For other inquiries, Contact Us. An extremely rare ex-RAF Panavia Tornado F3 will come up auction in the UK this Saturday. Originally named the Tornado GR1 the aircraft’s first use in live operations was during the Gulf War in 1991, when 60 Tornado GR1s were deployed from bases in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain. To see all content on The Sun, please use the Site Map. Others will take place later this year, with the entire Tornado force due out of service by early next year. The RAF said its new fleet of F-35 Lightning jets “will form the backbone of the UK’s combat air fleet” alongside the Typhoon jets in the years to come. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click this link: thesun.co.uk/editorial-complaints/, Comments are subject to our community guidelines, which can be viewed, The RAF's Tornado GR4s will be decommissioned by March 2019, Credit: � Crown This image may be used for current news purposes only. RAF Pilot John Peters and navigator John Nichol were paraded in front of cameras by their Iraqi captors after their Tornado was shot down . To inquire about a licence to reproduce material, visit our Syndication site. King George V gave his consent to its formation and it was formally founded on April 1, 1918. Tornado F.3s, stored at Shawbury. “But, after so long in service, it is only right that we now look to the future. T hese improved RAF Typhoon jets will form the backbone of the UK’s combat air fleet in the future, alongside the recently introduced new fleet of F-35 Lighting jets. No Tornado aircraft are stored at RAF Leeming. The Tornado F3 was the last of the RAF’s pure interceptors, and evolved from the earlier Tornado GR1 ground attack variant to replace the iconic English Electric Lightning. July 17/15: Two Brimstone ground-attack missiles reportedly detached from a Royal Air Force Tornado GR4 fighter-bomber during landing on Wednesday morning. image copyright RAF College Cranwell The Ministry of Defence has confirmed the move, adding that their retirement has been on the cards for some time. The weapons capabilities of the soon-to-retire Tornados are now being delivered by RAF Typhoon jets, which will continue to take a leading role in the Coalition’s mission against Daesh. The UK is a world-leader in the combat air sector, which supports over 18,000 highly skilled jobs with a mix of skills and technologies unique in Europe. The Tornado Force has been continuously deployed on operations since 1990, serving with immense distinction in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Libya and the Balkans. Now Meghan & Harry’s Archewell foundation director leaves after only a YEAR, 'Major' fire breaks out at a school as residents report hearing 'explosion', Boris warns Britain will soon 'feel the effects' of 3rd Covid wave in Europe, This Morning fans think Holly Willoughby being ‘told what to say’ by Ant and Dec, Piers reignites Meghan row after wedding fib is exposed, ©News Group Newspapers Limited in England No. Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. The sector delivers a turnover in excess of £6bn a year and has made up over 80% of defence exports from the UK over the last ten years. What happened to the much vaunted 24 Apache gunships sent to the area weeks ago? Until recently the RAF had Continue reading Sort of hold at the moment. The RAF’s fleet of Tornado fighters has returned to the UK from combat operations for the final time, with the jets due to be officially retired at the end of March 2019. “It is with a heavy heart, but enormous pride, that we bid farewell to the Tornado from operations. Wing Commander Nikki Thomas said: “It was very poignant for us to deliver the Squadron’s final flight as an operational mission because 12 Squadron has been at the very forefront of UK operations to defeat [IS].”. YouTube. No RAF aircraft fought for so long, and the type is guaranteed to be remembered for a long time, but was it the right aircraft? With Tornado planned retirement in 2019, the capabilities of Tornado are being replaced by the Typhoon the and F-35. The Tornado will be officially retired from service at the end of March and will only be used for training purposes over the UK in the intervening period. Q3 and Q4: No decisions have yet been made. The iconic bomber was due to be withdrawn from service in 2015, but was given a reprieve then to join the air war in Syria where it is supporting Special Forces. One plane is heading to RAF Leeming in Yorks while the other two are going to the the Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Kent.. The disbandment parade for the first unit to be axed, 12 Squadron, already took place two weeks ago at RAF Marham. According the Sunday Express, their retirement will make way for 12 F-35Bs to operate from RAF Marham and the new Royal Navy’s Queen Elizabeth-class aircraft carriers. To mark the centenary, the RAF released a series of images from World Wars I and II, which have been dramatically brought to life by colourisation, done by Royston Leonard, 55, an electrician from Cardiff, Wales. The Tornado GR4s were initially scheduled to remain in operation until the F-35B jets were ready to replace them, however budget pressures have forced the RAF to decommission them early next year. The only weapons they have dropped on the enemy are leaflets warning of impending doom. The RAF Tornado is set to retire from the skies and return home for the last time. Royston said: “It is important to remember the men and women who served for their country and the centenary is the perfect opportunity to do so.”