Originally Posted by
yellowtriumph
May I ask what usually happens to planes when they get retired now that, I presume, none are needed for operational spares etc? Are any other nations still using them? Can they be sold on? Genuine question from a civvy.
The remaining in-service Tornado GR4's will be Reduced to Produce upon retirement at RAF Marham, meaning the airframes will be dismantled and any viable/working/relatively low hours parts will be stripped, refurbished and used on existing Tornado fleets in Saudi Arabia, Germany or Italy. Anything else will be scrapped. A few airframes are likely to be preserved as Gate Guardians at various RAF stations or displayed in museums, but not many.
Obviously anything that relates solely to the GR4 and is restricted/classified will be appropriately disposed of in the UK. I suspect most of the power plants will be refurbished and sent overseas to sustain other Tornado fleets.