List of Panavia Tornado operators

Panavia Tornado operators
A Royal Air Force Tornado in flight during Operation Iraqi Freedom

This is a list of operators of the Panavia Tornado multi-role combat aircraft.

Operators

Operators of the Panavia Tornado

As of 2014, 362 operational Tornados are in use.^[1] Active units are in bold.

 Italy

Italian Tornado IDS takes on fuel over Afghanistan

Italian Tornado ADV at Gioia del Colle airbase

Formation of German Tornadoes, together with a MiG-29

UK Tornado IDS in formation with an Avro Lancaster

A pair of UK Tornado ADVs operating over the Falkland Islands

Saudi Tornado IDS operating over Doha

• Aeronautica Militare - Italy procured a total of 100 IDS aircraft, of which 99 were production models and one was a pre-series aircraft converted to production standard. Twelve of these were dual-control versions. Sixteen were subsequently converted to ECR aircraft.^{[2] [3]} In 1993, an agreement was reached with the United Kingdom to lease a total of 24 ADV aircraft, which were operated until 2004.^[4][5]
  • 102° Gruppo, 6° Stormo at Ghedi, flying IDS. Active from 1993.
  • 154° Gruppo, 6° Stormo at Ghedi, flying IDS. Active from 1982.
  • 156° Gruppo, 6° Stormo at Ghedi, flying IDS. Active from 1984.
  • 12° Gruppo, 36° Stormo at Gioia del Colle, flying IDS/ADV F.3, now inactive, operational between 1984/1995-2004, replaced by Eurofighter Typhoon.
  • 155° Gruppo E.T.S., 50° Stormo at Piacenza, flying IDS/ECR. Active from 1985. Equipped with ECR from 1998.^[6][7]

 Germany

• Luftwaffe - Germany's air force obtained a total of 245 Tornado aircraft, with 210 of them as the IDS version, and 35 ECR.^[8]
  • Jagdbombergeschwader 31 "Boelcke" at Nörvenich flying IDS. Converted to Eurofighter Typhoon in 2009.^[9]
  • Jagdbombergeschwader 32 at Lagerlechfeld flying ECR (34 aircraft). Disbanded in March 2013, operated between August 1958 - March 2013.
  • Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 33 at Büchel flying IDS. Active, 46 aircraft.^[10]
  • Jagdbombergeschwader 34 "Allgäu" at Memmingen. Disbanded in 2003.
  • Jagdbombergeschwader 38 "Friesland" at Jever. Disbanded, German Tactical Conversion unit, August 1983–September 2005.^[11][12]
  • Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 51 "Immelmann" at Jagel/Schleswig, flying ECR. Active, 25 aircraft.^[13]
  • Fliegerisches Ausbildungszentrum der Luftwaffe at Holloman Air Force Base, NM, USA, flying IDS. Operational Conversion Unit, active, flying 14 aircraft.^[14]
• Marineflieger - The German Naval Air Arm obtained 112 IDS aircraft for the anti-shipping mission.^[8]
  • Marinefliegergeschwader 1 at Jagel, flying IDS. Disbanded, operated between 2 July 1982 – 1 January 1994.^[15]
  • Marinefliegergeschwader 2 at Eggebek, flying IDS. Disbanded, operated between 1986–2005.

