Here on the left you can see a PANAVIA TORNADO ADV, which has recently been leased to the A.M. by the R.A.F. (The U.K. Royal Air Force). Previously the only Tornado available in Italy was the IDS, which differs significally from the ADV one. The Tornado IDS was built in 1969 by "Panavia" for the air forces of Germany, Italy and Great Britain. An agreement was signed by the three countries, and 809 planes were built with that name. It's a plane with a high wing completely built in iron, and it's got an extremelly sofisticated avionic. His roles are: Air Superiority, interdiction on the battlefield, air defense, anti-ship fight, recognition and flight support. The first prototype flew in 1974 but the first series were out in 1979. From then 110 planes a year where built and delivered. It has been exported to many countries and it's heavily in use in Saudi Arabia, Germany, Italy and UK. On the right, as you have probably recognized, another two ADV are flying in formation. I'm sorry but they are not italian ones: they are german ones...will provide a picture of italian ones as soon as possible!
TORNADO IDS Type:Multi-purpose aircraft. Engines:2 Turbo Union RB 199-34 Mk 101 tubofans with 7255 Kg of power. Performances:Max speed Mach 2.2; Range during an attack mission at low altitude: 1335 Km. Weight:Empty 13600 Kg; Maximum during takeoff 27210 Kg Dimensions:Wing Surface from 13.90 m2 to 30 m2 when the wings are fully extended. Weapons:2 IWKA-Mauser 27mm cannons on the body, plus lots of air-to-surface missiles, cluster bombs, laser-guided bombs, rockets and electronic active and passive radar counter-mesasures.
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