Difference between revisions of "Tornado F.3"

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(tried to find any more tech for the plane, but i think i'm not good enough for that. SARH tips seem to be pointelss to me in real game, but maybe i'm wrong so i wont touch. Anyway is someone checking my edits? i know its a long walls of text but still.)
(Edits)
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== Description ==
 
== Description ==
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
 
<!-- ''In the description, the first part should be about the history of and the creation and combat usage of the aircraft, as well as its key features. In the second part, tell the reader about the aircraft in the game. Insert a screenshot of the vehicle, so that if the novice player does not remember the vehicle by name, he will immediately understand what kind of vehicle the article is talking about.'' -->
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Sky Guardians"]]. This is the fighter-interceptor version of the plane, unlike [[Tornado GR.1|GR.1]].
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The '''{{Specs|name}}''' is a rank {{Specs|rank}} British jet fighter {{Battle-rating}}. It was introduced in [[Update "Sky Guardians"]]. This is the fighter-interceptor version of the plane, unlike the [[Tornado GR.1|GR.1]].
  
 
== General info ==
 
== General info ==
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<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.'' -->
  
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Tornado is a variable wing sweep plane, meaning it can adapt the wings to the current speed to avoid structural failure or extreme performance loss. Wing sweep is controlled automatically, unless the pilot forces manual controls. Flaps can only be used in wide wing sweep mode (on automatic controls up to ~760 km/h, on manual they can sustain about 1100 km/h) and will automatically fold when the wings are closed (meaning you don't have to think about doing it yourself). Flying the plane in manual mode outside of combat is not recommended as it is easy to forget about the wing angle when it's not a focus of pilot's attention, resulting in wing damage.
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The Tornado is a variable wing sweep plane, meaning it can adapt the wings to the current speed to avoid structural failure or extreme performance loss. Wing sweep is controlled automatically, unless the pilot forces manual controls. Flaps can only be used in wide wing sweep mode (on automatic controls up to ~760 km/h, on manual they can sustain about 1,100 km/h) and will automatically fold when the wings are swept back (meaning you don't have to think about doing it yourself). Flying the plane in manual mode outside of combat is not recommended as it is easy to forget about the wing angle when it's not a focus of pilot's attention, resulting in wing damage.
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The plane is extremely succeptible to the wind currents and may occasionally "spontaneously" roll. Pushing against the current (generally below the plane) is difficult and a gentle roll into a spin is generally easier to manage.  
 
  
 
The roll rate without improved boosters is not very fast, but serviceable. Installation of improved boosters also improves roll on this plane, but removes safety restrictions and may allow the pilot to casually snap the wings by pulling and rolling simultaneously, so it is up to the user if they want to deal with this or not. The plane in general dislikes rolling and the wings will eventually snap if it continues to spin for prolonged periods of time, especially when also turning or suddenly doing negative G.
 
The roll rate without improved boosters is not very fast, but serviceable. Installation of improved boosters also improves roll on this plane, but removes safety restrictions and may allow the pilot to casually snap the wings by pulling and rolling simultaneously, so it is up to the user if they want to deal with this or not. The plane in general dislikes rolling and the wings will eventually snap if it continues to spin for prolonged periods of time, especially when also turning or suddenly doing negative G.
  
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Afterburner is extremely inefficient and will easily consume 45 minutes of fuel where other planes could get away with 15. Fortunately, 45 minutes is enough to reach enemy on most maps, deal with them, and then fly back without afterburner with about 6 minutes left. Plane does not overheat from prolonged afterburner flight, at least not until it runs out of normal fuel load.
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The afterburner is extremely inefficient and will easily consume 45 minutes of fuel where other planes could get away with 15. Fortunately, 45 minutes is enough to reach enemy on most maps, deal with them, and then fly back without afterburner with about 6 minutes left. Plane does not overheat from prolonged afterburner flight, at least not until it runs out of normal fuel load.
  
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This Tornado version is often mildly faster than the bomber versions due to not carrying an additional cannon and is more stable than the German Tornados. It also does not pose such a high risk of snapping wings due to missiles having negligible weight when compared to bombs.
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This Tornado version is often mildly faster than the bomber versions due to not carrying an additional cannon and is more stable than the German Tornados. It also does not pose such a high risk of snapping wings due to missiles having negligible weight compared to bombs.
  
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Maximum speed at ground level in folded wing mode is 1500 km/h, at which point the plane will start to shake and might snap, but to reach such speed the plane generally must drop down from at least 4km height, and have afterburner on to keep it. Without gravity help the plane can fly at around 1300 km/h with afterburner on until upgraded. Even then, minor flight direction corrections might reduce average speed. Without afterburner plane generally tends to unfold itself and flies at around 1100 km/h or less.
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Maximum speed at ground level in folded wing mode is 1,500 km/h, at which point the plane will start to shake and might break up, but to reach such speed the plane generally must dive from at least 4 km altitude, and have afterburner on to retain it. Without the help of gravity, the plane can fly at around 1,300 km/h with afterburner on until upgraded. Even then, minor flight direction corrections will reduce average speed. Without afterburner, the plane generally tends to unfold itself and flies at around 1,100 km/h or less.
  
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It is ill adviced to commit to prolonged turnfight with enemies even in a wide wing mode, unless you know what you are doing, as the plane has poor acceleration rate. It may outturn some early dive fighters, with upgrades it may be able to outperform some F14, at least temporarily, but both planes would have to stall so hard that literally anyone else can take them out.  
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It is ill-advised to commit to prolonged turnfights with enemies even in a wide wing mode, unless you know what you are doing, as the plane has poor acceleration rate. It may outturn some fighters, at least temporarily, but both planes would have to stall so hard that literally anyone else can take them out.
  
