Originally posted by Phil Foster
Have you ever seen a Tornado F3 perform at an airshow? You are right that it won’t turn heads like an F16, F18, Rafale, Typhoon, Gripen and of course we all know the ones that really turn heads at airshows are the Flankers and Fulcrums of the world if only because they have a bit of a reputation for, shall we say, dangerous maneuvering and playing lawn darts as a result.

What makes the F3 really turn heads is its suprising agility and the vortices above the wings and on the wingtips which, I think, go some way to proving just how tight the pilot is turning the plane. Also its acceleration is phenomenal at low altitude. The problem is when you get above about 20,000 or 25,000ft when the performance really begins to drop off. Thats because it used high bypass engines which are optimised for low altitude operations.

The RAF and BAe who developed the F3 from the ‘GR1’ bomber wanted to put new engines in it to transform its high altitude performance but the MoD said no. They said “you have got a bigger airframe with more fuel and better aerodynamics for better acceleration and a whacking great air intercept radar, what more do you want?” Well the RAF would have prefered a radar that worked for a start. They have been perfected now but at the time they had to fit ballast in the nose because the airframe was fully developed before the radar.

It just goes to show that with the F15 the yanks successfully turned an air superiority fighter into a top draw strike aircraft but you can’t do it the other way around. If the F3 had low or variable bypass engines and perhaps a little less weight (it weighed more than the bomber variant!) it would have been a belter at any altitude and wouldn’t have the reputation it now has. But and its a big but, you can’t afford to underestimate it if you are going up against it. If its pilot and navigator gets you below 20,000ft it doesn’t matter what you are flying, it will give you a nasty shock in close in fighting.

I agree with your observations