RAF Tornado GR4A

Panavia Tornado GR4A

Description
Role	Reconnaissance
Crew	2
First Flight	July 11 1985
Entered Service	April 3 1987
Manufacturer	BAE Systems
Dimensions
Length	16.7 m	54 ft 10 in
Wingspan 67&deg sweep	8.6 m	28 ft 3 in
Wingspan 25&deg sweep	13.9 m	45 ft 8 in
Height	5.95 m	19 ft 6 in
Wing Area	26.6 m²	286 ft²
Weights
Empty	20,400 kg	45,000 lb
Loaded	29,410 kg	64,838 lb
Maximum Takeoff	28,000 kg	61,700 lb
Capacity
Powerplant
Engines	2 x Turbo-Union RB199 turbofans
Dry thrust	40.5 kN	9,100 lbf
Afterburner thrust	71.2 kN	16,000 lbf
Performance
Maximum Speed	2,336 km/h	1,452 mph
Combat Range	1,482 km	921 miles
Ferry Range	3,797 km	2,360 miles
Service Ceiling	> 15,200 m	50,000 ft
Rate of Climb	4,600 m/min	15,000 ft/min
Wing Loading	kg/m²	lb/ft²
Thrust/Weight	N/kg	lbf/lb at normal takeoff weight
Power/Mass	kW/kg	hp/lb
Avionics
Avionics
Armament
Guns	1 x 27 mm Mauser BK-27 cannon
Missiles	AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-132 ASRAAM, Storm Shadow, ALARM, Brimstone
Bombs	Paveway LGBs, Dumb bombs
Other	RAPTOR Reconnaissance pod, TIALD Laser designator

The Tornado GR.4A, an upgrade of the Tornado GR1.A, is a dedicated version of the Panavia Tornado used for all weather, day and night tactical reconnaissance. The GR4A retains all the offensive capabilities of the standard GR4 and is in service with the Royal Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force.

History

The Tornado programme first began with Tornado GR1s, which were built by a tri-national company (Panavia). 30 GR1As were ordered and were either converted from GR1 standard or delivered as new build aircraft. The GR1A was not fitted with cannon, the space was used for SLIR (Sideways Looking Infra-Red) reconnaissance sensors, one on each side of the fuselage and a single IRLS (Infra-Red LineScan) reconnaissance sensor mounted on the underside of the fuselage. In the main picture the SLIR widow can be seen below and to the right of the RAF roundel.

With the upgrade of the GR1 to GR4 standard, similarly the GR1A became the GR4A. 25 aircraft were upgraded, work beginning in 1996 and finished in 2003. Upgrades to the more than twenty-year old aircraft included, FLIR (Forward-Looking Infra-Red), a wide-angle HUD (Head-Up Display), improved cockpit displays, NVG (Night Vision Goggle) capabilities, new avionics and weapons systems, updated computer systems, and a Global Positioning System. The GR4 and GR4A have the capability to carry the Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for TORnado (RAPTOR).

Specifications

Powerplant: Two Turbo-Union RB199-103 Turbofans
Wingspan: 13.9 m (fully spread)
Length: 16.7 m
Max Speed: 2,336 km/h (Mach 2.2) at 11,000 m altitude
Accommodation: Pilot and Navigator
Armament: Up to 18,000 lb (8,000 kg) of ordnance.