Brazillian Panavia Tornado MBR vs DPRK

[comrade harps]

Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Panavia Tornado MBR
a/c 8449, 1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça (1st Fighter Group), Brazillian Air Force
20 June 2007, Ie Shima


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

The Panavia Tornado is a family of twin-engine, variable-sweep wing multirole combat aircraft, jointly developed and manufactured by Brazil, Canada and India. Originally referred to as the Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MRCA), it was developed into three specialised Tornado variants for the partner nations: the Tornado IDS (InterDiction/Strike) attack aircraft with a secondary reconnaissance capability, the suppression of enemy air defences Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance, for Brazil only) and the Tornado ADV (Air Defence Variant) interceptor for Canada. The Tornado was developed and built by Panavia Aircraft Ltd, a tri-national consortium consisting of Canadian Aerospace (later referred to as CAE), Embraer of Brazil and HAL of India. It first flew on 14 August 1974 and was introduced into service in 1979–1980. The production of these domestic versions was followed by the export-only Tornado International series, which fulfilled the promise of the original MRCA concept.


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

The Tornado International originated with an attempt to sell a Tornado derivative to the USAF. The Enhanced Tactical Fighter program envisioned an aircraft capable of launching deep air interdiction missions without requiring additional support for fighter escort or jamming, replacing a variety of F-4 and F-111 versions. To Americanize the Tornado, Panavia licensee Rockwell International selected an airframe based on the stretched Tornado ADV proposal and added US avionics, based around the Hughes AN/APG-70 radar. Three contenders were chosen for a competitive fly-off: the McDonnel Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle, General Dynamics' F-16XL and Rockwell International's F/A-19 Tornado II (the first USAF Tornado being the North American Aircraft B-45 Tornado, subsequent corporate mergers seeing North American Aircraft becoming the aviation division of Rockwell International). The F-15E won the competition in 1983 and updated versions continue in production. In 1991, Rockwell submitted a mission-customized Tornado II proposal (unofficially designated F/A-19G) for a USAF competition to replace its F-4G Wild Weasel fleet for the SEAD/DEAD role: that contract went to the F-16CJ/DJ.


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Although the F/A-19 Tornado II failed to find buyers, it had laid the groundwork for an export version of the Tornado for customers wanting a true multirole platform. Following the Iranian Revolution of late 1979, the US government reconsidered its policy of exporting defence technology and placed restrictions that effectively killed-off the prospect of high-end US-built attack aircraft like the F-15 being exported to mon-UN countries for several years. Loopholes, though, allowed for foreign production of aircraft unwanted by the US armed services and permitted the export of US avionics for use in foreign types. The former dodge enabled the F-16XL to enter production with FMA in Argentina as the single-seat F-16E and two-seat F-16F. The latter escape clause allowed Panavia to take the core American avionics of the F/A-19 Tornado II and repackage them in Tornado airframes to produce the export-orientated Tornado International. While export customers would have preferred the longer-range of a modified ADV airframe, the US State Department placed pressure on Panavia and the buyers to limit all sales (with one exception) to the shorter-legged IDS airframe (the anomaly being the Tornado J for Japan). Aside from the Tornado J (84 licence-built by Mitsubishi), there was the Tornado International C (36 assembled by Embraer in Brazil for Chile) and the Tornado International S (96 assembled by CAE in Canada for Saudi Arabia). All Torando Internationals had avionics built around a digital databus and featured the American  AN/APG-70 radar with BVR engagement capability matched to the CAE Blue Way Skyflash SARH missile.


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

The original Tornado partners began studying mid-life update options in the late 1980s. Initially, this was a joint venture, but it soon became apparent that there were significant differences in required specifications related to doctrine, future visions and budgets. Canada's Tornado MLU programs resulted in the relatively modest Tornado GR.4. Meanwhile, Brazil and India both seized on the opportunities that arose from the Tornado International program to create truly multirole versions, Brazil's Tornado MBR being bassed around the AN/APG-63(V)3 radar and India's Tornado IDS-M using the AN/APG-76 radar. Embraer modified 123 Tornado IDS and 36 Tornado ECR versions of the Brazilian Air Force to the new Tornado MBR (Modernised - BRazil) standard. The capabilities of the MBR enabled the Brazillian Air Force to retire its remaining F-4E/RF-4E fleet as the Tornado could now fulfil all of the Phantom II's roles.