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In a case of an emergency, pilot can manually order the plane to "unfold" at about 1100 km/h and immediately use combat flaps while plane is still unfolding and turning onto the enemy. This will sacrifice all of the plane speed, allowing it to do one deadly attack if pilot doesn't pass out from excessive G-s. The main and obvious downside is that lot of inputs are required to do all these actions and they need to be done near simultaneously. Any control mistake or even speed miscalculation will cause the plane to self-destruct as the wing rip speed is much lower than the one of the flaps.
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In a case of an emergency, pilot can manually order the wings to unsweep at about 1,100 km/h and immediately use combat flaps while they are still transitioning to turn into the enemy. This will sacrifice all of the plane's speed, allowing it to do one deadly attack if the pilot doesn't pass out from excessive Gs. The main and obvious downside is that lot of inputs are required to do all these actions and they need to be done near simultaneously. Any control mistake or even speed miscalculation will cause the plane to self-destruct as the wing rip speed is much lower than the one of the flaps.
  
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Minimal speed is 330 km/h, at which plane will glide forward with minimal height and speed loss. This can be exploited to minimize pulse-doppler interference on radar or to survive for as long as feasible with engines offline when swarmed by IR missiles. This also implies that the plane can glide over significant distances even without engines. Engine tuns on in about 10 seconds and it takes a while for engine thrust to overtake gravity, so it must be turned on before plane is about to crash due to loss of all energy, not as it already happens.
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Minimal speed is 330 km/h, at which the plane will glide forward with minimal height and speed loss. This can be exploited to minimize pulse-Doppler interference on radar or to survive for as long as feasible with engines off when swarmed by IR missiles. This also implies that the plane can glide over significant distances even without engines. The engines turn on in about 10 seconds and it takes a while for engine thrust to overtake gravity, so it must be turned on before the plane is about to crash due to loss of all energy, not as it already happens.
  
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As a gimmick, Tornado has reverse thrust option. It allows to use engine output to slow the plane down instead of having to shut it off. This can be used both in air combat (together with or instead of brakes) and during landing (instead of the drag chute which the plane lacks). Upon landing engine can be simply shut off to prevent the plane from sliding backwards.
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As a gimmick, the Tornado also has the option of reverse thrust. It allows to use engine output to slow the plane down instead of having to shut it off. This can be used both in air combat (together with or instead of brakes) and during landing (instead of the drag chute which the plane lacks). Upon landing, the engines can be simply shut off to prevent the plane from beginning to accelerate backwards.
  
 
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<!-- ''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.'' -->
  
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Tornado fuselage inherits general sturdyness of Jaguar, so it can take a rough landing at 700 km/h and will in general sustain damage without falling apart. Occasionally, the plane will survive explosions of small missiles, though this will severely reduce flight performance and should be avoided.
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The Tornado's fuselage inherits the general sturdiness of the Jaguar, so it can take a rough landing at 700 km/h and will in general sustain damage without falling apart. Occasionally, the plane will survive explosions of small missiles, though this will severely reduce flight performance and should be avoided.
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Wings tend to snap after taking a direct hit with explosives. Depending on severity of overall wing damage, plane might still continue to fly with half a wing or lose all semblance of control and spiral into the ground. Sometimes intentionally snapping the other wing can prevent the worst from happening, but only temporarily.
 
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Loss of a tail is fatal and recovery after that is impossible.
 
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Engines are tightly packed and tend to be destroyed together, but sometimes one of them remains functional.
 
  
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The Tornado F.3 does not have any armour plates within the plane, most of the planes central fuselage contains self-sealing fuel tanks. Having too much fuel fills the wings with fuel as well. This means the Tornado F.3 is very likely to catch fire if hit by enemy rounds or missiles, especially at the engine area. An EFS system is available that could potentially save the aircraft in the case of an onboard fire.
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The wings tend to snap after taking a direct hit with explosives. Depending on severity of overall wing damage, the plane might still continue to fly with half a wing or lose all semblance of control and spiral into the ground. Loss of the tail is fatal and recovery after that is impossible.
  
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Tornado F.3 can carry a lot of countermeasures on its wings and it has several large countermeasures as a last resort on its hull. Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate loadouts and controls for either countermeasure type, the large ones are used last after the small ones ran out.  
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The engines are tightly packed and tend to be destroyed together, but sometimes one of them remains functional.
  
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Afterburning Tornado is about as visible to missiles as afterburning [[Lightning F.6]], it will take full 4 shot burst (0.1 seconds period) of reinforced flares to distract even AIM-9L when it is chasing from behind, anything better than that will not even care about them unless afterburner is offline. Pilot definitely must turn off afterburner during head-on encounters, particularly against soviet planes, and drop another flare burst at 900 m distance just to be sure that no sneaky head-on missile would blow up the plane. Missiles with flare resistance like Magic Mantra might require double burst and certain effort to shake off, as usual.
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The Tornado F.3 does not have any armour plates within the plane, most of the plane's central fuselage contains self-sealing fuel tanks. Having too much fuel fills the wings with fuel as well. This means the Tornado F.3 is very likely to catch fire if hit by enemy rounds or missiles, especially in the engine area. EFS is available that could potentially save the aircraft in the case of an engine fire.
  
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Shutting engine offline turns the plane cold almost instantly, and it is a viable option against undodgeable IR missile types, since the plane continues to glide as if nothing happened, but flares are still required to distract the missiles, as they will still see the plane. Although plane can have 160 countermeasure shots (pods contain 320 shots, but both fire at the same time), it is not feasible to spam 4 shot bursts forever, especially if chaff was also mixed in (flare priority mode).
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Tornado F.3 can carry a lot of countermeasures on its wings and it has several large countermeasures as a last resort on its hull. Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate loadouts and controls for either countermeasure type, the large ones are used last after the small ones run out. The Tornado's afterburners run rather hot, so it is always recommended to briefly drop back to military power when attempting to flare off incoming IR missiles. The large quantity of countermeasures also allows periodic flares to be used for a while when entering a hectic airspace, allowing missiles from surprise enemy aircraft to be "pre-flared".
  
