- Yes
- No
Description: The Tornado ECR is the electronic warfare version of the Tornado IDS. It’s history in Italy started back in 1989 when Aelenia Aereonautica started using one prototype, the IS78, or test and developing the ECR version. It was also used by the company to develop all the upgrades to the Italian ECRs for 30 years. The experience gained in the Cold War highlighted that a SEAD aircraft was needed, and Italy started developing its own variant of the Tornado ECR called IT-ECR. The program for the conversion of 16 Italian Tornado IDS started back in 1992. Since the Tornado was an extremely capable machine, the reason why it was preferred to convert the IDS to the ECR was because it was more cheap with the same result as a newly built ECR Tornado. The first Italian ECR made its first flight in 1992, and the development started in that year. The squadron selected to operate those aircraft was the 155th Group. The deliveries were not fast, and the last aircraft was delivered in 2002. Compared to the German new-built ECR, the only difference was that on the Italian one, the engines were still the MK103 since they were converted IDS, while on the German one, the MK105 was installed on their new-built ECR. Beside that, all the sensors and capabilities were the same, but since the Italian one was a converted IDS, it was still capable of using the normal IDS weapons and bombs. The first war that they saw was in 1999 in Kosovo, when they performed 176 missions with a total of 155 AGM-88 Harms. The IT-ECR will perform multiple upgrades in the future, but that is the topic of another suggestion already approved.
Why it should be in the game: When ARM and Electronic warfare will become a thing in war thunder this aircraft alongiside the upgraded version will be very good for the Italian TT since they will give to it two very powerfoul aircraft in theyr role. This one be a converted IDS can also perform the normal mission with the normal weapons of an IDS and be a very good multy purpouse platfotm.
Specifications
Spoiler
Wings Span: 8.60/13.90 m
Leght: 16.70 m
Height: 5.95 m
Weight: 28000 kg
Propulsion: 2x Turbo Uninion RB199 Mk103
Maximum speed: 2400 km/h
range: 3800 km
Crew: 2 People
Armaments
Spoiler
Bomb
5x GBU-32
Air to Ground Missiles
4x AGM-88B HARM
Air to air missiles
2x AIM-9L/I1
Sources
Spoiler
ECR, un successo tecnologico e operativo nella storia italiana del Tornado
Aerei Militari - Tornado ECR
Panavia Tornado IDS / ECR (A-200) - Coccarde Tricolori
Panavia Tornado - Wikipedia
Panavia Tornado (varianti) - Wikipedia
Italy
Panavia Tornado - Militarypedia
Pictures
