Aircraft & UAVs

Panavia Tornado

The Panavia Tornado is a European twin-engine, variable-sweep wing combat aircraft built by a UK-German-Italian consortium for low-level strike, interdiction, reconnaissance, and air-defense variants. In the Yemen Civil War, Royal Saudi Air Force Tornados formed part of the Saudi-led coalition's air campaign, with direct reporting documenting a Tornado on a close-air-support mission in al-Jawf in February 2020.

Conflict side
Yemeni government and coalition forces
Built by
Panavia Aircraft GmbH consortium; partner companies included BAE Systems, Airbus Defence and Space, and Leonardo
Built in
Germany, United Kingdom, and Italy
Panavia Tornado, Twin-engine variable-sweep wing multirole strike aircraft, Aircraft & UAVs

Service History

In service
Entered service in 1979; exported to the Royal Saudi Air Force under Al Yamamah contracts
Used by
Royal Saudi Air Force
Wars
Yemen Civil War

Specifications

Crew
2
Engines
Two Rolls-Royce/Turbo-Union RB199 turbofans
Maximum speed
Mach 2.2 high altitude clean for IDS/Recce/ECR variants; Mach 1.2 low altitude clean
Maximum weapon load
About 9,000 kg for IDS/Recce/ECR variants
Combat radius
1,390 km hi-lo-lo-hi profile for IDS/Recce/ECR variants
Dimensions
16.72 m length; 13.90 m wingspan spread or 8.60 m swept for IDS/Recce/ECR variants

Conflict Usage

Yemen Civil War
Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Close air support and coalition strike aircraftstrikeclose air support

Royal Saudi Air Force Tornado aircraft were used by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen; a coalition statement reported one Tornado lost in al-Jawf in February 2020 while flying close air support for Yemeni National Army units.

Panavia Tornado Images

Related Weapon Systems

AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, Twin-engine attack helicopter, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsAH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area.
MQ-9 Reaper, Medium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicle, Aircraft & UAVsAircraft & UAVsMQ-9 ReaperMedium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicleThe MQ-9 Reaper is a General Atomics medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft built for persistent intelligence collection and precision strike. Larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator, it combines satellite control, electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser designation, and weapons such as Hellfire missiles and guided bombs, making it a recurring U.S. and coalition platform in counterterrorism, maritime-security, and regional-strike operations.

Sources