Direct proof of use
The Panavia Tornado was directly used by coalition air forces in the 1990 Gulf War. The Royal Air Force states that RAF Tornados carried out the first British air strikes against the Iraqi Air Force on 17 January 1991 as part of Operation Granby, the UK contribution to the coalition campaign to liberate Kuwait.
RAF Air Power Review mission-report material identifies RAF Tornado GR1 aircraft as participants in Operation Granby and says Tornado GR1 and Jaguar GR1 aircraft conducted most UK fast-jet attack sorties. A National Museum of the U.S. Air Force fact sheet separately describes RAF Tornado GR1 aircraft attacking Iraqi air bases at low level with JP233 anti-runway weapons, later flying medium-level 1,000-pound-bomb missions, and using Paveway II laser-guided bombs near the end of the conflict.
The Tornado also appeared in air-defense and non-UK coalition use. An RAF Air Historical Branch narrative says Tornado F3 fighters flew continuous combat air patrols from Dhahran throughout Operation Granby. Italian official material documents Italian Tornado IDS aircraft in Operation Locusta and identifies the Tornado shot down by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire during the night of 17-18 January 1991. Panavia's retrospective Saudi squadron history records that Saudi Tornados were engaged in operational missions alongside coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War, with about 650 operational sorties and one aircraft lost to anti-aircraft fire.
Sources: The RAF Remembers Operation Granby, RAF Selected Tornado and Jaguar Mission Reports, National Museum of the USAF Tornado GR1, Tornado F3 Operations, Aeronautica Militare Bellini Locusta, Panavia Saudi Arabia Squadrons
Timeline
Tornado deployment began before the air campaign. The RAF's Gulf War air-power lessons study says Tornado GR1 detachments deployed to Bahrain in August 1990 and Tabuk, Saudi Arabia, in October 1990, with another eighteen aircraft arriving at Dhahran in December.
Combat use followed the 15 January 1991 UN deadline. The RAF places the first British Tornado air strikes on 17 January 1991 and describes the air campaign as lasting until the 28 February ceasefire. Italian Tornado use is documented in the same opening phase: the Aeronautica Militare says General Bellini commanded the Italian Tornado shot down by Iraqi anti-aircraft fire during the night of 17-18 January 1991 in Operation Locusta.
During the campaign the RAF Tornado force changed tactics. RAF mission-report material says the Tornado flew mostly at night against well-defended airfield and infrastructure targets deep inside Iraq until a move to medium-level and more daylight-biased operations on 20 January. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force summarizes the same progression from low-level JP233 attacks to medium-level 1,000-pound-bomb missions and late-conflict Paveway II attacks.
Sources: RAF First Gulf War Air Power Lessons, The RAF Remembers Operation Granby, Aeronautica Militare Bellini Locusta, RAF Selected Tornado and Jaguar Mission Reports, National Museum of the USAF Tornado GR1
Operational role
The documented RAF GR1 role centered on strike and interdiction. RAF analysis describes the Tornado force's early specialism as suppressing the Iraqi Air Force's ability to generate sorties by attacking the operating surfaces of major airfields. Those early missions used the JP233 anti-airfield weapon at very low level and were sometimes supported by 1,000-pound bombs, ALARM missiles, escort, jamming, and U.S. Wild Weasel aircraft.
The low-level phase carried heavy risk. The RAF Air Power Review account says four Tornados were lost in the first week of operations during these low-level missions, which contributed to a decision to move to medium-level night bombing. The USAF museum fact sheet counts more than 1,500 RAF GR1 operational sorties, mostly at night, and six GR1 combat losses.
Precision attack became more prominent as the campaign developed. The RAF Operation Granby precision article describes Buccaneer-supported Tornado attacks using laser-guided bombs, including a 2 February 1991 Buccaneer and Tornado cooperative strike against a highway bridge over the Euphrates. In this role the Tornado remained the strike aircraft, while Buccaneers supplied Pave Spike laser designation for selected attacks.
Sources: RAF First Gulf War Air Power Lessons, Operation Granby and the Dawn of Precision, National Museum of the USAF Tornado GR1
Operators and variants
The main documented British strike variant was the RAF Tornado GR1. The same RAF sources also document Tornado F3 air-defense operations from Dhahran, where the F3 detachment flew combat air patrols throughout Operation Granby rather than air-to-ground attack missions.
Italian Tornado IDS participation is documented through Operation Locusta. Aeronautica Militare material describes the Tornado as playing a fundamental role in Locusta in the United Arab Emirates, the air force's first combat intervention outside national borders after the Second World War. A Ministry of Defence biography for Nicola Lanza de Cristoforis places him in the Italian Locusta detachment at Al Dhafra Air Base from September 1990 through the Desert Storm air campaign.
Saudi Tornado use is supported by Panavia's Saudi squadron history, which states that Saudi Tornados were engaged in operational missions alongside coalition forces in the 1991 Gulf War. The same Panavia source records about 650 operational sorties and one Saudi Tornado lost to anti-aircraft fire.
Sources: Tornado F3 Operations, Aeronautica Militare Tornado Phase-Out, Italian MoD Lanza de Cristoforis Biography, Panavia Saudi Arabia Squadrons
