Difference between revisions of "Tornado F.3"
(Fixed my changes. Source of wing area : https://man.fas.org/dod-101/sys/ac/row/tornado.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panavia_Tornado_ADV 19749kg divided by 26.6=742.44kg/m^2) (Tag: Visual edit) |
(History on the tornado and wrote a bit about the plane's protection) (Tag: Visual edit) |
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{{Specs-Avia-Armour}} | {{Specs-Avia-Armour}} | ||
<!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' --> | <!-- ''Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.'' --> | ||
| − | '' | + | ''The Tornado F.3 does not have any armor plates within the plane, most of the planes central fuselage contains self-sealing fuel tanks. This means the Tornado F.3 is very likely to catch fire if hit by enemy rounds or missiles. An EFS system is available that could potentially save the aircraft in the case of an onboard fire.'' |
=== Modifications and economy === | === Modifications and economy === | ||
| Line 192: | Line 192: | ||
At this BR, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with BVR missiles. Your biggest challenge will be F-4J/S with their AIM-7Fs and PDV radars. You have a fair chance of spotting and locking them first given your superior radar. However this doesn't mean you have the advantage as the AIM-7F will out range the Skyflash SuperTEMP. If a missile joust must be started, try to delay the launch of the enemy missile until a close distance (Lower than around 8 km) as in those ranges the Skyflash will out speed the AIM-7F. In the event of an uptier you will almost certainly meet enemy Mig-29s with their R27ER missiles, in this scenario there is simply not much you can do due the R27ER outranging and out speeding the Skyflash. | At this BR, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with BVR missiles. Your biggest challenge will be F-4J/S with their AIM-7Fs and PDV radars. You have a fair chance of spotting and locking them first given your superior radar. However this doesn't mean you have the advantage as the AIM-7F will out range the Skyflash SuperTEMP. If a missile joust must be started, try to delay the launch of the enemy missile until a close distance (Lower than around 8 km) as in those ranges the Skyflash will out speed the AIM-7F. In the event of an uptier you will almost certainly meet enemy Mig-29s with their R27ER missiles, in this scenario there is simply not much you can do due the R27ER outranging and out speeding the Skyflash. | ||
| − | Never pull negative Gs in the Tornado F.3. As with many top tier planes the negative G performance of the tornado is poor. Unlike the British [[Phantom FGR.2|Phantoms]] your wings are not sturdy enough to sustain negative Gs even for a few seconds, often snapping as soon as you put your nose down. The Tornado is generally an unstable aircraft and prone to flat spinning as soon as the wing falls off, so don't expect to get back to base once you've lost a wing. Rolling can easily make the Tornado snap its wings. When in a turn, refrain from rolling in a 2G+ turn or else there is a good chance you may loose one or both wings. You may not have the controllability to recover and you may go into an uncontrollable spin depending on how violently you were rolling. | + | Never pull negative Gs in the Tornado F.3. As with many top tier planes the negative G performance of the tornado is poor. Unlike the British [[Phantom FGR.2|Phantoms]] your wings are not sturdy enough to sustain negative Gs even for a few seconds, often snapping as soon as you put your nose down. The Tornado is generally an unstable aircraft and prone to flat spinning as soon as the wing falls off, so don't expect to get back to base once you've lost a wing. Rolling can easily make the Tornado snap its wings. When in a turn, refrain from rolling in a -2G+ turn or else there is a good chance you may loose one or both wings. You may not have the controllability to recover and you may go into an uncontrollable spin depending on how violently you were rolling. |
==== List of missile and their carriers ==== | ==== List of missile and their carriers ==== | ||
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== History == | == History == | ||