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Another use for the excessive countermeasure count is to become semi-immune to ARH missiles by spamming chaff every 5 seconds while flying high in the sky, if pilot does not want to go down to the ground or to think about this threat at all. This seriously messes with the missiles such as Phoenix, though the periodic chaff release must be kept on through the entire flight, and it is not recommended to fly directly at them, otherwise the missile can reacquire the lock again. This does not do anything to SARH missiles guided by pulse-doppler radar and any actual missile lock alerts are not to be ignored.
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Another use for the excessive countermeasure count is to become semi-immune to ARH missiles by spamming chaff every 5 seconds while flying high in the sky, if pilot does not want to go down to the ground or to think about this threat at all. This seriously messes with missiles such as the Phoenix, though the periodic chaff release must be kept on through the entire flight, and it is not recommended to fly directly at them, otherwise the missile can reacquire the lock again. This does not do anything to CW SARH missiles guided by pulse-Doppler radars, and any actual missile lock alerts are not to be ignored.
  
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
 
=== Modifications and economy ===
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The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:
 
The '''''{{PAGENAME}}''''' is armed with:
  
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* A choice between two presets:
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* 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon, chin-mounted (180 rpg)
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** 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon, chin-mounted (180 rpg)
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* 32 x large calibre countermeasures
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** 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon + 32 x large calibre countermeasures
 
  
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The main cannon is filled with APHE as main ammunition in all loadouts, so it is good at causing plane fires and destroying lightly armoured targets, including light pillboxes or tanks.  
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The main cannon is filled with APHE as main ammunition in all loadouts, so it is good at causing plane fires and destroying lightly armoured targets, including light pillboxes or tanks. The gun can destroy howitzers in 3-4 hits from 3 km away, which is decent considering the low ammunition count.
  
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The gun can destroy howitzers in 3-4 hits from 3km away, which is decent considering low ammunition count. It is ill adviced to intentionally hunt tanks in ground forces realistic mode, as most of them do not tolerate being strafed and might respond with HE-VT.
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The gun can receive gun radar assist at about 1.5 km range. In this mode, the gun pointer demonstrates where the shells will fly, all pilot has to do is to fire and "slice" enemy plane hull with the gun pointer while doing so. Accuracy of the gun radar is about 80% and it is very reliable even against wiggling enemy planes within ground interference and despite low fire rate of a gun, making it superior to radar missiles during ground level fights.
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The gun can receive gun radar assist at about 1.5 km range. In this mode gun pointer demonstrates where the shells will fly, all pilot has to do is to fire and "slice" enemy plane hull with the gun pointer while doing so. Accuracy of the gun radar is about 80% and it is very reliable even against wiggling enemy planes during ground interference and despite low fire rate of a gun, making it superior to radar missiles during ground level fights. This feature can be turned off if pilot dislikes it due to the sudden shifts of the scope around the screen or simply prefers to do it all manually.
 
  
 
=== Suspended armament ===
 
=== Suspended armament ===
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{{Navigation-End}}
 
{{Navigation-End}}
  
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Tornado F.3 only gets to carry missiles as weapons, and the choice is rather straight forward, as they come in separate groups with direct upgrades.
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The Tornado F.3 only gets to carry missiles as weapons, and the choice is rather straight forward, as they come in separate groups with direct upgrades.
  
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AIM-9L can be utilized as a "parry" missile, as it gets agitated by any enemy missiles and will try to hit them instead of enemy plane if they fire anything. Otherwise it is sometimes useful against similar variable wing planes, in attacks from behind, or if enemy forgets to flare (quite uncommon at the rank VII). Tornado F.3 can utilize "TWS" radar mode to fire 9L onto multiple planes without changing flight direction to make them leave it alone.
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AIM-9L can be utilized as a "parry" missile, as it gets agitated by any enemy missiles and will try to hit them instead of enemy plane if they fire anything. Otherwise it is sometimes useful against similar variable wing planes, in attacks from behind, or if the enemy is unaware or forgets to flare (quite uncommon at rank VII). Tornado F.3 can utilize "TWS" radar mode to slave and fire the 9L at multiple planes without changing flight direction.
  
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Skyflashes are similar to the ones used on Phantom FGR.2 and FG.1 . The main advantage is that they can be launched at ridiculous angles (sometimes even up and offscreen) and still manage to acquire the lock, then they turn towards the enemy right after launch without wasting time. This combines greatly with the "look up" and "wide" ACM radar mode, as plane is often forced to crawl on the ground level without even being able to pull the nose up. The problem is actually making sure that the missile really acquired the lock and won't randomly go forward and self-destruct, as the missile "lock on" indicator often lies. In general, these missiles can acquire anything within 30 degrees of the plane nose, better if the target is below the plane (radar scope can be checked to see how many degrees above or below the nose is the selected target).
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The Skyflashes are the same as those used on Phantom FGR.2 and FG.1. The main advantage is that they can be launched at ridiculous angles and still manage to acquire the lock, then they turn towards the enemy right after launch without wasting time. This combines well with the "look up" and "wide" ACM radar mode, as the plane is often forced to ground level without even being able to pull the nose up by other radar missiles. In general, these missiles can acquire anything within 30 degrees of the plane nose, better if the target is below the plane (radar scope can be checked to see how many degrees above or below the nose is the selected target).
  
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
== Usage in battles ==
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
 
<!-- ''Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).'' -->
  
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Like any other planes bordering the true rank VIII aircraft, the Tornado F.3 is outclassed by higher tier aircraft. Although Tornado F.3 also counts as a Rank VIII plane, this is solely because of the "radar gun assist", and not much else. This is especially problematic given the Tornado F.3 is heavily dependent on its weaponry and avionics to be competitive.
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The Tornado F.3 is outclassed by higher tier aircraft, and is heavily dependent on its weaponry and avionics to be competitive.
  
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During early grind, AIM-9L and radar assisted gun are the only options, meaning that you have to stay at ground level (about 20-30 m above ground) to avoid being instantly obliterated by SARH missiles. Try to stick to the flat ground, and if that is impossible, try to "dive" into the openings instead of going over them, as if you pass a hill and lose ground echo protection, you might get hit by 3-4 radar missiles at once, followed by some IR missiles.
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During the early grind, AIM-9Ls and the radar assisted gun are the only options, meaning that you have to stay at ground level (about 20-30 m above ground) to avoid being instantly obliterated by SARH missiles. Try to stick to the flat ground, and if that is impossible, try to "dive" into the openings instead of going over them, as you will momentarily lose ground echo protection.
  
