Panavia Tornado GR4 – ZA398
Specification (GR4A)
Technical Specification
- Need some spec
Dimensions
- Length: 16.72 m (54 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 13.91 m (28.2 ft),/ 8.60 m (45.6 ft /)
- Weight empty: 13,890 kg (30,620 lb}, max. 28,000 kg (61,700 lb).
Performance
- Max. speed: Mach 2.2 (2,400 km/h, 1,490mph).
- Max. altitude: 15,240m (50,000 ft).
- Range (without inflight-refuelling): 1,390 km (870 mi) for typical combat mission
Description
The Panavia MRCA Tornado is a perfect example of a product of the Cold War period, when tensions were high between the East and the West. The Soviet block and Chinese air forces equipped themselves with vast numbers of relatively unsophisticated aircraft, types with limited versatility and overall capabilities, whilst NATO and its allies concentrated on advanced, adaptable aircraft which could take on demanding missions and overcome superior numbers of adversaries.
M-R-C-A. Multi-Role-Combat-Aircraft. In order to be able to undertake many different tasks and to do all of them very well, the Tornado had to be designed with the absolute leading edge of technology available at the time, to incorporate every modern advanced system and to be capable of being upgraded repeatedly so that it could always keep up with advances in systems and equipment.
The first Tornado prototype made its inaugural flight on the 14th August 1974, taking off from Manching in Germany.
