Corporate Tornado
 

Interestingly enough the Tornado option was examined. The aircraft was not in squadron service (or barely was - I cannot remember), but the intention appeared to be that if the evaluation showed clear advantage to be gained through its employment then it might be made available. The evaluation consisted of a Tornado nav being briefed on the possible missions and then closeting himself with a set of maps and the ODMs. After a suitable period he emerged and said "Not really the Tornado's sort of war" or words to that effect. I think we knew that before he started, but it put the matter to bed.

YS

G126 - The range and payload of the Tornado wouldn't have contributed much that wasn't already there in the form of the Harrier GR.3's and Sea Harriers. Operating from Ascension would have been the only option and a Tornado bombload would have been incredibly small in comparion to the Vulcan.
I do know that groundcrew from a Jaguar squadron were tasked to get ready to deploy in the immediate hours after the invasion. When the location was fully understood - the order was quickly cancelled.
Prior to the war we were about to retire HMS Endurance and the Argentinians obviously thought were wern't that committed to the region.

Submarine Launched Tomahawk missiles would have been more useful. :)

http://navy-matters.beedall.com/images/tlam.jpg

TORNADO TO STANLEY
 

From my time in the (old) Bradenhan Beeches Bunker in 1982, Tornado to Stanley was looked at very seriously, hauling the still under development JP233. Anyone remember a little publicised non-stop trip of a Tornado of TWCU from Honington, through the Akrotiri overhead and direct back to Honington (tanked, of course)? This was to check engine oil and lox consumption on a long duration sortie because these were seen as the aircraft's main technical limitations in trying to get one from Ascension to Stanley and back. As history records, it didn't happen, but it WAS looked at very seriously.

I get the impression quite a few people on the staffs were smoking the crack at the beginning of the Falklands crisis. Yes - I know, we'll deploy Jags....errrrrr....alert 40 Commando to fly there on civilian aircraft via Argentina...whoops....prang the SAS onto Stanley airfield and kidnap the Argie general...maybe not...blow up Aerospatiale in Toulouse...peut-etre pas..

FYI - longest fighter sortie was 15.5 hours by two Eagles over Afghanistan in 2001.

12 x prods each, 12 x LGBs dropped, 9 x hours on station, 4 x very sore butts. (and they got shot at a bit)

Better them than me.

ahh cr@p!
 

Just finished a story on the 1986 F-111F Libya raid and stated that was the longest operational fighter mission. Last crew to land had 14 + hours in the seat.


Red Snow's F-15 info steals that thunder.........had to be a behind-numbing experience!

I suppose there's some banter to be had somewhere about Spams having rather more 'natural padding' in the posterior region...:E