<!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | <!-- ''Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/History" (example: <nowiki>https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History</nowiki>) and add a link to it here using the <code>main</code> template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <code><nowiki><ref></ref></nowiki></code>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <code><nowiki><references /></nowiki></code>. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under <code><nowiki>=== In-game description ===</nowiki></code>, also if applicable).'' --> | ||
| − | '' | + | ''The Tornado ADV had its origins in the Royal Air Force's Air Staff Requirement 395, which called for a long-range interceptor to replace both the English Electric Lightning F6 and McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2. This was primarily driven by the threat posed by the Soviet Union's sizable strategic bomber fleet, particularly the recently introduced supersonic bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22M. Even before the development of the Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) in 1968, the possibility of a variant dedicated to air defense had been quietly considered. Although several American aircraft were evaluated for meeting this requirement, they were deemed unsuitable.'' |
| + | |||
| + | ''Despite Britain's strong interest in the air defense concept, it was unattractive to the other European partners on the Tornado project, resulting in the UK pursuing its development solely. In 1976, the British Aircraft Corporation was contracted to provide three prototype aircraft. On 9 August 1979, the first prototype was rolled out at Warton and performed its maiden flight on 27 October 1979, piloted by David Eagles. The second and third development aircraft made their first flights on 18 July and 18 November 1980 respectively. The third prototype was mainly used for testing the new Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter airborne interception radar. During flight testing, the Tornado ADV showed its significantly superior supersonic acceleration compared to the Tornado IDS, even while carrying a full weapons loadout.'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ''The Tornado ADV differed from the Tornado IDS in several ways, including a greater sweep angle on the wing gloves, deletion of the Krueger flap, deletion of the port cannon, a longer radome for the Foxhunter radar, slightly longer airbrakes, and a fuselage lengthened to 1.36 m, allowing the carriage of four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles. This stretch was achieved by adding a plug immediately behind the cockpit, which not only lengthened the fuselage but also reduced drag and made space for an additional fuel tank (Tank '0') carrying 200 imperial gallons (909 L; 240 U.S. gal) of fuel. The artificial feel of the flight controls was lighter on the Tornado ADV than on the IDS. Various other differences were present in the aircraft's avionics, displays, guidance systems, and software packages. The test program was greatly aided by the use of real-time telemetry, which broadcast live data from in-flight aircraft back to technicians on the ground.'' | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==== Tornado ADV F.3 ==== | ||
| + | The Tornado ADV entered quantity production in 1980 and continued until 1993, with the Tornado F3 making its first flight on November 20, 1985. Compared to its predecessor, the Tornado F2, the Tornado F3 had several enhancements, including RB.199 Mk 104 engines optimized for high-altitude use, longer afterburner nozzles, and the ability to carry four Sidewinder missiles instead of two. Another notable improvement was the automatic maneuver device system, which allowed the flight control computer to adjust the level of wing sweep to maintain optimal flight characteristics automatically. This feature was similar to the automatic sweeping wing capability of the American Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which greatly improved maneuverability. The Tornado F3 initially carried short-range Sidewinder and medium-range Skyflash missiles, the latter being a British design derived from the American AIM-7 Sparrow. In 1989, the Tornado F3 was declared operational. | ||
== Media == | == Media == | ||
Revision as of 08:07, 13 May 2023
| This page is about the British jet fighter Tornado F.3. For other versions, see Tornado (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Tornado F.3 is a rank VIII British jet fighter with a battle rating of 12.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Sky Guardians".
