RAF Tornado squadron current markings

[baldwin8]

Recent pictures on the net of RAF Tornadoes show only a tail number on top of the vertical tail. Have squadron markings been done away with for the tornadoes? If so, when did this start?

 

Thank you for looking.

[upnorth]

It's been going on for at least ten years or more.

 

Essentially, the individual Tornado aircraft are no longer assigned to a particular unit but rather a generic pool of aircraft that can be more easily distributed among the units.

 

Putting aircraft in a generic pool like that seems to be a bit of a trend in some places. A few years ago, I was talking to a Swedish Gripen pilot and noted that there was no wing number on the nose of his aircraft. He told me that few years prior, the Swedish Gripen fleet had been put into a generic pool rather than the wings being given their own specific aircraft.

 

I've been told it's done mostly for ease of logistics and maintenance in the fleet by making it easier to move an aircraft around the units with minimum paperwork and fuss.

 

I suspect the RAF F-35 fleet will be generically pooled right from the start as it's already been announced that no RAF F-35 will have squadron markings put on it.

[baldwin8]

7 hours ago, upnorth said:

It's been going on for at least ten years or more.

 

Essentially, the individual Tornado aircraft are no longer assigned to a particular unit but rather a generic pool of aircraft that can be more easily distributed among the units.

 

Putting aircraft in a generic pool like that seems to be a bit of a trend in some places. A few years ago, I was talking to a Swedish Gripen pilot and noted that there was no wing number on the nose of his aircraft. He told me that few years prior, the Swedish Gripen fleet had been put into a generic pool rather than the wings being given their own specific aircraft.

 

I've been told it's done mostly for ease of logistics and maintenance in the fleet by making it easier to move an aircraft around the units with minimum paperwork and fuss.

 

I suspect the RAF F-35 fleet will be generically pooled right from the start as it's already been announced that no RAF F-35 will have squadron markings put on it.

 

Thank you for the reply. A bit of a shame for us modellers but not surprised when new aircraft purchase orders are at times smaller numbers than the ones they are replacing.

[Truro Model Builder]

Even with aircraft pooling many are still given the colours of squadrons that constitute the wing. I think it is more down to the same reason that the Typhoon force is becoming very annymous, as I alluded to here:

 

 

[nigelshipp]

A Eurofighter at RIAT had the last three of the serial on the top of the tail.

 

Apart from the roundels that was it !!

 

Bland and very disappointing for us modellers

[Truro Model Builder]

They're treating it as primer for some stunning and amazing RAF 100 colour schemes next year.

 

And while I'm at it can I win tonight's Euromillions as well please?

 

[Des]

Been a trend with all of the RAF's combat types going back to the air policing over Iraq following the 1991 Gulf War and then including over the former Yugoslavia and subsequent (mis)adventures.    

 

I have seen various reasons given over the years which seem to distill down to being partly to provide anonymity for the units involved although this has not and still does not seem to bother either the US or the French , partly to do with the additional strain it puts on an already stretched force in general to even out the hours and maintain servicing schedules for the handful of aircraft in theatre of the required modification standard at any given time and I would hazard a guess and suggest partly to do with the prevailing corporate attitudes of RAF plc.   

 

Going back to the 1990s on some aircraft types existing unit markings were reduced in size and often confined to single panels which in theory could be swapped about relatively easily although in practice this rarely seemed to happen which anyway at first glance might not be too suitable on the Typhoon without a drastic redesign of the existing markings.

Edited July 28, 2017 by Des
Remove repeated word

[Truro Model Builder]

4 hours ago, Des said:

 

Going back to the 1990s on some aircraft types existing unit markings were reduced in size and often confined to single panels which in theory could be swapped about relatively easily although in practice this rarely it obviously was not and rarely seemed to happen which anyway at first glance might not be too suitable on the Typhoon without a drastic redesign of the existing markings.

 

The Fleet Air Arm used to do that with the Sea Harriers quite a lot, and they certainly seemed to be a lot quicker in moving the panels.

 

[junglierating]

7 minutes ago, T7 Models said:

 

The Fleet Air Arm used to do that with the Sea Harriers quite a lot, and they certainly seemed to be a lot quicker in moving the panels.

 

Actually believe it or not the side numbers 001 714 etc on panel ....think it was 7p and 7s i could be wrong memory fades were actually marked inside with the aircraft ser no.The reason being if say there was an accident or collision then you could identify who waz what etc. Respray job.Aircraft tended to stay with which ever squadron until they went off to st athan for depth events then it just used to back fill the next 'hole' with a blank a/c so to speak.

[Des]

1 hour ago, T7 Models said:

 

The Fleet Air Arm used to do that with the Sea Harriers quite a lot, and they certainly seemed to be a lot quicker in moving the panels.

 

Possibly having a heritage that goes back well beyond the last century the Royal Navy can see that the value of unit identity is far higher than the petty cost-cutting mindset of current management theory that seems popular elsewhere.

[Truro Model Builder]

16 hours ago, Des said:

Possibly having a heritage that goes back well beyond the last century the Royal Navy can see that the value of unit identity is far higher than the petty cost-cutting mindset of current management theory that seems popular elsewhere.

 

I wouldn't be so sure. Squadron codes and markings on the Merlin fleet have never been quick to change as aircraft move between squadrons. And 814's tiger-striped helicopter went to (I think) 820 for a few years and came back to 814 still in its stripes.

[Shaun]

On 7/22/2017 at 9:29 PM, nigelshipp said:

A Eurofighter at RIAT had the last three of the serial on the top of the tail.

 

Apart from the roundels that was it !!

 

Bland and very disappointing for us modellers

That's the way there are all going to be marked from now on.And to be honest you have to be pretty close to a current jet to see the serial or roundel with the current pastel shades.