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This makes early Tornado F.3 gameplay that of a "first encounter" plane - simply be there first and cause as much chaos as you can before enemy gets you, so your team can finish them off, or flank enemy team from the side and hope they did not notice you approaching. The gun scope does not care about "ground echo" that completely destroys radar missiles, so you can easily snipe your opponents in a head-on. Even if all you do is cause some fires, this will spell doom for the enemy plane, as every IR missile of allies behind you will dead lock onto them.
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This makes early Tornado F.3 gameplay that of a "first encounter" plane - simply be there first and cause as much chaos as you can before enemy gets you, so your team can finish them off, or flank enemy team from the side and hope they did not notice you approaching. The gun scope does not care about "ground echo" that completely destroys radar missiles, so you can easily snipe your opponents in a head-on. Even if all you do is cause some fires, this will spell doom for the enemy plane, as they can be easily cleaned up by teammates.
  
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A lot of planes that stick to the ground carry AIM-9L or some form of R60, so turn afterburner off before actually engaging enemy planes and fire some flares while you go at them, especially at 900 m range and when pulling over hills.  
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A lot of planes that stick to the ground carry AIM-9Ls or R-60 variants, so turn afterburner off before actually engaging enemy planes and fire some flares while you go at them, especially at 900 m range and when pulling over hills.
  
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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 mobility of plane itself and R27ER outranging and out speeding the Skyflash. There is also a non-zero probability of being targeted by autonomous "phoenix" missile of F-14, and it is easier to just not deal with it than to waste flares. Although skies are basically forbidden to F3 in an uptier, it is still important to climb 4 kilometers up at the beginning to receive additional 300 km/h of speed (up to 1500 km/h) upon descending (preferably as enemy is still 40km away) and clashing with the enemy. To make sure you do it before enemy reaches you and that you know where they are, use the radar.
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In general, while grinding upgrades, try to learn how the plane radar operates. It is much more tolerant to speed differences than the "Phantom" radar and has more utility modes. Every normal mode marks allies as allies on your radar display and tries to skip them to avoid friendly fire. It has 4 standard modes and 3 ACM modes.
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In general, while grinding upgrades, try to learn how the plane radar operates. It is much more tolerant to speed differences than the "Phantom" radar and has more utility modes. Every normal mode marks allies as allies on your radar display and tries to skip them to avoid friendly fire. It has 4 standard modes and 3 ACM modes.  
 
  
 
Normal modes are:
 
Normal modes are:
  
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* Pulse doppler range based mode is the default and is the least useful to Tornado F.3 mode in terms of additional information. Pulse doppler is implicitly immune to chaff. Used when locking on by default.
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* Pulse-Doppler range-based mode is the default and is the least useful to Tornado F.3 mode in terms of additional information. Pulse-Doppler is immune to chaff. Used when locking on by default.
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* TWS, which is a pulse doppler mode that allows to continuously scan around certain target without actually locking onto it. This is the most useful scout mode, as you can set radar range to 96 km while taking off and it will immediately soft-lock and "stick" itself to enemy players that are just taking off from their airfield, so you know where they went. Upon reaching 50 km range you can use TWS to guess if enemy fired any long range missiles yet (they are quite visible in 39km mode, usually it is a faint dot next to originating plane with a much longer "speed" line, flying at 1100 m/s when selected). Tends to be inaccurate until actual lock is enforced, but can be used to fire AIM-9L through "selecting" targets without actually locking onto them (high level players spam flares upon receiving radar lock just to be safe).
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* TWS, which is a pulse-Doppler mode that allows to continuously scan a certain direction without actually locking onto it. This is the most useful scout mode, as you can set radar range to 96 km while taking off and it will immediately soft-lock and "stick" itself to enemy players that are just taking off from their airfield, so you know where they went. Upon reaching 50 km range you can use TWS to guess if enemy fired any long range missiles yet (they are quite visible in 39 km mode, usually it is a faint dot next to originating plane with a much longer "speed" line, flying at 1,100 m/s when selected). Tends to be inaccurate until actual lock is enforced, but can be used to fire AIM-9L through "selecting" targets without actually locking onto them (high level players spam flares upon receiving radar lock just to be safe).
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* Pulse doppler speed based mode - alternate radar mode that shows relative speed of enemy planes instead of range. Also demonstrates the dead zone of the pulse doppler, allowing you to gauge if it will be easy for current target to lose your radar lock and destroy Skyflash that way or not.
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* Pulse-Doppler speed based mode - alternate radar mode that shows relative speed of enemy planes instead of range. Also demonstrates the dead zone of the pulse-Doppler, allowing you to gauge if it will be easy for current target to lose your radar lock and counter a Skyflash that way.
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* Search - basic radar mode. Tends to wiggle and lock onto everyone around current target, not immune to chaff and is often bad (though not useless) at and especially against low altitudes. Does not have a speed dead zone unlike pulse-doppler. Locking while using it will use "normal" lock as well.
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* Search - basic radar mode. Tends to wiggle and lock onto everyone around current target, not immune to chaff and is often bad (though not useless) at and especially against low altitudes. Does not have a speed dead zone unlike pulse-Doppler. Locking while using it will use "normal" lock as well.
  
 
ACM does not have IFF and will lock onto everything and anything that goes into the radar scope. You can swap between "pulse-doppler" and "normal" ACM if one or another does not work on your current target, but upon lock loss the PD mode will be activated again by default. There are 3 scope types to choose from:
 
ACM does not have IFF and will lock onto everything and anything that goes into the radar scope. You can swap between "pulse-doppler" and "normal" ACM if one or another does not work on your current target, but upon lock loss the PD mode will be activated again by default. There are 3 scope types to choose from:
  
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*Normal small square - same as with every plane, primarily used when going into intense fight with teammates involved, as otherwise it is very easy to attack wrong target.
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* Normal small square - same as with every plane, primarily used when going into intense fight with teammates involved, as otherwise it is very easy to attack wrong target.
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*Wide square - general use scope for ground level fights, allows you to lock onto anything that you can realistically target with a gun, with some additional reach above and below you for missiles.
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* Wide square - general use scope for ground level fights, allows you to lock onto anything that you can realistically target with a gun, with some additional reach above and below you for missiles.
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*Look-up - mode that specifically looks in a thin line 31-60 degrees above you (basically, offscreen). Can be used both at ground level and in the sky by rolling the plane, if you want to target something on the side or below.
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* Look-up - mode that specifically looks in a thin line 31-60 degrees above you. Can be used both at ground level and in the sky by rolling the plane, if you want to target something on the side or below.
  