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 11,582 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 2,280 | 2,269 | 13000 | 28.4 | 28.6 | 167.3 | 163.4 | 800 |
| Upgraded | 2,340 | 2,308 | 27.6 | 28.0 | 216.7 | 191.0 | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Limits | Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | |||
| Min sweep | 972 | 0 | 1,166 | 552 | 440 | ~8 | ~3 |
| Max sweep | 1,555 | - | - | - | ~9 | ~3 | |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 670 | < 650 | < 700 | - |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full internal fuel) | |||||
| Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk.104 | 2 | 14,659 kg | 742 kg/m2 | |||||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with internal fuel (no weapons load) | Max Gross Weight | ||||||
| Weight (each) | Type | 16m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 45m fuel | 56m fuel | ||
| 968 kg | Afterburning low-bypass turbofan | 16,186 kg | 16,463 kg | 17,365 kg | 18,718 kg | 19,749 kg | 23,512 kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (WEP) | |||||||
| Condition | 100% | WEP | 16m fuel | 20m fuel | 30m fuel | 45m fuel | 56m fuel | MGW |
| Stationary | 3,756 kgf | 7,309 kgf | 0.90 | 0.89 | 0.84 | 0.78 | 0.74 | 0.62 |
| Optimal | 4,169 kgf (1,400 km/h) |
8,173 kgf (1,400 km/h) |
1.01 | 0.99 | 0.94 | 0.87 | 0.83 | 0.70 |
Survivability and armour
The Tornado F.3 does not have any armor plates within the plane, most of the planes central fuselage contains self-sealing fuel tanks. This means the Tornado F.3 is very likely to catch fire if hit by enemy rounds or missiles. An EFS system is available that could potentially save the aircraft in the case of an onboard fire.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
| Ballistic Computer | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCIP (Guns) | CCIP (Rockets) | CCIP (Bombs) | CCRP (Bombs) | Lead indicator |
 |
 |
|
|
|
Offensive armament
The Tornado F.3 is armed with:
- A choice between two presets:
- 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon, chin-mounted (180 rpg)
- 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon + 32 x large calibre countermeasures
Suspended armament
The Tornado F.3 can be outfitted with the following ordnance presets:
- 2 x 330 gal drop tanks
- 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles
- 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles + 320 x countermeasures
- 4 x Skyflash missiles
- 4 x Skyflash SuperTEMP missiles
Custom loadout options
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles | 1, 2 * | 1, 2 * | ||||
| Skyflash missiles | 4 | |||||
| Skyflash SuperTEMP missiles | 4 | |||||
| Countermeasures | 160 * | 160 * | ||||
| 330 gal drop tanks | 1 | 1 | ||||
| * Countermeasures can be carried with Sidewinder missiles on the same hardpoint | ||||||
Usage in battles
Like other planes at this BR, the Tornado F.3 is outclassed by higher tier aircraft. This is especially problematic given the Tornado F.3 is heavily dependent on its weaponry and avionics to be competitive.
The Skyflash Super TEMPs are very potent but not on par with the AIM-7F Sparrows. They accelerate faster and will outpace the AIM-7F within 4-6 km but refrain from trying to BVR Duel with the rank VIII Phantoms or the F-4J/S. The Skyflash will hang at around the same speed as the AIM-7F at BVR ranges. Due to how long the AIM-7F/M burns it will eventually outpace the Skyflash at longer ranges It goes without saying but The Skyflash is not an effective weapon against the R-27ER or the Matra Super 530D. Your prime targets are unsuspecting targets 4-9 km away heading generally towards you.
Avoid entering and staying in the furball as the you will likely have many missiles shot at you, combined with the Tornado's poor maneuverability means almost certain death. Instead lock up head on targets using ACM mode then fire off a Skyflash at your enemy, if they also launch a missile at you, start to notch their radar as fast as you can while releasing flares and chaff, or fly closely to the ground. (Lower than 30 meters) If the enemy starts to notch your radar, switch the radar mode from PD HDN to standard search as it'll be immune to notching, though it will not work if the enemy is close to the ground. (Ground clutter) Another tactic is to lock up the enemy with radar but fire off an AIM-9L instead, many times this will confuse the enemy into not releasing flares as they will believe that you fired a Skyflash instead of a AIM-9L.
Don't dogfight. You have no workable advantages against your opponent unless they are already badly crippled with large sections of their wings/tail missing. If you are chased, get a teammate to cover your back or run back to the airfield. Try and fly in a straight line given your speed bleed in any sort of turn manoeuvre.
The tornado F.3 likes to fly predictable, straight paths and makes very predictable manoeuvres. Any enemy with an ounce of situational awareness will easily be able to keep tabs on you with no effort whatsoever. You can't really make unpredictable manoeuvres and sneak up on people given your overall lack of mobility in any direction other than forward. This makes it hard to employ your AIM-9Ls or your guns, given it is very difficult to stick to an opponent's tail for a good rear aspect shot. Although you will still find the AIM-9L to be a very consistent weapon and a good close to mid range missile.
