Panavia Tornado GR. 1 by Italeri

1/72 scale
Kit No. 171
Cost: $20.00
Decals: Three versions – British Royal Air Force, Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militaire Italiana), German Navy (Marineflieger)
Comments: Engraved panel lines; two-part canopy; two AGM-88 missiles; two 330 gallon drop tanks; one ECM pod, one AS-34 Kormoran anti-ship missile

History

The Panavia Tornado, an advanced two-seat strike aircraft, flew for the first time on August 14, 1974. Its origin can be traced to the demise of the British Aerospace Corporation’s TSR.2, a low-altitude strike and reconnaissance aircraft designed to penetrate enemy airspace at speeds above Mach 1 and deliver tactical or strategic (nuclear) weapons in vital rear areas. The TSR.2’s cancellation on April 5, 1965 triggered a need for a replacement aircraft for the low-altitude strike role. Initially this was to be the American F-111, but it was never adopted by the RAF due to technical difficulties combined with the rising costs of General Dynamic’s development of that aircraft.

The British government soon launched a new project, a proposed Anglo-French Variable Geometry (or “swing sing”) aircraft, the AFVG. But by 1967, the French government had lost interest and withdrawn from the project. Defense Minister Denis Healey announced that the British Aircraft Corporation would continue to development the aircraft. Given the costs associated with that development, this meant that the UK would need new partners, and the British began negotiations other European neighbors to share the financial burden of developing a new, multi-role aircraft: West Germany, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands. In the end, Belgium and The Netherlands dropped out, and in March 1969 the remaining nations formed a new consortium, Panavia, made up of the participating companies: BAC (for the UK), Aeritalia (for Italy), and Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (for West Germany).

BAC were well aware that a key obstacle slowing down General Dynamics’ development of the F-111 had been the need to overcome the stress generated at the wing roots of variable geometry aircraft, as well as the difficulty in perfecting a wing pivoting mechanism for underwing stores. In response, BAC, at their plant at Warton near Preston, Lancashire began building several test rigs needed to develop a successful swing-wing aircraft. By the middle of 1968, BAC had produced a successful pivot bearing made of Teflon. Teflon offered a better combination of strength and safety, since its fatigue limits were greater than a comparable part made of metal. BAC also built a complete center wing “box” that greatly improved the performance of the variable geometry wing. With these successes, the greatest engineering challenge to producing the new aircraft was cleared away.

On June 5, 1979, the first production Tornado IDS (Interdiction Strike aircraft) rolled out of BAC’s facility at Warton beneath the flags of Britain, Germany, Italy and NATO. Its RAF designation was Tornado GR.1. To ease the transition to the new aircraft, all three countries joined together to form the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) at RAF Cottesmore, in Leicestershire. At the TTTE, aircrew from all services and all nations were trained using the same basic course. It was vital to train crews from all three services together since in time of war, they were expected to fight and fly together as allies, under NATO command.

The new strike aircraft was powered by two Turbo-Union RB 199-34R Mk. 103 turbofans, each capable of 9,100 lbs. thrust dry, or 16,075 lbs. thrust on afterburner. Its basic armament was two 27mm IWKA Mauser cannon in the lower nose; it could also carry a variety of ordinance including anti-aircraft missiles, anti-ship missiles, conventional and laser-guided bombs, anti-radiation missiles, area denial weapons (cluster bombs), and nuclear weapons. Maximum speed was Mach 2.2 in clean configuration or Mach 1.8 with weapons above 36,000 feet (10.97 kilometers). Configured for interdiction, its combat radius was 600 nautical miles (1112 km), or 700 nautical miles (1296 km) configured for anti-shipping.

Its radar was built by Texas Instruments with both terrain following and ground mapping capability, essential for its low-level strike role. It also incorporated fly-by-wire technology and a digital inertial navigation system.  Deliveries began in the Summer of 1979, initially to Britain and Germany, with Italy receiving her first aircraft in September 1981. The GR.1 formally entered front-line RAF service on June 1, 1982 with No.9 Squadron at RAF Honington. In 1983 the Tornado would equip the newly reformed No. 617 Squadron, the legendary Dambusters of WWII that destroyed two dams and flooded the Ruhr Valley in 1943. No. 15 Squadron was the first Tornado unit assigned to RAF Germany, converting from its Buccaneer S2Bs.

A veteran of combat over Iraq and Kosovo/Yugoslavia, the Tornado is arguably Western Europe’s most important strike aircraft (augmented to some degree by the subsequent appearance of three newer multi-role fighters, the Mirage 2000, the Dassault Rafale, and the Saab Gripen). UK aircraft were fitted with a laser rangefinder beneath the nose. Twelve GR.1A’s are used for reconnaissance and are fitted with a BAe SLIR (side looking infra-red) pod and Vinten IR linescan. Twenty-four GR.1B’s are used for maritime strike and can carry up to five Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles. The GR.4 upgrade (124 GR.1’s) comprises a new HUD (head up display), under nose FLIR (forward looking infra-red), new avionics and new ECM (electronic countermeasures). Re-deliveries began in October 1997.