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One of the most important features of Tornado F.3 radar is that even during lock-on you CAN swap between pulse-doppler and normal lock without breaking it. Even if your target "notches" (goes perpendicular to you), you can temporarily swap to normal tracking mode to continue guiding the Skyflash. You can even save the lock that is already "blinking" if you are fast enough. If they also drop chaff during this, confusing normal tracker, then it was simply inevitable, but not that many people bother to do so at rank VIII due to the overabundance of pulse-doppler equipped planes that ignore chaff entirely, and its actually not that likely for a plane to be able to swap modes. Remember to swap back to pulse-doppler after the dead-zone window had passed, as normal search mode tends to throw the missile around, which reduces its speed severely.
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One of the most important features of the Tornado F.3's radar is that, even while locked on, you can swap between pulse-doppler and normal lock without breaking it. Even if your target "notches" (goes perpendicular to you), you can temporarily swap to normal tracking mode to continue guiding the Skyflash. You can even save the lock that is already "blinking" if you are fast enough. Remember to swap back to pulse-Doppler after the dead-zone window had passed, as normal search mode tends to throw the missile around, which reduces its speed severely.
  
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The Skyflash Super TEMPs are very potent but not on par with the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]s. They accelerate faster and will outpace the AIM-7F within 4-6 km in a straight line, 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. You can also use it from behind at targets that try to pull away at ranges of 1.5 km or so, due to the high tolerance of Tornado pulse-doppler radar, which is ironically reinforced through simultaneously amazing and poor energy retention of the plane itself. The slower Tornado goes, the harder it is to lose pulse-doppler lock by flying away from it and the plane is extremely unlikely to crash even when stalled to the minimum speed, while also being very likely to be in this situation due to how poorly it turns sometimes.
+
The Skyflash SuperTEMPs are very potent but not on par with the [[AIM-7F Sparrow]]s. They accelerate faster and will outpace the AIM-7F within 4-6 km in a straight line, but refrain from trying to BVR duel with more modern Phantom variants. 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. 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. You can also use it from behind at targets that try to pull away at ranges of 1.5 km or so, due to the high tolerance of Tornado pulse-Doppler radar, which is ironically reinforced through simultaneously amazing and poor energy retention of the plane itself. The slower Tornado goes, the harder it is to lose pulse-Doppler lock by flying away from it and the plane is extremely unlikely to crash even when stalled to the minimum speed, while also being very likely to be in this situation due to how poorly it turns sometimes.
  
−
If not hanging at ground level, avoid entering and staying in the furball as then you will likely have many missiles shot at you, combined with the Tornado's poor maneuverability that 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 immediately drop 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 may not work if you are above or in front of a mountain (due to general ground clutter) or enemy is spamming chaff. Another option is to lock up the enemy with radar but fire off an AIM-9L instead, then continue to behave as if you fired radar missile. Sometimes this will confuse the enemy into not releasing flares as they will believe that you fired a Skyflash instead of a AIM-9L, though at long range most people will try to flare at least once before starting to panic.
+
If not hanging at ground level, avoid entering and staying in the furball as then you will likely have many missiles shot at you, combined with the Tornado's poor manoeuvrability that 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 immediately drop to the ground (lower than 30 metres). 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 may not work if you are above or in front of a mountain (due to general ground clutter) or enemy is spamming chaff. Another option is to lock up the enemy with radar but fire off an AIM-9L instead, then continue to behave as if you fired radar missile. Sometimes this will confuse the enemy into not releasing flares as they will believe that you fired a Skyflash instead of a AIM-9L, though at long range most people will try to flare at least once before starting to panic.
  
 
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, but also keep an eye out for potential IR missiles.
 
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, but also keep an eye out for potential IR missiles.
  
−
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.
+
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 rank VII, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with Skyflash 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 speed 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.  
+
At lower BRs, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with Skyflash 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-speed 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.
  
−
Avoid pulling negative Gs in the Tornado F.3 . As with most British planes and 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 if you equipped "new boosters". 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 with boosters 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.
+
Avoid pulling negative Gs in the Tornado F.3. As with most British planes and 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 if you equipped "new boosters". 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 with boosters 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 common radar missiles and their carriers ====
+
==== Countering common radar missiles ====
−
 
 
−
* [[AIM-7F Sparrow|AIM-7F]]/[[AIM-7M Sparrow|M]], carried by the following aircrafts. [[F-4J Phantom II|F-4J]], [[F-4S Phantom II|F-4S]], [[F-14A Early]], F-16 (All variants except the [[F-16A|USA block 10]] and [[Netz]] version) [[F-4EJ Kai Phantom II|F-4EJ Kai]].
 
−
* [[R-27ER]]/[[R-27ER1|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|J-8B.]]
 
−
* [[AIM-54A Phoenix]], carried by the [[F-14A Early]]
 
−
 
 
−
==== How to counter these missiles ====
 
  
 
* [[AIM-7F Sparrow|AIM-7F]]/[[AIM-7M Sparrow|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.
 