At this BR, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with BVR missiles. Your biggest challenge will be F-4J/S with their AIM-7Fs and PDV radars. You have a fair chance of spotting and locking them first given your superior radar. However this doesn't mean you have the advantage as the AIM-7F will out range the Skyflash SuperTEMP. If a missile joust must be started, try to delay the launch of the enemy missile until a close distance (Lower than around 8 km) as in those ranges the Skyflash will out speed the AIM-7F. In the event of an uptier you will almost certainly meet enemy Mig-29s with their R27ER missiles, in this scenario there is simply not much you can do due the R27ER outranging and out speeding the Skyflash.
Never pull negative Gs in the Tornado F.3. As with many top tier planes the negative G performance of the tornado is poor. Unlike the British Phantoms your wings are not sturdy enough to sustain negative Gs even for a few seconds, often snapping as soon as you put your nose down. The Tornado is generally an unstable aircraft and prone to flat spinning as soon as the wing falls off, so don't expect to get back to base once you've lost a wing. Rolling can easily make the Tornado snap its wings. When in a turn, refrain from rolling in a -2G+ turn or else there is a good chance you may loose one or both wings. You may not have the controllability to recover and you may go into an uncontrollable spin depending on how violently you were rolling.
List of missile and their carriers
- AIM-7F/M, carried by the following aircrafts. F-4J, F-4S, F-14A Early, F-16 (All variants except the USA block 10 and NETZ version) F-4EJ Kai.
- R-27ER/ER1, carried by the Mig-29. (Both variants)
- Matra Super 530D, carried by the Mirage 2000C-S5.
- Aspide-1A, carried by the F-104S.ASA and J-8B.
- AIM-54A Phoenix, carried by the F-14A Early
How to counter these missiles
- AIM-7F/M. Your Skyflash SuperTEMP will be faster than these missiles when under 6-8 km, above that distance, the AIM-7F/M will be faster.
- R-27ER/ER1. This missile will outperform the Skyflash SuperTEMP in everyway, the only possible way to kill a Mig-29 in the missile joust is to fire first, or notch/evade the incoming R27ER/ER1
- Matra Super 530D. At close range, the Skyflash SuperTEMP has better acceleration and will eventually out range the Matra Super 530D.
- Aspide-1A. The carriers of these missiles either has weak flight performance (F-104S.ASA) or a weak radar (J-8B). The Skyflash SuperTEMP will also outrange the Aspide-1A.
- AIM-54A Phoenix. These missile has a lot of range, however it's very easy to notice the incoming missile and simply notch it.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has a lot of countermeasures, including large-calibre ones
- Can carry 8 air-to-air missiles at once
- Skyflash SuperTEMPs are effective SARH missiles in a BVR role
- Potent all-aspect heat-seeking AIM-9L missiles
- Has radar gunsight
- Advanced radar for its BR
- Includes TWS that indicates direction of enemy
- PD has IFF
- Can carry drop tanks to extend range
- Has reverse thrust to reduce landing distance
Cons:
- Poor turning performance
- Lacklustre acceleration
- Other BVR missiles have a longer range in an uptier
- Very difficult to kinetically dodge SARH missiles due to aforementioned poor turn rate
- Short ACM range
- The 27 mm cannon has a low rate of fire, low ammunition count, and mediocre damage
- Absence of drogue chute requires a long distance to land
History
The Tornado ADV had its origins in the Royal Air Force's Air Staff Requirement 395, which called for a long-range interceptor to replace both the English Electric Lightning F6 and McDonnell Douglas Phantom FGR2. This was primarily driven by the threat posed by the Soviet Union's sizable strategic bomber fleet, particularly the recently introduced supersonic bomber, the Tupolev Tu-22M. Even before the development of the Tornado IDS (interdictor/strike) in 1968, the possibility of a variant dedicated to air defense had been quietly considered. Although several American aircraft were evaluated for meeting this requirement, they were deemed unsuitable.
Despite Britain's strong interest in the air defense concept, it was unattractive to the other European partners on the Tornado project, resulting in the UK pursuing its development solely. In 1976, the British Aircraft Corporation was contracted to provide three prototype aircraft. On 9 August 1979, the first prototype was rolled out at Warton and performed its maiden flight on 27 October 1979, piloted by David Eagles. The second and third development aircraft made their first flights on 18 July and 18 November 1980 respectively. The third prototype was mainly used for testing the new Marconi/Ferranti AI.24 Foxhunter airborne interception radar. During flight testing, the Tornado ADV showed its significantly superior supersonic acceleration compared to the Tornado IDS, even while carrying a full weapons loadout.