. Under ‘Project Centurion’, worth £425million over the past three years, the Typhoon can now also launch the world-leading Meteor air-to-air missile, the Stormshadow deep strike cruise missile and the precision attack missile Brimstone. Later they were upgraded to the GR4 model, which has been used ever since over the skies of Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. This truly is the end of an era, having played a vital role in keeping Britain and its allies safe for four decades. The Tornado GR4 was officially retired from RAF service on … The Tornado will retire at the end of March after almost 40 years in service.. Members of the last two squadrons to operate the aircraft attended the parade in a hangar at the jet's home base of RAF Marham in Norfolk. The RAF plans to have the Typhoon take over from the Tornado by the end of 2018. The Sun website is regulated by the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO), Our journalists strive for accuracy but on occasion we make mistakes. RAF Tornado fleet returns home ahead of retirement. “We can all take immense pride in what the Tornado has achieved in defence of the nation over nearly four decades, and reflect back on the courage, commitment and achievements of everyone who has contributed to the success of this extraordinary aircraft.”. Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier said: “My sincerest congratulations to the Tornado Force, returning home after more than 4 years of continuous commitment to defeating Daesh in Iraq and Syria - an exceptional effort from everyone, well done and thank you. According to the RAF, pilots will be transferred to other units and no jobs will be lost as part of the process. A spokesperson told the Sun: “Yes they are still operating over Iraq and Syria, along with RAF Typhoon fast jets, which will remain in service after tornado is retired.”. First entering service in 1979, the fast jets have been used in operations across the world, most recently bombarding Daesh to push the terrorist group back through Syria and Iraq. The final RAF Tornados have left service, with its capabilities being transferred to the Typhoon. We pay for videos too. As I understand it the remaining tornados will take to the skies one last time to do a farewell flight over all the bases they were previously stationed at. The average twister is about 660 feet wide and moves about 30 miles an hour. All … The RAF has already shaped its Tornado replacement and it is not a single aircraft but an F-35 led integrated air system or air combat approach. The Tornado ended its long career with the RAF last year. ", Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier 6th February 2019 12:00 pm. The Tornado launched hundreds of airstrikes on so-called Islamic State in the Middle East (Picture: MOD). Three Panavia Tornado F.3s at the aircraft Maintenance and Storage Unit at RAF Shawbury in England are being disposed of. “I will personally be very sad to see the Tornado retire, but it is time now to pass the baton to our next generation combat aircraft. On 14 March 2019 the final flight of an RAF Tornado was carried out by Tornado GR4 ZA463, the oldest remaining Tornado, over RAF Marham during the disbandment parade of No. UK Crown Copyright. COLOGNE, Germany – The planned phasing out of the United Kingdom’s last Tornado aircraft has German officials scrambling to deal with the increasing costs of a shrinking fleet. We pay for your stories! THE Royal Air Force is set to ground Tornado fighter jets next year- despite the iconic bomber being used on a daily basis to fight ISIS in Syria. News Corp is a network of leading companies in the worlds of diversified media, news, education, and information services. Click here to upload yours. Many of the remainder are now mothballed. Please switch to using Chrome if you can. it is possible to recover the aircraft back to RAF Marham, the location of the Main Operating Base for operational use, but this has only occurred once in November 2014. The Tornados will be replaced by American F-35Bs (Image: PA) The disbandment parade for the first unit to be axed, 12 Squadron, took place two weeks ago at RAF Marham in Norfolk. All 36 Tornado GR4s will be decommissioned by March 2019 because of defence budget cuts. Confirmation of the fleet’s retirement comes as the RAF celebrates its 100th anniversary today. The RAF deployed the first squadron of Tornado GR1s to the Gulf on August 27, 1990, as No 14 Squadron departed RAF Brüggen, Germany, for Muharraq, Bahrain, decked out in … It may not be used, reprodu, The F-35B Lightning II will place the UK at the forefront of fighter technology, Video footage of RAF tornado destroying building where ISIS made booby-traps in eastern Syria, A squadron of Spitfire planes from the World War II while they docked in Malta in 1944, Credit: **EMBARGO UNTIL AFTER 7PM THIS EVENING, NOT TO BE PUBLISHED UNTIL AFTER THIS TIME** INCRED, Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO). Built more than 40 years ago to fight a nuclear war, the RAF's primary ground attack platform the Tornado has retired from service. In 2012 in 2012 France signed a MoU to join the RAF's latest programme for an unmanned Future Combat Air System (FCAS), which will build upon the BAE Systems Taranis and Dassault NEURON demonstrators. 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