* [[AIM-7F Sparrow|AIM-7F]]/[[AIM-7M Sparrow|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.
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=== Pros and cons ===
 
=== Pros and cons ===
 
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<!-- ''Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".'' -->
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'''Pros:'''
 
'''Pros:'''
  
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* Poor turning performance in any wing mode
 
* Poor turning performance in any wing mode
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** Very difficult to kinetically dodge SARH missiles  
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** Very difficult to kinetically dodge SARH missiles
 
* Mediocre acceleration
 
* Mediocre acceleration
 
* Equipping "new boosters" will allow it to snap its own wings if not handled carefully
 
* Equipping "new boosters" will allow it to snap its own wings if not handled carefully
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=tornado_f3 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
 
* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=tornado_f3 Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.]
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;Videos
 
;Videos

Revision as of 09:49, 30 July 2023

Rank 7 USA
F-5C Pack
This page is about the British jet fighter Tornado F.3. For other versions, see Tornado (Family).
Tornado F.3
tornado_f3.png
GarageImage Tornado F.3.jpg
Tornado F.3
Britain flag.png Britain
VIII Rank
Battle rating:
AB RB SB
12.0 12.0 12.0
Class:
Research:400 000 Specs-Card-Exp.png
Purchase:1 080 000 Specs-Card-Lion.png
Show in game

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". This is the fighter-interceptor version of the plane, unlike the GR.1.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed
at 11 582 m2 308 km/h
Turn time28 s
Max altitude13 000 m
EngineTurbo-Union RB199-34R Mk.104
Type
Cooling systemAir
Take-off weight0 t

The Tornado is a variable wing sweep plane, meaning it can adapt the wings to the current speed to avoid structural failure or extreme performance loss. Wing sweep is controlled automatically, unless the pilot forces manual controls. Flaps can only be used in wide wing sweep mode (on automatic controls up to ~760 km/h, on manual they can sustain about 1,100 km/h) and will automatically fold when the wings are swept back (meaning you don't have to think about doing it yourself). Flying the plane in manual mode outside of combat is not recommended as it is easy to forget about the wing angle when it's not a focus of pilot's attention, resulting in wing damage.

The roll rate without improved boosters is not very fast, but serviceable. Installation of improved boosters also improves roll on this plane, but removes safety restrictions and may allow the pilot to casually snap the wings by pulling and rolling simultaneously, so it is up to the user if they want to deal with this or not. The plane in general dislikes rolling and the wings will eventually snap if it continues to spin for prolonged periods of time, especially when also turning or suddenly doing negative G.

The afterburner is extremely inefficient and will easily consume 45 minutes of fuel where other planes could get away with 15. Fortunately, 45 minutes is enough to reach enemy on most maps, deal with them, and then fly back without afterburner with about 6 minutes left. Plane does not overheat from prolonged afterburner flight, at least not until it runs out of normal fuel load.

This Tornado version is often mildly faster than the bomber versions due to not carrying an additional cannon and is more stable than the German Tornados. It also does not pose such a high risk of snapping wings due to missiles having negligible weight compared to bombs.

Maximum speed at ground level in folded wing mode is 1,500 km/h, at which point the plane will start to shake and might break up, but to reach such speed the plane generally must dive from at least 4 km altitude, and have afterburner on to retain it. Without the help of gravity, the plane can fly at around 1,300 km/h with afterburner on until upgraded. Even then, minor flight direction corrections will reduce average speed. Without afterburner, the plane generally tends to unfold itself and flies at around 1,100 km/h or less.

It is ill-advised to commit to prolonged turnfights with enemies even in a wide wing mode, unless you know what you are doing, as the plane has poor acceleration rate. It may outturn some fighters, at least temporarily, but both planes would have to stall so hard that literally anyone else can take them out.

In a case of an emergency, pilot can manually order the wings to unsweep at about 1,100 km/h and immediately use combat flaps while they are still transitioning to turn into the enemy. This will sacrifice all of the plane's speed, allowing it to do one deadly attack if the pilot doesn't pass out from excessive Gs. The main and obvious downside is that lot of inputs are required to do all these actions and they need to be done near simultaneously. Any control mistake or even speed miscalculation will cause the plane to self-destruct as the wing rip speed is much lower than the one of the flaps.

Minimal speed is 330 km/h, at which the plane will glide forward with minimal height and speed loss. This can be exploited to minimize pulse-Doppler interference on radar or to survive for as long as feasible with engines off when swarmed by IR missiles. This also implies that the plane can glide over significant distances even without engines. The engines turn on in about 10 seconds and it takes a while for engine thrust to overtake gravity, so it must be turned on before the plane is about to crash due to loss of all energy, not as it already happens.

As a gimmick, the Tornado also has the option of reverse thrust. It allows to use engine output to slow the plane down instead of having to shut it off. This can be used both in air combat (together with or instead of brakes) and during landing (instead of the drag chute which the plane lacks). Upon landing, the engines can be simply shut off to prevent the plane from beginning to accelerate backwards.

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

Flares/Chaff
Aircraft countermeasures to distract IR and radar-guided missiles and also AA radar
Crew2 people
Speed of destruction
Structural0 km/h
Gear0 km/h

The Tornado's fuselage inherits the general sturdiness of the Jaguar, so it can take a rough landing at 700 km/h and will in general sustain damage without falling apart. Occasionally, the plane will survive explosions of small missiles, though this will severely reduce flight performance and should be avoided.

The wings tend to snap after taking a direct hit with explosives. Depending on severity of overall wing damage, the plane might still continue to fly with half a wing or lose all semblance of control and spiral into the ground. Loss of the tail is fatal and recovery after that is impossible.

The engines are tightly packed and tend to be destroyed together, but sometimes one of them remains functional.

The Tornado F.3 does not have any armour plates within the plane, most of the plane's central fuselage contains self-sealing fuel tanks. Having too much fuel fills the wings with fuel as well. This means the Tornado F.3 is very likely to catch fire if hit by enemy rounds or missiles, especially in the engine area. EFS is available that could potentially save the aircraft in the case of an engine fire.

Tornado F.3 can carry a lot of countermeasures on its wings and it has several large countermeasures as a last resort on its hull. Unfortunately, it is impossible to separate loadouts and controls for either countermeasure type, the large ones are used last after the small ones run out. The Tornado's afterburners run rather hot, so it is always recommended to briefly drop back to military power when attempting to flare off incoming IR missiles. The large quantity of countermeasures also allows periodic flares to be used for a while when entering a hectic airspace, allowing missiles from surprise enemy aircraft to be "pre-flared".