The Tornado ADV differed from the Tornado IDS in several ways, including a greater sweep angle on the wing gloves, deletion of the Krueger flap, deletion of the port cannon, a longer radome for the Foxhunter radar, slightly longer airbrakes, and a fuselage lengthened to 1.36 m, allowing the carriage of four Skyflash semi-active radar homing missiles. This stretch was achieved by adding a plug immediately behind the cockpit, which not only lengthened the fuselage but also reduced drag and made space for an additional fuel tank (Tank '0') carrying 200 imperial gallons (909 L; 240 U.S. gal) of fuel. The artificial feel of the flight controls was lighter on the Tornado ADV than on the IDS. Various other differences were present in the aircraft's avionics, displays, guidance systems, and software packages. The test program was greatly aided by the use of real-time telemetry, which broadcast live data from in-flight aircraft back to technicians on the ground.
Tornado ADV F.3
The Tornado ADV entered quantity production in 1980 and continued until 1993, with the Tornado F3 making its first flight on November 20, 1985. Compared to its predecessor, the Tornado F2, the Tornado F3 had several enhancements, including RB.199 Mk 104 engines optimized for high-altitude use, longer afterburner nozzles, and the ability to carry four Sidewinder missiles instead of two. Another notable improvement was the automatic maneuver device system, which allowed the flight control computer to adjust the level of wing sweep to maintain optimal flight characteristics automatically. This feature was similar to the automatic sweeping wing capability of the American Grumman F-14 Tomcat, which greatly improved maneuverability. The Tornado F3 initially carried short-range Sidewinder and medium-range Skyflash missiles, the latter being a British design derived from the American AIM-7 Sparrow. In 1989, the Tornado F3 was declared operational.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Panavia Aircraft GmbH | |
|---|---|
| Strike Aircraft | Tornado (Family) |
| Germany | ◄Tornado IDS WTD61 · ◄Tornado IDS ASSTA1 · ◄Tornado IDS MFG |
| UK | Tornado GR.1 · Tornado GR.4 · Tornado F.3 · Tornado F.3 Late |
| Italy | Tornado ADV · ▄Tornado IDS · ▄Tornado IDS (1995) |
| Britain jet aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Blackburn | Buccaneer S.1 · Buccaneer S.2 · Buccaneer S.2B |
| British Aerospace | Harrier GR.7 · Sea Harrier FRS.1 (e) · Sea Harrier FRS.1 · Sea Harrier FA 2 |
| British Aircraft Corporation | Strikemaster Mk.88 |
| English Electric | Canberra B Mk 2 · Canberra B (I) Mk 6 · Lightning F.6 · Lightning F.53 |
| Gloster | Meteor F Mk 3 · Sea Meteor F Mk 3 · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41F · Meteor F Mk 4 G.41G · Meteor F Mk 8 G.41K · Meteor F Mk.8 Reaper |
| Javelin F.(A.W.) Mk.9 | |
| de Havilland | Vampire F.B.5 · Venom FB.4 · Sea Venom FAW 20 · Sea Vixen F.A.W. Mk.2 |
| Hawker | Sea Hawk FGA.6 · Hunter F.1 · Hunter F.6 · Hunter FGA.9 · Harrier GR.1 · Harrier GR.3 |
| Panavia | Tornado GR.1 · Tornado GR.4 · Tornado F.3 · Tornado F.3 Late |
| SEPECAT | Jaguar GR.1 · Jaguar GR.1A · Jaguar IS |
| Supermarine | Attacker FB 1 · Attacker FB.2 · Scimitar F Mk.1 · Swift F.1 · Swift F.7 |
| Foreign | Phantom FG.1 (USA) · Phantom FGR.2 (USA) · F-4J(UK) Phantom II (USA) |
| Australia | F-111C |
| India | ▄MiG-21 Bison |
| South Africa | ▄JAS39C |
