A Sample Feature From Aviation News Tornado GR.4 boosts front-lineAviation News’s Dino Carrara reports from Warton on the development and progress of the Tornado GR.4 programme being undertaken by BAE Systems.
A Tornado GR.4A of No 13 Sqn; one of the main external differences to the GR.1 and GR.1A, which is clearly visible in this photo, is the addition of a fairing for the forward looking infra-red (FLIR) located under the left-hand side of the nose. (Photo, Sgt Jack Pritchard). Below: The extent of work required to convert a Tornado GR.1 to a GR.4 is evident in this shot of an aircraft on the production line at Warton. Each conversion takes seven and a half months to complete. (Photo, BAE Systems).
THE Tornado GR.1 has proved itself in conflicts as a capable ground-attack aircraft. It is being further enhanced with the upgraded Tornado GR.4, which will have fully-equipped the RAF’s front-line squadrons by the middle of this year. The Tornado GR.1 entered service in 1981 and the programme to upgrade 142 aircraft to GR.4 standard by BAE Systems was approved in 1994 and by mid-January 2002, 107 had been delivered. Externally there is little to differentiate between the two versions, except for an additional fairing under the nose to house the Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) and less obviously the deletion of one of the two 27mm IWKA-Mauser cannon. A principal goal of the programme is to have a common equipment fit and eliminate the costly process of having fleets within fleets as with the GR.1. The exception to this are the Tornado GR.1As which are being converted into Tornado GR.4As. These aircraft will be the same as the GR.4, but retain the sideways-looking and linescan infra-red systems which took up the space of both cannon in the GR.1A. The GR.4 programme
modifications have been brought in as a series of packages, with
the early upgraded aircraft being retrofitted to bring them in line
with later machines. The main new systems to be added have been the
integration of a TIALD (Thermal Imaging And Laser Designator), to
enable the aircraft to laser designate targets for itself or other
aircraft, the FLIR mentioned above which aids night flight navigation
and target acquisition in the dark, a Laser Inertial Navigation System
(LINS), a Global Positioning System (GPS), a Ground Proximity Warning
System (GPWS) and a wide-angle Head-Up Display (HUD). Also added
has been the ability for the whole fleet to carry the Vicon reconnaissance
wet film pod, a Video Recording System permitting a better debrief
of sorties, a night vision goggle (NVG) compatible cockpit, Have
Quick secure radios, new colour moving map which allows the pilot
to overlay his route, and a Mil Std 1553B/1760A data-bus which permits
the use of current and future systems and weapons. One other item
added to the aircraft is the Ground-Based Laser Designator system
introduced to support ground operations with the Army. The Sea Eagle
anti-shipping missile was also to have been integrated fleet wide,
however this was dropped from the programme when the weapon was withdrawn
from RAF service. New Weapons As well as new systems, the Tornado GR.4 is being made more lethal with the addition of extra and more potent weapons. The 2,000lb Raytheon Paveway III has been cleared for use, this and the 1,000lb Paveway II being also integrated to allow them to be targeted by GPS. Called the Interim Precision Guided Bomb (IPGB) project, this was the subject of an Urgent Operational Requirement as a result of problems the RAF encountered during the Kosovo War when many bombs could not be dropped due to bad weather. For precision strikes Tornados were relying upon targets being laser designated, but if a target was obscured by cloud the possibility of collateral damage meant that it would not be attacked. The addition of this system will give the RAF the ability to bomb accurately in any weather, provided of course a latitude and longitude of the target can be ascertained. Formal clearance from BAE Systems to the RAF for the use of these GPS-guided bombs was achieved in October 2001, with operational availability planned for April this year with aircraft deployed for Operation Resinate South at Ali Al Salem in Kuwait. Another new weapon being incorporated as part of the GR.4 programme is the MBDA Storm Shadow stand-off missile which will enter front-line service in December 2003. Carriage and jettison trials have been completed and the first live firing from a Tornado will take place in the first half of this year. The same weapon under the name Scalp has been ordered by France and has already been fired from a Mirage 2000N. Alenia Marconi Systems’ Brimstone is an anti-armour weapon also undergoing testing and is set to be delivered, coincidentally, at the same time as Storm Shadow. A single GR.4 will be able to carry 18 of these weapons. The aircraft is also to receive a reconnaissance pod called RAPTOR (Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for TORnado) made by BF Goodrich, which uses a datalink to relay information and digital imaging negating the need to process film resulting in less time from target acquisition to target approval. It will also significantly reduce the threat to the aircraft by allowing the mission to be flown at a safer distance from the area of interest by virtue of its stand-off capability. The pod also has the advantage of being self-aligning, therefore should the aircraft have to unexpectedly change course to avoid enemy defences the cameras will stay fixed on the target area. It will also have its operational debut in April this year with the Tornado detachment in Kuwait. Storm Shadow, Brimstone and RAPTOR are all currently being test flown on Tornados at Warton.
