagnetic radiation in the
form of radars and communication systems.
Its antennas are also located in the wing
roots. The FLIR (Forward Looking Infra-Red)
system located in the housing under the nose
helps the crew in navigation and target search
at night and in difficult weather conditions.
Its image is transmitted to both cockpits.
The primary armament of the Tornado ECR is
the AGM-88 HARM (High Speed - Anti Radiation
Missile). This old, but still very effective,
supersonic weapon with a range of 25 to 150
km, depending on the launch altitude, can
itself (even after being launched from a carrier
aircraft) search, identify and guide itself to all
possible types of electromagnetic radiation
sources. The HARM missile, combined with
information from the ELS, makes the Tornado
a very effective means of destroying enemy
air defenses. The Luftwaffe acquired a total of
247 Tornados, of which 35 were ECR versions.
All of them were newly produced between 1990
and 1992. Currently, only two units operate
approximately 93 Tornados – TaktLwG 33 in
Büchel and the 1st Tiger Squadron TaktLwG
51 ‘Immelmann’ in Schleswig. However, there
are twenty-one of the ECR version used only
by TaktLwG 51. In 2022, it was announced
that the Tornado fleet would be replaced by
35 F-35A Lightning IIs in the strike role, and
from 2030, the new Typhoon EK version would
also replace the Tornado ECR.
Starting in 2000, the German Tornado
received the ASSTA 1 (Avionics System
Software Tornado in Ada 1) modernization
package, which included a new weapons
computer, a modern GPS navigation system,
and a laser inertial navigation system.
In addition to the HARM missiles, the new
weapons computer enabled the integration
of new the Taurus KEPD 350 missile, Rafael
Litening II laser designator pods, and Paveway
III laser-guided bombs. In 2005, ASSTA 2
modernization began, which included the
installation of additional digital avionics
systems and new electronic warfare
equipment. However, only 85 Tornados were
upgraded to the ASSTA 2 standard, 20 of which
were ECR versions. This is due to the ongoing
replacement of Tornados by Eurofighter
Typhoon aircraft.
The ASSTA 3.1 package introduced the
introduction of color multifunction displays
and the integration of the Link 16 system, which
significantly increased the crew's situational
awareness and data exchange between
other NATO assets. Currently, the Tornado
ECR is undergoing ASSTA 4.1 integration and
subsequent ASSTA 4.2 software modification,
which will allow the use of modern
AGM-88E AARGM (Advanced Anti-Radiation
Guided Missile) missiles, this system being
successfully tested in April 2025 at the
US Navy's China Lake firing range.
The photos accompanying this article show
the details of the Desert Tiger from Beja with
the camouflage scheme. It was sprayed with
a rather dull sand color with bands of a darker
brown-green. These are also on the bottom of
the fuselage, on the top of the air intakes and
on the part of the fuselage between them as
well as on the elevator. On the left side, when
viewed from the upper left, there is a large ‘51’,
and on the back of the fuselage there is a black
panther. On both sides of the rudder there is
a drawing of a black tiger (or rather a perhaps
a sand panther?) with the inscription ‘Tiger
since 1994’. On the right auxiliary tank there
is the inscription ‘TIGRE DO DESERTO’, and
on the left then ‘TIGRE TIGRE TIGRE’. On both
nose landing gear doors there are drawings of
a tigerized rooster, on the front door there is
a tiger head with the inscription ‘Team Paint’
above and below which there are the names
"DIGITAL HANSI ALEX DANE TURAN ANNA and
below it the names "SLIP ROCKY SPALKI".
During the exercise, the aircraft carried
a gray container with decoy launchers and
a radar warning system FDS (Future Dispenser
System) on the right outer pylon, and a TSPJ
(Tornado Self Protection Jammer) on the left.
At departure, it had standard gray auxiliary
tanks on the under-fuselage pylons, which
were heavily weathered.
INFO Eduard30
December 2025