Panavia Tornado IDS

13 Jun 2026 · © AviatorShots81

German Air Force Panavia Tornado IDS (46 50) in afterburner, showcasing its swing-wing design and low-level attack capabilities.

5 likes 3 comments

Comments (3)

🛩️

Central NC airways · 15 Jun 2026

Awesome! ✈️

Cash · 14 Jun 2026

Beautiful capture!

Leon · 14 Jun 2026

Amazing!

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Aircraft

Tornado IDS TORNADO

German Air Force (Luftwaffe) standard grey tactical scheme

46 50

Registration

Airline

German Air Force (Luftwaffe)

Manufacturer

Panavia

Gear

SONY ILCE-7M4 FE 200-600mm F5.6-6.3 G OSS

Achievements

Rare Bird, Vintage Voyager, Military Maverick

3 badges earned

Photo grade

Silver

Score: 88.0

Afterburners lit and a clean sky backdrop make this jet profile pop—slightly soft canopy but outstanding framing!

Location

Rostock-Laage Airport

RLG/ETNL

53.9182, 12.2783

Open map

Rostock-Laage Airport RLG

Airport

Insights

Aviation History

The Panavia Tornado is a key European multirole combat aircraft, developed jointly by the UK, Germany, and Italy. Served extensively since the late 1970s and has seen combat in multiple theaters.

Fleet Rarity

Increasingly rare as many air forces have retired or are phasing out the type; Germany, Italy, and Saudi Arabia remain the primary operators.

Record Flights

Notable for ultra-low-level flight capabilities and swing-wing design; no commercial record flights.

Safety & Events

Tornadoes have flown numerous operational sorties in the Gulf War, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Libya; associated with many notable NATO missions.

Future Outlook

German Tornadoes are scheduled for gradual retirement and replacement by Eurofighter Typhoon and F-35.

Specifications

Turbo-Union RB199

Engine

13.91 m (variable geometry extended)

Wingspan

16.72 m

Length

1,390 km (combat radius typical); up to 3,890 km (ferry, with tanks)

Range

Mach 0.92 (1,130 km/h); supersonic max Mach 2.2 (2,400 km/h)

Speed

2 (crew); various weapons & stores

Capacity

28,000 kg

MTOW

5.95 m

Height

3 × 40.5 kN (9,100 lbf) dry, 3 × 73 kN (16,400 lbf) with afterburner

Thrust

Typically military, varies with configuration (not rated by ICAO civil standards)

Noise