Another use for the excessive countermeasure count is to become semi-immune to ARH missiles by spamming chaff every 5 seconds while flying high in the sky, if pilot does not want to go down to the ground or to think about this threat at all. This seriously messes with missiles such as the Phoenix, though the periodic chaff release must be kept on through the entire flight, and it is not recommended to fly directly at them, otherwise the missile can reacquire the lock again. This does not do anything to CW SARH missiles guided by pulse-Doppler radars, and any actual missile lock alerts are not to be ignored.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference
AB2 712 → 4 097 Sl icon.png
RB7 974 → 12 048 Sl icon.png
SB9 323 → 14 087 Sl icon.png
Total cost of modifications306 000 Rp icon.png
466 000 Sl icon.png
Talisman cost3 100 Ge icon.png
Crew training310 000 Sl icon.png
Experts1 080 000 Sl icon.png
Aces3 400 Ge icon.png
Research Aces1 280 000 Rp icon.png
Reward for battleAB / RB / SB
100 / 320 / 540 % Sl icon.png
250 / 250 / 250 % Rp icon.png
Modifications
Flight performance Survivability Weaponry
Mods jet compressor.png
Compressor
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
18 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods booster.png
New boosters
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods jet engine.png
Engine
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
670 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic fuse.png
Fuselage repair
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
18 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods armor frame.png
Airframe
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods aerodinamic wing.png
Wings repair
Research:
26 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
40 000 Sl icon.png
690 Ge icon.png
Mods armor cover.png
Cover
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
670 Ge icon.png
Mods heli false thermal targets.png
Flares/Chaff
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
18 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mods ammo.png
bk_27_belt_pack
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
18 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 1.png
Mods heli false thermal targets.png
Flares/Chaff BOL
Research:
12 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
18 000 Sl icon.png
320 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods g suit.png
G-suit
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air missile.png
AIM-9L
Research:
17 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
26 000 Sl icon.png
450 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods weapon.png
bk_27_new_gun
Research:
26 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
40 000 Sl icon.png
690 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air midrange missile.png
Skyflash
Research:
26 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
40 000 Sl icon.png
690 Ge icon.png
Mod arrow 0.png
Mods jet engine extinguisher.png
EFS
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
670 Ge icon.png
Mods air to air midrange missile.png
Skyflash SuperTEMP
Research:
25 000 Rp icon.png
Cost:
38 000 Sl icon.png
670 Ge icon.png

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns) CCIP (Rockets) CCIP (Bombs) CCRP (Bombs) Lead indicator
Icon GreenCheckmark.png Icon RedXCross.png Icon RedXCross.png Icon RedXCross.png Icon GreenCheckmark.png

Offensive armament

Main article: Mauser BK27 (27 mm)

The Tornado F.3 is armed with:

  • 1 x 27 mm Mauser BK27 cannon, chin-mounted (180 rpg)
  • 32 x large calibre countermeasures

The main cannon is filled with APHE as main ammunition in all loadouts, so it is good at causing plane fires and destroying lightly armoured targets, including light pillboxes or tanks. The gun can destroy howitzers in 3-4 hits from 3 km away, which is decent considering the low ammunition count.

The gun can receive gun radar assist at about 1.5 km range. In this mode, the gun pointer demonstrates where the shells will fly, all pilot has to do is to fire and "slice" enemy plane hull with the gun pointer while doing so. Accuracy of the gun radar is about 80% and it is very reliable even against wiggling enemy planes within ground interference and despite low fire rate of a gun, making it superior to radar missiles during ground level fights.

Suspended armament

The Tornado F.3 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

1 2 3 4 5
Hardpoints Tornado F.3.png
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
Default weapon 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

The Tornado F.3 only gets to carry missiles as weapons, and the choice is rather straight forward, as they come in separate groups with direct upgrades.

AIM-9L can be utilized as a "parry" missile, as it gets agitated by any enemy missiles and will try to hit them instead of enemy plane if they fire anything. Otherwise it is sometimes useful against similar variable wing planes, in attacks from behind, or if the enemy is unaware or forgets to flare (quite uncommon at rank VII). Tornado F.3 can utilize "TWS" radar mode to slave and fire the 9L at multiple planes without changing flight direction.

The Skyflashes are the same as those used on Phantom FGR.2 and FG.1. The main advantage is that they can be launched at ridiculous angles and still manage to acquire the lock, then they turn towards the enemy right after launch without wasting time. This combines well with the "look up" and "wide" ACM radar mode, as the plane is often forced to ground level without even being able to pull the nose up by other radar missiles. In general, these missiles can acquire anything within 30 degrees of the plane nose, better if the target is below the plane (radar scope can be checked to see how many degrees above or below the nose is the selected target).

Usage in battles

The Tornado F.3 is outclassed by higher tier aircraft, and is heavily dependent on its weaponry and avionics to be competitive.

During the early grind, AIM-9Ls and the radar assisted gun are the only options, meaning that you have to stay at ground level (about 20-30 m above ground) to avoid being instantly obliterated by SARH missiles. Try to stick to the flat ground, and if that is impossible, try to "dive" into the openings instead of going over them, as you will momentarily lose ground echo protection.

This makes early Tornado F.3 gameplay that of a "first encounter" plane - simply be there first and cause as much chaos as you can before enemy gets you, so your team can finish them off, or flank enemy team from the side and hope they did not notice you approaching. The gun scope does not care about "ground echo" that completely destroys radar missiles, so you can easily snipe your opponents in a head-on. Even if all you do is cause some fires, this will spell doom for the enemy plane, as they can be easily cleaned up by teammates.

A lot of planes that stick to the ground carry AIM-9Ls or R-60 variants, so turn afterburner off before actually engaging enemy planes and fire some flares while you go at them, especially at 900 m range and when pulling over hills.

In general, while grinding upgrades, try to learn how the plane radar operates. It is much more tolerant to speed differences than the "Phantom" radar and has more utility modes. Every normal mode marks allies as allies on your radar display and tries to skip them to avoid friendly fire. It has 4 standard modes and 3 ACM modes.

