Tornado F.3 Late

This page is about the British jet fighter Tornado F.3 Late. For other versions, see Tornado (Family).

Tornado F.3 Late

Tornado F.3

Tornado F.3 Late

Tornado F.3

Britain

VIII Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
13.3	13.3	13.3

Class:

Fighter

Jet fighter

Research:410 000

Purchase:1 100 000

Show in game

Description

In 1996, it was more than apparent that the Tornado F.3 was severely outdated by contemporary fighter-interceptor standards, especially when compared to aircraft of the time like the F-22 and Su-27M (later redesignated as the Su-35). As a result, to fulfil the original plan for the Tornado F.3 to serve in the RAF until at least 2010, the Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) was announced to upgrade the Tornado F.3 fleet with contemporary electronics, weapons, and various other improvements. These included radar and FCS upgrades to allow the Tornado F.3 to fire the new AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9M missiles, to replace its aging Skyflash and AIM-9L selection. However, due to poor management of previous FCS and radar upgrades to the RAF fleet, a situation described as "fleets within the fleet" occurred where the lack of standardization in Foxhunter radar modifications and upgrades in the Tornado fleet directly resulted in the failure to properly integrate most of the CSP upgrades. As a result, the Foxhunter radar was not compatible with the AIM-120 AMRAAM's mid-course correction feature through datalinked inertial guidance. These problems would be finally ironed out after 2003 during the AMRAAM Optimisation Programme, or AOP, which standardised the Foxhunter upgrades to allow for AIM-120 datalink guidance for multiple targets.

The Tornado F.3 Late is a British jet fighter-interceptor introduced in Update "Seek & Destroy" to the top ranks of the tree. It builds on the basis of the previous Tornado F.3 in the tech tree by expanding the avionics suite and its missile selection. By having access to a more advanced radar, and the powerful AIM-120 active-radar homing missile, the Tornado F.3 Late is capable of dispatching enemies at a much safer distance than possible before with the Skyflash. And if you find yourself dangerously close to an enemy, then a radar-slaved AIM-9M will almost always make short work of them if they are manoeuvring around your frontal hemisphere. All in all, the F.3 Late serves as a direct upgrade in offensive capability over the previous Tornado F.3, giving British aircraft players access to new and advanced weaponry on an already familiar platform.

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

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

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	2,281	2,257	13000	28.7	29.5	167.3	163.3	800
Upgraded	___	___		__._	__._	__._	__._

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear	Drogue chute	Thrust reversal
✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	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	21,366 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	0.68
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	0.77

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

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.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 931 → 4 428

RB8 459 → 12 781

SB9 961 → 15 051

Total cost of modifications317 000

485 000

Talisman cost3 200

Crew training310 000

Experts1 100 000

Aces3 600

Research Aces1 350 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

90 / 320 / 500 %

256 / 256 / 256 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Compressor Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 370 New boosters Research: 14 000 Cost: 21 000 400 Engine Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750	Fuselage repair Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 370 Airframe Research: 14 000 Cost: 21 000 400 Wings repair Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750 Cover Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750	Flares/Chaff Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 370 bk_27_belt_pack Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 370 Flares/Chaff BOL Research: 13 000 Cost: 20 000 370 G-suit Research: 14 000 Cost: 21 000 400 AIM-9L Research: 14 000 Cost: 21 000 400 AIM-9M Research: 14 000 Cost: 21 000 400 bk_27_new_gun Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750 Skyflash SuperTEMP Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750 EFS Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750 AIM-120B Research: 26 000 Cost: 40 000 750

Armaments

Ballistic Computer
CCIP (Guns)	CCIP (Rockets)	CCIP (Bombs)	CCRP (Bombs)	EEGS

Offensive armament

The Tornado F.3 Late is armed with:

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

Suspended armament

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

	1	2	3	4	5
AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles	1, 2 *				1, 2 *
AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles	1, 2 *				1, 2 *
AIM-120B missiles			4
Skyflash SuperTEMP missiles			4
Countermeasures	160 *				160 *
330 gal drop tanks		1		1
495 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 495 gal drop tanks 2 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles + 2 x AIM-120B missiles 4 x AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles + 320 x countermeasures 4 x AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles + 320 x countermeasures 4 x Skyflash SuperTEMP missiles 4 x AIM-120B missiles

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).

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Chaff/Flare pods allow the plane to carry 352 countermeasures, 32 of which are large caliber
• Access to Aim-120B and Aim-9M at 13.3
• Strong engines and light weight make for high acceleration
• Features an advanced RWR with tracking and launch detection
• 4 Datalink channels allow the plane to guide all of its AMRAAMs at once

Cons:

• Engines are very fuel thirsty
• Will regularly be uptiered into 13.7 matches
• Cannot equip any ground attack ordinance at all
• Very low turn rate, low enough that avoiding missiles at close range, even with countermeasures, is a challenge
• BK27 has a relatively low fire rate compared to other top tier cannons

History

The Tornado F3, a crucial part of the RAF's air defense, underwent significant changes throughout its service, facing structural challenges and essential upgrades. Following the Gulf War, the Tornado F3 experienced accelerated fatigue due to intense combat conditions, which exceeded its initial design expectations. As a result, the airframes began wearing out faster than anticipated. Initially, BAe Systems was contracted to upgrade 15 airframes, but the subsequent batch was awarded to Airwork Services, which performed the upgrades at St Athan.

Soon after, the first four upgraded Tornado F3s (ZE292, ZE295, ZE343, and ZE728) exhibited structural problems. Pilots reported abnormal behavior, leading to the discovery of significant damage. Further inspections revealed 12 additional damaged airframes. Though scrapping these aircraft was initially considered, an innovative solution emerged: using the center sections of F2 airframes in storage at St Athan. This successful modification, starting with ZE154 and F2 ZD901, allowed the damaged F3s to return to service.

On March 24, 1993, a significant milestone was reached when the RAF accepted ZH559, the last Tornado built for the RAF, which remained in service until 2008. The next major upgrade involved fitting the F3 with AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles under the Capability Sustainment Programme (CSP) awarded to BAe in 1997. This £125 million program upgraded the missile management system and main computer, providing the F3 with fire-and-forget capability and enhancing its combat effectiveness. Additional upgrades included towed radar decoys and trials with ALARM missiles on 11 Squadron aircraft.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

• Tornado Family
• Identical performance-wise to the Tornado F.3

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.