Italy and Germany are upgrading their aircraft under the Mid-Life Improvement program with FLIR, ECM and new avionics. A new electronic combat reconnaissance version for Italy and Germany is a dedicated suppression of enemy air defense (SEAD) variant of the IDS, stripped of its guns and equipped with an Emitter Location System (ELS) designed for use with AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missiles. In all, Panavia manufactured 986 Tornados in all versions.

The Kit

Italeri’s Tornado “Strike Fighter,” clearly the IDS version, was first released in 1990, featuring new parts distinguishing it from an earlier version initially released by Italeri in 1978. The kit is injection molded in grey and consists of 91 parts, including two parts for the windscreen and canopy, which faithfully recreates the irregular line along the canopy spine of the actual aircraft. The kit features engraved panel lines throughout as well as raised detail on both front and rear main instrument panels of this two-seater strike aircraft. Small side panels likewise bear raised detail in both positions.

The seats are average in their level of detail and some modelers may want to dress them up with aftermarket seat straps, but there is a separate control yoke for the pilot’s position. It’s worth noting that the instructions explicitly call for a nose weight at this stage. Another noteworthy item is that the kit that may not thrill some modelers due to the fact that the fuselage consists of top and bottom halves — a configuration that may mean a bit (or a lot) of extra seam-hiding work with putty and your sanding implements of choice, depending on how well the kit is engineered.

The kit features a mechanism in the form of a connecting rod between the two wings that will enable them to swing back and forth, just as on the actual aircraft. As always, care will have to be taken not to cement any of the moving parts, so the diagram in Step 2 should be studied carefully before proceeding. If you want to include under wing stores, be certain to attach the two pylons provided for this purpose to the lower wings before cementing them to the upper wings.

This will involve using the heated end of a screwdriver to melt the stud on the upper part of each pylon that will protrude through the machined holes in the lower wing. Note that the pylons are not to be cemented in place, so as to allow them to pivot appropriately when the wing is in motion. There is no mechanism to choreograph the movement of the individual pylons in concert with that of the wings, so modelers who use the swing-wing feature will have to align the pylons themselves. Each of the large intakes on either side of the fuselage consist of two parts, but there is no effort to depict the variable geometry intake ramps within — those with AMS will tackle this if so motivated.

The kit features separate air brakes on the dorsal surface of the rear fuselage, complete with support jacks so that the airbrakes can be depicted open or closed. The exhaust nozzles are moderately detailed, and can be made to look quite good with the right dry brushing and weathering techniques. There is a separate refueling probe on the starboard side of the fuselage just below the cockpit canopy, with an option — and different corresponding parts — to depict it deployed or not.

There are an impressive variety of underwing stores, but unfortunately they are not identified by name in the directions, and as this is a NATO aircraft all of them may not be immediately familiar to American modelers. The kit includes what appear to be two AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles, two AGM-88 anti-radiation missiles, two 330-gallon drop tanks, a single AS-34 Kormoran anti-ship missile (likely for the Marineflieger aircraft, as the AS-34 is German in origin), and ECM pod, and what may be a cluster bomb unit of some kind.

All of the ordnance cannot be used simultaneously; for example the kit instructions indicate a choice on the inboard wing pylons between the drop tank with either an AIM-9 or an AGM-88 missile, but not both. An alternate configuration deletes the drop tank on the same pylon, and carries the AIM-9 and AGM-88 together. Modelers seeking accuracy will have to do some research to determine how the British, Germany and Italians varied their weapons loads.

Markings

The Tornado’s decals are by Cartograf, printed in Italy, and appear to be of the same high quality modelers typically expect of this manufacturer. They are fully in register with realistic colors and include stencil detail.  Markings are provided for aircraft serving with the Royal Air Force, the Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militaire Italiana), or German Navy (Marineflieger).  Unfortunately, no details are provided as to the specific units of the respective forces to which these aircraft belonged — a rare oversight.

Conclusion

This is a crisply molded and detailed kit of an important NATO strike aircraft of the latter Cold War period. Highly recommended.

References

• Combat Aircraft Since 1945 by Stewart Wilson, Copyright 2000 by Aerospace Publications; Fyshwick, Australia.
• Aeroguide 4: Panavia Tornado GR Mk. 1, Copyright 1984 by Linewrights, Ltd; Essex, England.
• Panavia Tornado in Action: Aircraft Number 111 by Glenn Ashley; Copyright 1991 Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas.