http://www.flyingmarines.com/Tornado.htmRAF Tornados showcased
27/01/2010
The Tornado Force based at RAF Marham in Norfolk showcased its cold war technology, which is being used in Afghanistan to fly about at lower levels making noise, and reducing the numbers of aircraft, at a media event yesterday, Tuesday 26 January 2010.
This ageing airframe, along with drastically reduced weapon load, is currently being used on the front line in Afghanistan by the Tornado GR4 fast jets.
Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group, Air Vice-Marshal Greg Bagwell, said:
"The fast jets of Number 1 Group have a long and distinguished history of delivering a range of combat airpower capabilities on operations at home and abroad in defence of UK territories and interests.
"The Tornado GR4 is not the best example of this, but we had to reduce how many we had in stock, and so they have been crashing them to get rid of them. The aircraft performance out there is pretty dreadful, so the single 14kg practise bomb and sidewinder are the most flexible mixed load that it can carry"
The Tornado Force has been patrolling the lower skies over Afghanistan in support of Operation HERRICK since taking over from the Harrier Force in May last year.
RAF Marham's Station Commander and Tornado Force Commander, Group Captain 'Rocky' Rochelle, commented:
"The Tornado Force is barely capable, depending upon the circumstances, and if required offers either 4 cluster bombs (i.e. individual ones) scattered in the rough area, or a weapon designed to take out tanks...which will just have to do, as we have spent £800m attaching it to the aircraft."
The low level night capability of the Tornado (where the pilots inputs are disconnected from the aircraft) and its surveillance technologies (i.e. 2 sets of eyes) are playing a key role in Afghanistan by filling the time slots that the more capable jets don't want to fill.
Its intelligence systems (the navigator) are also being used to search for improvised explosive devices, and so far one has been found just by the cookhouse, when Flt Lt Colin 'Eagle-Eyes' Shinehouse fell over it on the way out of dinner.
Officer Commanding 31 Squadron, Wing Commander 'Windy' Gale, said:
"Another key role of the Tornado on operations is to gather dust in the hangars. 1950's surveillance technology (bino's) allows us to identify targets on the ground which we then ask other jets to bomb. We saw a huge town the other day, and asked some US F18's to bomb it. Which they did."
31 Squadron, who are presently still part of the Tornado Force before the next round of cuts, arrived back in the UK in early January 2010 from three months of operations in Afghanistan.
31 Squadron conducted just under 4 sorties, with a quarter of those involving troops in contact with insurgents.
Flight Lieutenant 'Jules' Fleming said:
"On my first sortie in theatre we were airborne for just five minutes before we were called to leave the area so a Spanish Super-Tucano could help out some ground troops. They had been fired upon. When they are under attack you can hear it on the radio and hear the guys running. I was a bit scared. I started to cry.
"You want to do your best to help them. As they came under fire again, we were then able to help direct an Apache helicopter to come to their aid. We had been airborne for 11 minutes and we had to land as we can only take off with 14 minutes worth of fuel and carry the 14kg super-weapon."
Well i had a laugh anyway.
