The Panavia Tornado started out as the MRCA (Multi Role Combat Aircraft). The idea was to apply the latest (1970s) technology to an aircraft which could do a number of jobs, replacing “older” aircraft like the Fiat G-91, the Blackburn Buccaneer, and the Lockheed F-104. The Tornado is a cooperative project, with Britain, Germany and Italy participating in design and production tasks. The only “foreign” user of the Tornado is the Royal Saudi Air Force.

This book covers the Tornado through development and most of its service life. The RAF plans to retire their Tornadoes in 2019, Italy retired theirs in 2004. The Luftwaffe may retire theirs in 2025. Or not. The Saudis plan to keep theirs until 2020 or so. All 4 of the users have had combat missions flown by their Tornadoes. A recce mission flown by the Luftwaffe over Bosnia in 1995 was the first combat mission flown by the Luftwaffe since 1945.

Book Contents

1. A Rising Storm, Design and Development
2. RAF IDS Tornadoes
3. The Tornado Air Defense Variant
4. Luftwaffe Tornadoes
5. Italian Air Force Tornadoes
6. Royal Saudi Air Force Tornadoes
   Colour Side Views
7. Walk Arounds
8. Colourful Tornadoes
9. Modeling the Tornado in Popular Scales

There are also 4 appendices,

1. Understanding the Subject
2. Tornado Squadrons
3. Technical Diagrams
4. Kitography

I particularly liked first appendix, “Understanding the Subject”. It uses line drawings to highlight the differences between the various subtypes used by the 4 air forces.

This book probably should have been subtitled “Everything you ever wanted to know about the Tornado”. There’s so much information in this book, lots of color profiles, many, many photographs, and information that would be difficult to find, even on the internet.

Highly recommended. I saw RAF and Luftwaffe Tornadoes when I was in Italy in 1995, and this book gives me all the info I need to build any Tornado. And it’s a good thing, because I have about 20 unbuilt Tornado kits, and I now have the motivation and information to build at least 3 or 4 of them.

Thanks to SAM Publications for the review copy and to IPMS USA for the chance to learn about this aircraft.