Leon,
24 Sep 1987 - A Tornado F3, ZE155, from Boscombe Down, made the first non-stop un-refuelled crossing of the Atlantic by a British jet fighter. The sortie covered 2,200nms in 4 hr 45 min, and took place as the aircraft returned from Arizona after a series of tropical trials.
Can you be sure? In 1982 Buccaneers (the last British-built jet fighter/bomber) from 16 Sqn deployed to Nellis and flew unrefuelled across the Atlantic from the Azores to Gander (Great Circle route but against the prevailing wind). Buccaneers (RN/RAF) from as early as the 60s routinely flew across the Atlantic unrefuelled from Gander or Goose to Lossiemouth (with the jet stream, which one presumes the F3 took advantage of too)!
On another point, can the Tornado (F3 or not) really be called a British jet aircraft as the F3 was designed from the GR1, not all of which was designed and built in Britain!? Although I take your point that it was in BritMil service and was a fighter (or was it actually an interceptor!).
Anyway, the real point and answer to the original post:
My question is firstly WHY? and secondly has there ever been a war plane built with TOO MUCH range??
is this: Range is inconsequential to a warplane, it is Radius of Action that is imperative AND radius of action in its designed role. A Buccaneer, for example, had a high level range of 2300nm if you fitted every possible tank and filled them to the gunwales - you could (I was involved in planning it once) fly a Buccaneer round the World without AAR as long as you selected judicious landing fields and appropriate diversions! However, the radius of action in its war fit at low level in Germany was no more than 300nms - sufficient to attack enemy airfields and opposing forces during the Cold War and return to base to do it all again (assuming that you got through the SA-2 belt at your first attempt!).
So for Range read RoA!
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