Panavia Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat / Reconnaissance)

History of Panavia Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance)

The Tornado ECR (Electronic Combat/Reconnaissance) is a dedicated "Suppression of Adversary Air Defenses" (SEAD) offshoot of the original Tornado IDS (InterDictor/Strike) strike fighter. This version is equipped with higher-level onboard sensors, as well as support for the AGM-88 HARM anti-radiation missile. The aircraft is used to counter enemy air defenses before the main attack force engages, effectively "blocking" further enemy responses to its air force. As such, ECRs are equipped with sophisticated electronic countermeasures (ECM) for survival, while their missiles can route incoming radar signals to their source via an Emitter Location System (ELS). The first Tornado ECR was delivered on May 21, 1990, operated by German and Alitalia Air Services.

The UK, another major user of Tornado IDS, uses the dedicated Tornado ADV F. 3 brand in place of reels.

There are three main types of tornadoes - IDS, ECR and ADV. The IDS is a dedicated strike platform, while the ECR is a dedicated SEAD model. ADV is a variant of interceptor. The original Tornado IDS is in service in West Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia and the UK.

Panavia takes its name from the three-nation effort of western Germany, Italy and the UK, while strikes and ECR tornadoes remain a significant part of Western Europe's air firepower - even though their lifespans are expected to end a decade before the end of the year.

The Luftwaffe received about 35 Tornado ECR platforms, which were received as "Neubau" aircraft. The Italian ECR is a 16 example converted from the existing Tornado IDS strike platform.

The German and Italian models differ in several ways: the German ECR uses an upgraded engine and integrated reconnaissance equipment, while the Italian ECR uses a slightly downgraded engine and external reconnaissance pod.

The ECR is more closely related to the Tornado IDS family than the Tornado ADV, they share up to 80% of the parts in common and overall look very similar. However, all Tornado versions share the same two-seat tandem cockpit (with ejection seat), single vertical tail arrangement and swing capability.

The swing-wing approach allows the aircraft to adjust its wing angle during flight, which allows the fuselage to maintain low- and high-speed performance characteristics when needed.

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