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

Upon reaching FOC in 2001, Tornado MBRs avionics and ordnance options included the following:

- AN/APG-63(V)3 radar
-  IRIS-T (Infra-Red Imaging System Tail/Thrust vector-controlled) air-to-air missile (built by a partnership including Brazil, Singapore and the UAE)
- AIM-120 C-6 AMRAAM
- Litening II FLIR/targeting pod on the starboard nose pylon originally built for the Orenda Honey Pie Atlis II targeting pod
- a fixed, fuselage-mounted navigation FLIR (the same as that used for the Tornado GR.4) that required the removal of the starboard cannon on the IDS airframes
- CAE Creme Bulldog Skyshadow NG ECM pod
- CAE Wood Bungalow BOZ-110 chaff/flare dispenser
- precision-guided munitions, including GBU-10, -12, -24 Paveways, GBU-31 and -38 JDAMs, AGM-88C HARMs, AGM-154A JSOW and the indigenous Kormoran 2 anti-ship missile
- Goodyear RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod Tornado) pod

Tornado MBR 8449 is depicted here as photographed on the night of 20 June 2007, ready for Brazil's first combat mission of Operation Freedom Dawn (OFD). The stated mission of OFD was the enforcement of a UN Security Council resolution to establish a No-Fly Zone over the DPRK and to use "necessary means to protect civilians and civilian-populated areas" from government forces. Brazil deployed 30 Tornado MBRs from the 1º Grupo de Aviação de Caça (1st Fighter Group) to Ie Shima (an island off the coast of Okinawa) during Operation Pacific Shield and flew 26 of those jets on the opening night of OFD. 8449 and 3 other Tornados MBRs were loaded with GBU-24 Paveway IIIs, while others carried GBU-10s, GBU-31s, AGM-88s and AGM-154s. Two Tornado MBRs also flew reconnaissance missions with the RAPTOR pod. According to official statements, targets included "air defence, logistics and regime command, control, communications and intelligence" facilities. They were supported by 10 GlobalFighter Typhoon Tranche 2s from 2º Grupo de Aviação de Caça (2nd Fighter Group) acting as fighter escorts and the Brazillian Air Force's own Airbus A330 MRTT tankers. All Brazilian Air Force aircraft and personnel "returned safely and without significant incident" from OFD's opening night action.


Panavia Tornado MBR by Glenn Harper, on Flickr

[zenrat]

 

[PR19_Kit]

A terrific model build, and an AWESOME backstory! 

The latter has so many potential Whiffing paths that we could run 2-3 years worth of GBs without drawing breath! 

[NARSES2]

Certainly suits that colour scheme 

[Captain Canada]

Nice little story, and she looks great in those colours. Cheers !

[DogfighterZen]

 

[Dizzyfugu]

Nice idea. What colors/tones did you use (juts curious, its hard to guess on the pictures)?

[ysi_maniac]

Love it!

[comrade harps]

Nice idea. What colors/tones did you use (juts curious, its hard to guess on the pictures)?

Some of my current favourite 50 shades of Humbrol: M28, M64 and M106. The radar is M140.

The kit, btw, is the Revell Tornado IDS in the gentleman's scale of 1:72nd. I wouldn't recommend it. Generally, it goes together OK, but it's fortunately that on a Tornado you can't see much of the truly atrocious undercarriage. I'm surprised that it came out kind of sitting evenly.

Thanks for your appreciation.

Next up is the new tool Airfix Buccaneer.

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you very much! 

It's the new Revell Tornado with the separate cockpit section, I guess, not the re-boxed, more simple Italeri mold? I have built one of these (as a Canadian Tonka) - at first sight I was pleased with the fine surface details, but building this thing was a serious PITA, totally over-engineered to a point that you cannot get it together properly at all (e .g. the underwing pylons).

[comrade harps]

I used the 2010 Eye of the tiger box: https://www.scalemates.com/kits/revell-04695-tornado-tigermeet-eye-tiger--102315