A Tornado carrying the MBDA Storm Shadow stand-off missile on the centre and wing pylons. Also attached to the latter are a pair of ALARMs. (Photo, BAE Systems). Below: Another weapon undergoing testing for use on the GR.4 is the anti-armour Brimstone. A total of 18 will be able to be carried on the wing and centre pylons. (Photo, BAE Systems).
Fully Operational The first Tornado GR.4 entered front-line service in May 1998, although the type was not declared fully operational until last year. This approval was delayed as concerns were raised by the Strike Attack Operational Evaluation Unit (SAOEU) in November 2000 which discovered an interface problem with the TIALD. This was subsequently resolved and the type undertook its first operational deployment with No 12 Sqn to Ali Al Salem in June 2001. The RAF has sufficient GR.4s in service to cover operational deployments with the result that the GR.1 is taking an increasingly back seat when it comes to combat operations.
A Tornado GR.1 is pictured carrying the new reconnaissance pod, RAPTOR, on a flight trial. The system is to have its operational debut this month (April) with the operation Resinate South Tornado GR.4 detachment in Kuwait. (Photo, BAE System). At any one time 22 aircraft are at Warton for conversion to GR.4 standard, 18 will be on the production line while four are prepared for delivery to the RAF. It took 12 months to produce the first aircraft, though this has now been refined down to seven and a half months. Since 1999 BAE Systems has been able to deliver a GR.4 every eight working days. Twenty-eight aircraft are scheduled for hand-over to the RAF this year, with the final four of the 142 to be dispatched in 2003. The type is currently due to be retired from RAF service in 2020, with the numbers of aircraft due to start running down from 2017/ 8. The airframe was originally designed for 4,000hr and BAE Systems is working to extend the lifespan to an eventual 8,000 to enable it to reach the out of service date. Progress is being conducted in stages with the company working ahead of the fleet to approve life extensions. Thus far it has cleared the type up to 5,000hr, the current fleet leader now having approximately 4,600 ‘on the clock’. While the modifications to make the GR.4 are extensive, further upgrades are being looked at for the future with, for example, Raytheon likely to receive a contract this year for the integration of a Successor Identification Friend or Foe (SIFF) system. Other items being considered include a tactical data link, more systems to protect the aircraft, greater processing power and better software. The Tornado GR.1 was developed as a Cold War warrior and the aircraft and sensors were optimised for low-level. With the unpredictable nature of warfare this tactic may still have to be used and it is worth noting that the Tornado is still the only RAF ground-attack aircraft capable of the full spectrum of operations at low-level, be it day or night and in all weathers. However, with the focus on medium-level bombing the aircraft is now being used in ways it was never designed for. It has adapted admirably and the upgrades being incorporated in the GR.4 will ensure it remains a formidable ground-attack aircraft for the foreseeable future.
Above: One of the first aircraft to be converted to GR.4 standard was this company trials aircraft ZG773. BAE Systems won the contract in 1994, the 142nd and last aircraft is due to be delivered in March 2003. (Photo, BAE Systems). Acknowledgements Aviation News would like to thank Mike Sweeney and his team at BAE Systems for their assistance. |
