Italian Tornado: four decades of service
Forty years is a long time for an aircraft to serve an Air Force and the Panavia Tornado did it with the Aeronautica Militare (ItAF, Italian Air Force). Developed from the Multi Role Combat Aircraft, the ‘European’ designed Panavia Tornado was destined to supplement the ground attack Lockheed F-104S Starfighter allowing displaced aircraft to be assigned to the air-defence role.
Deliveries to operational units in the Aeronautica Militare started in 1982, when the 154° Gruppo (Squadron) of the 6° Stormo (Wing) at Ghedi Air Base, near Brescia, received its first aircraft (Matricola Militare MM7006, code 6-01 and msn 102/IS005/5008).
The Aeronautica Militare would receive some 100 Tornados of which sixteen were converted as ECR version for electronic surveillance and jamming, three prototypes for test and evaluation work, and twelve dual-control ‘twin-stick’ trainers.
There are still a number of Tornados in active service with the Aeronautica Militare and they operate – or have operated – in the 102° Gruppo (Squadron), 154° Gruppo (Squadron), 155° Gruppo (Squadron) and 156° Gruppo (Squadron).
On 8 September 2022, a ceremony was organised at Ghedi Air Base, in the presence of the Chief of Staff of the Aeronautica Militare, (former) pilots, navigators and specialists, to underline the historical importance of the role of the Panavia Tornado.
The highlight was the overflight of ten Tornados and amongst these ten was the special colour Tornado ECR, MM7059/6-66 and msn 467/ECR../5068.
These special colours consists of four historic Italian Tornado liveries, from the beginning to today.
The front of the Tornado is painted in the red and white liveries of the Italian prototypes X-586 and X-587, with their first flight in 1975 and 1977. This is followed by the green and grey patched camouflage of the eighties and nineties.
The third recognisable livery is that of the desert sand yellow coloured Tornados, which went to war during the Allied operations Desert Shield (1990) and Desert Storm (1991) after Iraqi forces who had invaded neighbouring Kuwait refused to withdraw.
The last part of this special colour Tornado is the current overall Air Defense grey.
Photo credit: Aeronautica Militare