Normal modes are:

  • Pulse-Doppler range-based mode is the default and is the least useful to Tornado F.3 mode in terms of additional information. Pulse-Doppler is immune to chaff. Used when locking on by default.
  • TWS, which is a pulse-Doppler mode that allows to continuously scan a certain direction without actually locking onto it. This is the most useful scout mode, as you can set radar range to 96 km while taking off and it will immediately soft-lock and "stick" itself to enemy players that are just taking off from their airfield, so you know where they went. Upon reaching 50 km range you can use TWS to guess if enemy fired any long range missiles yet (they are quite visible in 39 km mode, usually it is a faint dot next to originating plane with a much longer "speed" line, flying at 1,100 m/s when selected). Tends to be inaccurate until actual lock is enforced, but can be used to fire AIM-9L through "selecting" targets without actually locking onto them (high level players spam flares upon receiving radar lock just to be safe).
  • Pulse-Doppler speed based mode - alternate radar mode that shows relative speed of enemy planes instead of range. Also demonstrates the dead zone of the pulse-Doppler, allowing you to gauge if it will be easy for current target to lose your radar lock and counter a Skyflash that way.
  • Search - basic radar mode. Tends to wiggle and lock onto everyone around current target, not immune to chaff and is often bad (though not useless) at and especially against low altitudes. Does not have a speed dead zone unlike pulse-Doppler. Locking while using it will use "normal" lock as well.

ACM does not have IFF and will lock onto everything and anything that goes into the radar scope. You can swap between "pulse-doppler" and "normal" ACM if one or another does not work on your current target, but upon lock loss the PD mode will be activated again by default. There are 3 scope types to choose from:

  • Normal small square - same as with every plane, primarily used when going into intense fight with teammates involved, as otherwise it is very easy to attack wrong target.
  • Wide square - general use scope for ground level fights, allows you to lock onto anything that you can realistically target with a gun, with some additional reach above and below you for missiles.
  • Look-up - mode that specifically looks in a thin line 31-60 degrees above you. Can be used both at ground level and in the sky by rolling the plane, if you want to target something on the side or below.

One of the most important features of the Tornado F.3's radar is that, even while locked on, you can swap between pulse-doppler and normal lock without breaking it. Even if your target "notches" (goes perpendicular to you), you can temporarily swap to normal tracking mode to continue guiding the Skyflash. You can even save the lock that is already "blinking" if you are fast enough. Remember to swap back to pulse-Doppler after the dead-zone window had passed, as normal search mode tends to throw the missile around, which reduces its speed severely.

The Skyflash SuperTEMPs 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 in a straight line, but refrain from trying to BVR duel with more modern Phantom variants. 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. 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. You can also use it from behind at targets that try to pull away at ranges of 1.5 km or so, due to the high tolerance of Tornado pulse-Doppler radar, which is ironically reinforced through simultaneously amazing and poor energy retention of the plane itself. The slower Tornado goes, the harder it is to lose pulse-Doppler lock by flying away from it and the plane is extremely unlikely to crash even when stalled to the minimum speed, while also being very likely to be in this situation due to how poorly it turns sometimes.

If not hanging at ground level, avoid entering and staying in the furball as then you will likely have many missiles shot at you, combined with the Tornado's poor manoeuvrability that 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 immediately drop to the ground (lower than 30 metres). 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 may not work if you are above or in front of a mountain (due to general ground clutter) or enemy is spamming chaff. Another option is to lock up the enemy with radar but fire off an AIM-9L instead, then continue to behave as if you fired radar missile. Sometimes this will confuse the enemy into not releasing flares as they will believe that you fired a Skyflash instead of a AIM-9L, though at long range most people will try to flare at least once before starting to panic.

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, but also keep an eye out for potential IR missiles.

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 lower BRs, you can outrange pretty much anyone at your own BR with Skyflash 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-speed 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.

Avoid pulling negative Gs in the Tornado F.3. As with most British planes and 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 if you equipped "new boosters". 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 with boosters 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.

Countering common radar 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 every way, the only possible way to shoot down a MiG-29 or Yak-141 in the missile joust is to fire first, attempt to parry their missile with 9L before attacking, or try to go into their radar blind spot by notching, going next to the ground or at least going below the enemy plane, because their radars have worse tracking angles below (45° versus 60° of the Tornado F.3)
  • Matra Super 530D. At close range, the Skyflash SuperTEMP has better acceleration and will eventually out range the Matra Super 530D.
  • Aspide-1A. Very fast missile, but the carriers of these missiles either have 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 missiles have a lot of range, generally produce no missile alerts and are self-sufficient, however it's very easy to notice the incoming missile on TWS radar display and simply notch it. Long range launch can be countered by periodic chaff release (once in 5 seconds should work).

Pros and cons

Pros:

  • High top speed at low altitudes
  • Has a lot of countermeasures, including large-calibre ones
  • Can carry 8 air-to-air missiles at once
    • Skyflash SuperTEMP are effective SARH missiles in a BVR role
    • Potent all-aspect heat-seeking AIM-9L missiles, though everyone is aware of it
  • Has radar gunsight that is immune to ground echo interference
  • Advanced radar for its BR
    • Includes TWS that indicates direction of enemy
    • PD radar has IFF mode
    • Higher PD speed threshold than all rank VII and many rank VIII planes
  • Can carry drop tanks to extend range to compensate for its intense fuel consumption
  • Has reverse thrust to reduce landing distance and to stall midair

Cons:

  • Poor turning performance in any wing mode
    • Very difficult to kinetically dodge SARH missiles
  • Mediocre acceleration
  • Equipping "new boosters" will allow it to snap its own wings if not handled carefully
  • Other BVR missiles have a longer range in an uptier, has to stay low on ground
  • Limited 19 km ACM range, may be too short in uptier.
  • The 27 mm cannon has a low rate of fire, low ammunition count, and mediocre damage if it didn't set target on fire
  • If engine was destroyed and hard landing is not an option, landing will take a long time as there is no drag chute

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: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

Media

Skins
Videos
The Shooting Range #350 - Metal Beasts section at 00:25 discusses the Tornado F.3.
Tornado F.3: A Basic Review - Tims Variety

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

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