Modern RAF Tornado loadout

[MattH912]

Hi,

 

Im looking to build up the Revell RAF Tornado in 48th scale very shortly and could use the assistance of someone more knowledgeable than myself on the subject to point me in the correct direction. Im looking to build it into a "modern" pre-retirement aircraft 2015-modern day when they were being deployed in Syria. I am aware they carried Brimstone with GBU's but I am more curious about what missiles they would hold on the pylons with the fuel tanks and what pods they would carry on the external pylons, I have seen reference images with both external pylons carrying BOZ or both BOZ and Sky-shadow. Was there a reason for this, and if there aircraft was carrying certain ordinance, i.e Storm shadows will there missiles/external pylons change. I could just do with some broad run down of modern loadouts for these particular aircraft.

 

Thank you in advance!!!

[Julien]

Check out our walkaround of one from Afghan

 

 

[MattH912]

51 minutes ago, Julien said:

Check out our walkaround of one from Afghan

 

 

Thank you very much this will be a huge help, however i can't seem to identify what the equipment is on the port side of the aircraft.

[Julien]

11 minutes ago, MattH912 said:

Thank you very much this will be a huge help, however i can't seem to identify what the equipment is on the port side of the aircraft.

Its an AC-130 RAF Tornado GR4 TERMA ECM/Self Defence Pod

 

 

[Alan P]

Definitely take note of this antenna under the rear fuselage which was on all operational aircraft after Op Ellamy.

Also note the twin blade antenna on the spine and under the fwd fuselage was replaced by a different flat humped panel antenna on many aircraft by the time of Op Shader.

The usual load during Op Shader (Syria) would be Litening 3 pod on fwd left belly pylon, Paveway IV on fwd right pylon, and either another PW4  or three-pack Brimstone 2 on the right rear, and a three-pack Brimstone 2 on the left rear. Right wing usually a 1500L inboard, BOZ chaff dispenser rail on the inboard shoulder pylon possibly with ASRAAM, and BOZ dispenser pod outboard. On the left wing, same inboard pylons load, with TERMA pod outboard.

[Motley]

On 11/25/2022 at 11:59 PM, Alan P said:

Definitely take note of this antenna under the rear fuselage which was on all operational aircraft after Op Ellamy.

The usual load during Op Shader (Syria) would be Litening 3 pod on fwd left belly pylon, Paveway IV on fwd right pylon, and either another PW4  or three-pack Brimstone 2 on the right rear, and a three-pack Brimstone 2 on the left rear. Right wing usually a 1500L inboard, BOZ chaff dispenser rail on the inboard shoulder pylon possibly with ASRAAM, and BOZ dispenser pod outboard. On the left wing, same inboard pylons load, with TERMA pod outboard.

The antenna under the engines was the CAGNET radio, pain in the bottom and stabbed myself on it many times.

 

For Op Shader the load out was pretty much the same as above, but the jets flew with the bigger 2250Ltr tanks fitted, 2 Paveway IVs on the right side with a Litening Pod front left and a Brimestone Launcher with 2 missiles back right (very rarely flew with 3 missiles fitted). Fitting ASRAAMs was very very rare in Shader (had the Typhoons for A2A if needed), can only think of a handful of times they were fitted. Of course there was different load outs depending on what missions were to be carried out, for example the first night the jets flew into Syria they had a Litening fitted with just Paveways IV believe it was 4 that night, so there is a wide range of different loads. Spent almost a year in Cyprus on Shader so if you have any questions ask away.

[Richard E]

On 11/25/2022 at 11:59 PM, Alan P said:

Also note the twin blade antenna on the spine and under the fwd fuselage was replaced by a different flat humped panel antenna on many aircraft by the time of Op Shader.

 

Is that antenna part of the aircraft's GPS navigation system which replaced ye olde Doppler navigation suite ?

[cherisy]

8 hours ago, Motley said:

The antenna under the engines was the CAGNET radio, pain in the bottom and stabbed myself on it many times.

 

For Op Shader the load out was pretty much the same as above, but the jets flew with the bigger 2250Ltr tanks fitted, 2 Paveway IVs on the right side with a Litening Pod front left and a Brimestone Launcher with 2 missiles back right (very rarely flew with 3 missiles fitted). Fitting ASRAAMs was very very rare in Shader (had the Typhoons for A2A if needed), can only think of a handful of times they were fitted. Of course there was different load outs depending on what missions were to be carried out, for example the first night the jets flew into Syria they had a Litening fitted with just Paveways IV believe it was 4 that night, so there is a wide range of different loads. Spent almost a year in Cyprus on Shader so if you have any questions 

Was stormshadow carried at all?

[Richard E]

10 minutes ago, cherisy said:

Was stormshadow carried at all?

 

Yes - photographic reference here

 

Hope this helps

[Motley]

41 minutes ago, cherisy said:

Was stormshadow carried at all?

 

It was rare to see them (i never saw them fitted) but i know they did use them a few times, always a preplaned target for them. Most bombs were fitted at some point, for example i also saw loadouts of Paveways 2 and 3 plus full load outs of just Brimstones

[Alan P]

On 12/4/2022 at 1:08 PM, Richard E said:

 

Is that antenna part of the aircraft's GPS navigation system which replaced ye olde Doppler navigation suite ?

It was the new collision avoidance system, after GPS became the primary nav reference, collisions became a major hazard as the increased accuracy could put two jets over the same waypoint in exactly the same position!