Tornado ECR 46+38
NATO Tiger Meet 2025 Beja
Text: Jaroslav Spacek
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.