Tornado F.3
| 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
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 _,___ m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | ___ | ___ | 13000 | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ___ |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear | Drogue chute |
| _ | _ | _ | _ | _ | _ |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 0 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | > ___ |
Engine performance
| Engine | Aircraft mass | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine name | Number | Basic mass | Wing loading (full fuel) | |||
| _____ | _ | _,___ kg | ___ kg/m2 | |||
| Engine characteristics | Mass with fuel (no weapons load) | Max Gross Weight | ||||
| Weight (each) | Type | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | ||
| ___ kg | ___ | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | _,___ kg | |
| Maximum engine thrust @ 0 m (RB/SB) | Thrust to weight ratio @ 0 m (___%/WEP) | |||||
| Condition | 100% | ___%/WEP | _m fuel | __m fuel | __m fuel | MGW |
| Stationary | ___ kgf | ___ kgf | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
| Optimal | ___ kgf (_ km/h) |
___ kgf (_ km/h) |
_.__ | _.__ | _.__ | _.__ |
Survivability and 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.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
| Ballistic Computer | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| CCIP (Guns) | CCIP (Rockets) | CCIP (Bombs) | CCRP (Bombs) |
 |
 |
|
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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
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).
When playing/judging this Tornado remember one thing: This plane is 11.3. This is NOT a top tier, This is NOT a dogfighter, and overall THIS PLANE IS NOT A COUNTER TO 12.0. Like all other 11.3 planes the Tornado is straight up 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. A higher tier aircraft will just straight up render you useless in the right circumstances.
The sky flash Super TEMPs are very potent but still not AIM-7F Sparrows. They Boost faster and will outpace the Aim 7F within 4-6KM but refrain from trying to BVR Duel with the 11.7 phantoms or the F-4J/S. The Sky flash 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 Sky flash at longer ranges It goes without saying but The sky flash is not an effective weapon against the R-27ER or the Matra Super 530D. Your prime targets are unsuspecting targets 4-9KM away heading generally towards you.
Try and avoid "fair" Missile jousts considering the atrocious maneuverability of Tornado F.3 makes it near impossible to kinetically dodge SARH shots. Most of the high end radar missiles can still guide into you due to CW missiles tracking "residue" radar returns or just gliding into you due to the Tornado F.3 not being maneuverable enough to change course quickly to dodge even if the lock was broken. Most planes can outmaneuver a head on SARH shot my maneuvering (rolling) out of the way, the tornado cannot. Its even difficult to notch a radar within 10km given the closure speed and nearly orbital turning circle of the tornado. Of course both are possible in certain circumstances but it isn't a reliable way to survive an competent opponent who has taken their time setting up a good SARH shot. Within 5km there isn't much you can do other than spam chaff and hope for the best.
Don't dogfight. No caveats, ifs, exepts, or buts just don't. You have no workable advantages against your opponent unless they are already at deaths door with large sections of their wings/tail missing. If being chased get a teammate to scratch your back or run back to the airfield. Try and fly in a straight line given your speed bleed in any sort of turn maneuver.
NOTE: Your Sky flash (stock) missiles take 1.8 seconds to begin tracking once launched. This is not a bug, this is a feature of the IRL performance of the 3000 series Pre-TEMP sky flash missiles being mounted on an aircraft they weren't designed for. The Skyflash SuperTEMP and Skyflash (DF) only take .7 seconds to begin tracking.
Your Aim 9Ls are considerably less useful than you might think. The tornado F.3 likes to fly predictable, straight paths and makes very predictable maneuvers. Any enemy with an ounce of situational awareness will easily be able to keep tabs on you with no effort whatsoever. You cant really make unpredictable maneuvers and sneak up on people given your overall lack of mobility in any direction other than forward.
As an 11.3 you can out BVR pretty much anyone at your own BR. Your biggest challenge will be F-4J/S with their AIm-7Fs and PDV radars. Then again you have a fair chance of spotting and locking them first given your superior radar. When BVR fighting with an equal BR opponent it might be a good idea to deliberately waste a Sky flash with a max range launch just to give the enemy something to think about if they continue to take the head on. Once the missile is headed your way there isn't much you can do so the best defense is a good offence in this situation.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Has a lot of Counter-Measures
- has a backup of 32 large caliber countermeasures
- can carry 8 good missiles at once
- Decent top speed on the deck
- can outrun phantoms on the deck
- Has radar gunsight
- 27mm is accurate and has good velocity
- one of the best radars at 11.3
- Includes TWS that indicates direction of enemy
- PD has IFF
- No blind spot like on the AN/APG-59
- All aspect heat seeker secondary missiles
- Can carry up to 59 mins of fuel internally
- Up to 24 mins of fuel in 2 drop tanks
Cons:
- Worst turning performance at short of the F-104
- Nearly ZERO advantages in a dogfight
- Decent top speed isn't enough
- Wings tend to fall off
- Likes to fall out of the sky when flying at low altitudes
- Stock Sky flash missiles are take an extra second to start tracking compared to Sky flash (DF)
- Sky flash Super TEMP is not a competitive BVR missile
- Cannot kinetically dodge SARH missiles
- Short ACM range
- Loses energy quickly in a turn
- Lackluster acceleration
- Useless in Ground battle
- No bombs or rocket for air to ground work
- gun is useless against tanks
- Cannon has low fire rate, low ammunition count, and mediocre damage
- Stock grind can be very unpleasant
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
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| 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 |
