The Royal Air Force will officially retire the legendary Tornado GR.4 bomber today, marking the end of nearly four decades of distinguished service and making it the first air force to withdraw the twenty-ton aircraft from active duty.
In the 1970s, Italy, the United Kingdom, and West Germany collaborated to design and produce the Panavia 200, a variable-sweep wing, multi-role combat aircraft. Known to the British as the “Tonka,” the Tornado was developed and built by Panavia GmbH, a consortium formed by three major aerospace companies: Aeritalia of Italy, British Aerospace of the UK, and MBB of West Germany.
The first RAF Tornado entered service on July 1, 1980, with the Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) at RAF Cottesmore. Nearly two years later, No. IX (B) Squadron became the first front-line RAF unit to convert to the Tornado GR.1, making it the world’s first operational Tornado squadron. Following No. IX (B), the renowned No. 617 Squadron, famously known as the “Dambusters,” and No. 27 Squadron also transitioned to the Tornado. Over the years, most of the RAF’s Tornado fleet underwent several Mid-Life Upgrades (MLUs), evolving from the GR.1/GR.1A to the more advanced GR.4/GR.4A variants. The RAF also operated a significant number of Tornado F.3 interceptors, which were retired eight years ago.
Throughout its years of service, the RAF Tornado saw action in numerous conflicts, beginning with its combat debut during the 1991 Gulf War. A significant number of Tornado fighter and bomber aircraft were deployed to bases in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where they conducted offensive operations against Iraqi forces following the invasion of Kuwait.
In 2011, during the Libyan conflict, the RAF deployed both Tornados and Typhoons to help enforce a no-fly zone over Libya. Some Tornados carried out long-range strike missions covering 4,800 kilometers, the longest bombing missions undertaken by the RAF since the Falklands War.
In January of last year, the RAF carried out the final operational sortie of the Tornado GR.4 from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus. Since 2014, Tornados, alongside other RAF assets, had been deployed there as part of Operation Shader, conducting air strikes against Daesh targets in Iraq and Syria.
Malta has seen a notable number of RAF Tornado visits from various squadrons over the years. The first Tornado GR.1s to land on the island were two aircraft from XV Squadron, which took part in the 1993 Malta International Airshow. During the seven-month Libyan conflict in 2011, a total of seven RAF Tornados diverted to Malta due to technical issues. The most recent Tornado visit occurred in 2017, when a pair of aircraft featured in the static display at the Malta International Airshow.
With the retirement of the Tornado, many will miss the sight of its iconic swept-wing run-in and break over the airfield before landing, as well as the distinctive roar of its thrust reversers upon touchdown at RAF bases. No. IX (B) Squadron “The Bats” and No. 31 Squadron “The Goldstars” were the final two units to operate the aircraft. The Tornado’s role will now be taken over by the F-35B Lightning II, which was declared combat-ready last January.
