PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - Tornado F3: 25 Years of Air Defence
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Old 15th Mar 2011, 15:01
  #57 (permalink)  
rab-k
 
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If it wasn't for our politico-military masters it would've been back in 1991.

IIRC an F3 about to bounce an IQAF MIG had to 'yield' to a Saudi F3/F15 (I forget which) driver whose being attributed the 'Kill' was seen to be of greater political value in terms of the 'coalition'.

From Wikipedia

The Tornado ADV has been criticised for its lack of "true" fighter performance. It is true that the Tornado does not have the close combat performance of an aircraft such as the F-16. However, it was designed as an interceptor rather than as an air superiority fighter. Its primary purpose was to carry a large number of missiles and fly them far from base over the North Sea and Northern Atlantic; once on station it needed to have good endurance, and then be able to engage and destroy targets at long range. These targets were envisaged to be formations of Soviet bomber aircraft, the engagement of which would not have required significant air combat manoeuvrability. For this reason, dogfighting capabilities would always be a secondary consideration.
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