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force - The United Kingdom obtained a total of 228 IDS aircraft; of these, 16 were subsequently converted to undertake the reconnaissance mission, alongside a further 14 new build airframes. Another 28 were converted for the anti-shipping mission.^[16] In addition, a total of 165 ADV aircraft were obtained, comprising 18 F.2s and 147 F.3s.^[17]
  • No. 2 Squadron at Marham, flying GR4/4A until 2015. Up till 2015, 12 aircraft.^[18][19]
  • No. 5 Squadron at Coningsby, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1987–2003^[20]
  • No. 9 Squadron at Marham, flying GR4/4A. Active, ~12 aircraft.^[21]
  • No. 11 Squadron at Leeming, flying F3. Disbanded, operating between 1988–2005.^[22]
  • 'No. 12 Squadron at RAF Marham, flying GR4/4A. until 2018, ~12 aircraft.^[23]
  • No. 13 Squadron at Marham, flying GR4/4A. Disbanded 13 May 2011, 12 aircraft.^[24]
  • No. 14 Squadron at Lossiemouth, flying GR4/4A. Disbanded, 12 aircraft.^[25]
  • No. XV (Reserve) Squadron at Lossiemouth, flying GR4. Reserve, 26 aircraft. GR4 Operational Conversion Unit. Disbanded 31 March 2017.^[26]
  • No. 16 Squadron at Laarbruch, flying GR1. Disbanded, operated between 13 December 1983 – 11 September 1991.^[27]
  • No. 17 Squadron at Brüggen, flying GR1. Disbanded, operated between 1 March 1985 – 31 March 1999.^[27][28]
  • No. 20 Squadron at Laarbruch, flying GR1. Disbanded, 29 June 1984–May 1992.^[27]
  • No. 23 Squadron at Leeming, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1 November 1988 – 28 February 1994.^[27]
  • No. 25 Squadron at Leeming, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1989–2008.^[29]
  • No. 27 Squadron at Marham, flying GR1. Disbanded, operated between 12 August 1983 – 1 October 1993.^[28]
  • No. 29 Squadron at Coningsby, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1987–1998.^[30]
  • No. 31 Squadron at Marham, flying GR4/4A. Active, ~10 aircraft.^[31]
  • No. 41 (Reserve) Squadron at Coningsby. The Typhoon & Tornado Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES). Reserve, 2 Aircraft. Both aircraft phased out in October 2017.
  • No. 43 Squadron at Leuchars, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1989–2009.^[32]
  • No. 56 (Reserve) Squadron at Leuchars, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1992–2008.^[33]
  • No. 111 Squadron at Leuchars, flying F3. Disbanded, operated between 1990–2011.^[34]
  • No. 617 Squadron at Lossiemouth, flying GR4/4A. Inactive, 12 aircraft.^[35]
  • No. 229 OCU (No 65 (Reserve) Squadron) at Coningsby, flying F2/3. Renumbered 56(R) Sqn, 1984–1992 F.2/3 Operational Conversion Unit.^[36]
  • No. 1435 Flight at Mount Pleasant, flying F3. Replaced by Typhoon FGR4, 4 aircraft, based in the Falklands.^[37]
  • Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment at Cottesmore, flying IDS, GR1. Disbanded, operated between 1980–31 March 1999.^[28][38]
  • Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit (No. 45 Squadron) at Honington, flying GR1. Renumbered XV(R) Sqn, operated between 1 August 1980 – 31 March 1992.^[28][38]

 Saudi Arabia

• Royal Saudi Air Force - Saudi Arabia initially obtained 72 Tornados, comprising 48 IDS and 24 ADV. A further 48 IDS aircraft were subsequently obtained.^[39]
  • 7th Squadron RSAF IDS^[40]
  • 29th Squadron RSAF ADV^[40] 1989-2006^[39]
  • 34th Squadron RSAF ADV^[40] 1989-1992^[39]
  • 66th Squadron RSAF IDS^[40] from 1990, now inactive^[39]
  • 75th Squadron RSAF IDS
  • 83rd Squadron RSAF IDS

References

• Lake, Jon. "Aircraft of the RAF: Part 1 – Panavia Tornado". Air International, Vol. 74, No. 4, April 2008, pp. 24–29. ISSN 0306-5634.
• Lake, Jon. "Tornado Variant Briefing: Part III: Tornado Operators". World Air Power Journal, Volume 32, Spring 1998, pp. 118–137. London: Aerospace Publishing. ISBN 1-86184-006-3. ISSN 0959-7050.
• List, Friedrich. "German Air Arms Review". Air International, Vol. 70, No. 5, May 2006, pp. 50–57. ISSN 0306-5634.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Panavia Tornado.

• Tornado (BAe) on Fas.org
• Panavia Tornado IDS Attack Bomber on Aerospaceweb.org
• Panavia Tornado on Tornado-data.com
• List of all active German Tornados
• German IDS Tornado 44+97 at the Deutsches Museum subsidiary Flugwerft Oberschleißheim, Germany (DE)