Douglas Barrie/LONDON
THE ROYAL AIR FORCE is to keep its Panavia Tornado F3 air-defence aircraft in service until 2010. Previous plans had envisaged the aircraft being replaced by the Eurofighter EF2000 in the first few years after the turn of the century.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) has decided to upgrade and retain the F3 considerably longer than planned, rather than lease a limited number of Lockheed Martin F-16s as an "interim gap-filler" until the EF2000 enters service.
According to the MoD, the £125 million ($81 million) F3 upgrade is "a more modest investment and represents better value for money".
The F-16 option was supported by David Hart, a private advisor to the Secretary of State for Defence, Michael Portillo, while British Aerospace had lobbied vigorously against the F-16.
The upgrade will allow the F3 to carry the active-radar-guided Hughes AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the British Aerospace Advanced Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (ASRAAM).
The Tornado F3 is fitted with the semi-active-radar-guided BAe Skyflash and limited to consecutive single-target engagements. Equipping the aircraft with the AIM-120, along with an upgrade to the GEC-Marconi Foxhunter air-intercept radar, would allow simultaneous multi-target engagements to be conducted.
The AIM-120 and ASRAAM missiles are to be drawn from existing stocks. The ASRAAM is already on order for the RAF, while the AMRAAM has been purchased, only for the Royal Navy. The upgraded aircraft will still be capable of using the semi-active Skyflash.
The MoD says that a first batch of two upgraded F3 squadrons will be available by the end of 1998. Up to 100 F3s are scheduled to be upgraded, effectively the entire operational F3 fleet.
Design and engineering work for the upgrade, is being carried out by BAe at Warton, with the modifications kits to be produced by BAe Salmesbury. The actual modification work on the aircraft will be carried out at RAF St Athan.
The upgrade is likely to interest the Italian and Saudi air forces, which also operate the F3. To take full advantage of the upgrade, the Royal Saudi Air Force would need to procure a fully active-radar-guided missile. The AIM-120 has recently been released to Israel, and Saudi clearance could follow
Source: Flight International
