Tornado F3 Stores - Operation Granby

[AnonymousAA72]

Just been looking through World Air Power Journal Volume 3 Autumn 1990 - theres a great article on the Tornado in it - which is a very handy reference point for the first decade or so of Tornado's.....

ALSO in that edition is an article titled "Gathering of the Desert Eagles" - and it describes the first phase of Operation Granby/Gulf War I.

There's a photo of Tornado F3 ZE965/"DY" from XI(Comp.) Sqn, and I've only now (nearly two full decades later!!) really noticed something that I hadn't been aware of ......

I'll try to scan the photo, but in the meantime here's what the caption says....."Although 11(composite) Squadron's F.Mk.3s carried long-range fuel tanks underwing when they were ferried out , in theatre they carried a Phimat chaff dispenser under the port wing and a Marconi Skyshadow pod to starboard"

Now that was news to me - BUT more surprising was the fact that the Phimat is actually on the bottom of the INNER pylon - exactly where the tanks would be, and with the normal dual winder rails above! Sadly theres no view of the Skyshadow on the other side.

This throws up a bucketful of questions!

Anyone have any photo's of the Skyshadow fit? I'm assuming its on the inner pylon as an assymetric load.

Colours - the Skyshadow pods were I suspect borrowed from GR1's, so were they Green or pink?

(The Phimat looks grey in the photo- not pink as would be carried on the Jaguar in theatre, or green back home)

How common was this?

Cheers

Edited February 7, 2010 by Bill Clark

[Bomb'ed]

Just been looking through World Air Power Journal Volume 3 Autumn 1990 - theres a great article on the Tornado in it - which is a very handy reference point for the first decade or so of Tornado's.....

ALSO in that edition is an article titled "Gathering of the Desert Eagles" - and it describes the first phase of Operation Granby/Gulf War I.

There's a photo of Tornado F3 ZE965/"DY" from XI(Comp.) Sqn, and I've only now (nearly two full decades later!!) really noticed something that I hadn't been aware of ......

I'll try to scan the photo, but in the meantime here's what the caption says....."Although 11(composite) Squadron's F.Mk.3s carried long-range fuel tanks underwing when they were ferried out , in theatre they carried a Phimat chaff dispenser under the port wing and a Marconi Skyshadow pod to starboard"

Now that was news to me - BUT more surprising was the fact that the Phimat is actually on the bottom of the INNER pylon - exactly where the tanks would be, and with the normal dual winder rails above! Sadly theres no view of the Skyshadow on the other side.

This throws up a bucketful of questions!

Anyone have any photo's of the Skyshadow fit? I'm assuming its on the inner pylon as an assymetric load.

Colours - the Skyshadow pods were I suspect borrowed from GR1's, so were they Green or pink?

(The Phimat looks grey in the photo- not pink as would be carried on the Jaguar in theatre, or green back home)

How common was this?

Cheers

[Bomb'ed]

I will have a look and see if \i have that volume and lok at the pics. But I must admit sky shadow was not somthing I remember being fitted during Granby. It was just 2250Ltr tanks 4 flash 4 winders and once the moded jets arrived vinten flares. Out board pylons never made it to GHranby jets to the best of my knowledge, will have to check my photos.

[AnonymousAA72]

I will have a look and see if \i have that volume and lok at the pics. But I must admit sky shadow was not somthing I remember being fitted during Granby. It was just 2250Ltr tanks 4 flash 4 winders and once the moded jets arrived vinten flares. Out board pylons never made it to GHranby jets to the best of my knowledge, will have to check my photos.

Thanks, it was news to me too.....until noticing this photo, I'd only ever been away of Standard or "Hindenburger" tanks being carried on the innner pylons (with dual 'winder rails above). It also got me wondering, IF Skyshadow was used on F3's then would that not have had to be another modification?

And - how would it have been fitted on the inner pylon?

[Richard E]

There's a picture in Ian Black's book Desert Fist of an F3 carrying four Sky Flash and four Sidewinders and a single grey Phimat on the starboard wing pylon, the Phimat is attached to the pylon with an adaptor, presumably the same one that would be used when the pod was carried by a Jaguar?

[Dave Fleming]

Seen Phimat carried, but never Skyshadow. Need to go back and look at the pictures again - I suspect the phimat went when the second wave of aircraft with the flares on the engine doors arrived.

[Troffa]

I went to Dharan with 43 Sqn for Granby, and never saw a Skyshadow pod on any of our jets.

Phimat was carried in place of one of the LAU 7 Sidewinder launchers, (Starboard outer) although I have seen the picture you mention with the Phimat under the main wing pylon on an adapter. (Before our time when the leeming squadrons were holding the line)

When we arrived in theatre in early december the F-3s had ALE40 Flare dispensers scabbed to the Engine bay doors, but these were slowly replaced with aircraft fitted with Vinten flare dispensers.

Another feature of the Granby fit was the Radar absorbent paint on the leading edges, and the RHWR display in the rear seat was moved to a position on top of the left hand TV Tab. display.

No Outboard pylons were fitted during granby to our aircraft either, the first time I saw that fit was shortly before Op Deny Flight a year or two later.

I have a few pics of the Standard Granby fit and will post them sometime this week when I get the chance.

(I know its late but I was watching the Superbowl- Go Saints!)

Edited February 8, 2010 by Troffa

[AnonymousAA72]

Thanks chaps!! I seem to recall seeming a Phimat on the 'winder rail, but never at the bottom of the pylon- and yes the adaptor looks identical to that used on the Jaguar.

What really got my enquiring mind ticking was the bit about the Skyshadow! I'd assume that this is quite a complicated piece of kit(!) and it wouldn't be a simple job of bolting it on the the main pylon, switching it on and everything''s hunky dory!! I assume that it would need dedicated controls, and dedicated training? Or am I way off beam??

It just seemed odd that was all.......

[Dave Fleming]

I would have thought a BOZ pod may have been more useful than a Skyshadow. Must dig out the Aerospace GW book.....

[Troffa]

BOZ pods were not employed by the F-3 Force during Granby, hence Phimat Chaff dispenser and the ALE-40 / Vinton Flare fit.

However modified BOZ pods were used to house the Towed Radar Decoy (TURD!) During Op Deny Flight.