The first Italian prototype made its maiden flight on 5 December 1975 from Turin, Italy. The Aeronautica Militare received a total of 100 Tornado IDS. 16 IDSs were later converted to the ECR configuration; Italy's first ECR was delivered on 27 February 1998. As a stop-gap measure for 10 years, the Aeronautica Militare additionally operated 24 Tornado ADVs in the air defence role, which were leased from the Royal Air Force to cover the service gap between the retirement of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter and the introduction of the Eurofighter Typhoon.
Italian Tornados, along with Tornados from Britain, took part in the first Gulf War in 1991. Operation Locusta saw eight Tornado IDS interdictors deployed from Gioia de Colle, Italy, to Al Dhafra, Abu Dhabi, as a part of Italy's contribution to the coalition. During the conflict, one aircraft was lost to Iraqi anti-aircraft fire, the pilots ejected safely and were captured by Iraqi forces.
A total of 22 Italian Tornados were deployed in the NATO-organised Operation Allied Force over Kosovo in 1999, the IDS variant was used in the bombing role while the ECR variants patrolled the combat region, acting to suppress enemy anti-aircraft radars. In response to anticipated violence during the 2010 Afghanistan elections, Italy, along with several other nations, increased its military commitment in Afghanistan, dispatching four IDS Tornados to the region.
Italian Tornado IDS and ECR aircraft participated in the enforcement of a UN no-fly zone during the 2011 military intervention in Libya. Various coalition aircraft operated from bases in Italy, including RAF Tornados. Italian military aircraft delivered a combined 710 guided bombs and missiles during the strikes against Libyan targets. Of these Italian Air Force Tornados and AMX fighter-bombers dropped 550 bombs and missiles, and Italian Navy AV-8Bs delivered 160 guided bombs. Italian Tornados launched 20 to 30 Storm Shadow cruise missiles with the rest consisting of Paveway and JDAM guided bombs.
In July 2002 Italy signed a contract with the Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) and Panavia for the upgrading of 18 IDSs, the first of which was received in 2003. The upgrade introduced improved navigation systems (integrated GPS and laser INS) and the ability to carry new weapons, including the Storm Shadow cruise missile, Joint Direct Attack Munition and Paveway III laser-guided bombs.
Italy has opted to extend the Tornado's service life at the expense of alternative ground-attack aircraft such as the AMX International AMX; in 2010 a major upgrade and life extension program was initiated, which will provide new digital displays, Link 16 communications capability, night-vision goggles compatibility, and several other upgrades. In the long term, it is planned to replace the Tornado IDS/ECR fleet in Italian service with the Lockeed Martin F-35 Lightning II, with the final Italian Tornado scheduled to be phased out in 2025.
In addition to the order made by the Luftwaffe, the German Navy's Marineflieger also received 112 of the IDS variant in the anti-shipping and marine reconnaissance roles, again replacing the Starfighter. These equipped two wings, each with a nominal strength of 48 aircraft. The principal anti-ship weapon was the AS.34 Kormoran anti-ship missle, which were initially supplemented by unguided bombs and Bl755 cluster bombs, and later by AGM88 HARM anti-radar missles. Pods fitted with panoramic optical cameras and an infra-red line scan were carried for the reconnaissance mission.
The end of the Cold War and the signing of the CFE Treaty gave rise to a requirement for Germany to reduce the size of its armed forces, including the number of combat aircraft. To meet this need, one of the Marineflieger's Tornado wings was disbanded on 1 January 1994; its aircraft replaced the Phantoms of a Luftwaffe reconnaissance wing. The second wing was enlarged and continued in the anti-shipping, reconnaissance and anti-radar roles until it was disbanded in 2005 with its aircraft and duties passed on to the Luftwaffe.
Vijf uitvoeringen mogelijk;
1) "DIAVOLI ROSSI", 154th Gruppo 6th Stormo, Italian Air Force.
2) 155th Gruppo 6th Stormo, Italian Air Force.
3) 156th Gruppo 36th Stormo, Italian Air Force.
4) MFG1 MARINEFLIEGER, West German Navy (43-54).
5) MFG2 MARINEFLIEGER, West German Navy (45-50).
Aantal onderdelen: 111.
Afmeting: L.243 mm / Br.192,5 mm
