# Tornado IDS Family – BR Placement Discussion (Air RB Focus)

Pinguinliebling · June 3, 2026, 3:09pm

This post is a structured comparison of the Tornado IDS variants currently in-game (Germany and Italy), focusing on their BR placement across modes and whether their Air RB rating reflects actual combat effectiveness.

🇩🇪 Germany

Tornado IDS WTD61

GRB: 10.0
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.3
AB: 11.0

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L only

Guided strike capability:

None

Tornado IDS ASSTA1

GRB: 11.3
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.7
AB: 11.7

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)
Up to 4× GBU-16 Paveway II
Up to 6× GBU-54B LJDAM
1× GBU-24 Paveway III
Litening II targeting pod

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L only

Guided strike capability:

Significant precision strike capability

Tornado IDS SLE

GRB: 12.3
Air RB: 12.3
SB: 12.3
AB:12.0

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L/I-1 (IRCCM)
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)
Up to 4× GBU-16 Paveway II
Up to 6× GBU-54B LJDAM
1× GBU-24 Paveway III
Up to 4× HOSBO guided bombs
Up to 9× Brimstone missiles
MAW countermeasure system
Litening III targeting pod

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L/I-1 (IRCCM) only

Guided strike capability:

Extremely advanced strike package

🇮🇹 Italy

Tornado IDS

GRB: 11.3
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.3
AB: 11.3

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L only

Guided strike capability:

None

Tornado IDS (1995)

GRB: 11.3
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.3
AB: 11.3

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)
Up to 4× GBU-16 Paveway II
1× GBU-24 Paveway III

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L only

Guided strike capability:

Limited precision strike capability

Tornado IDS (Ret.8)

GRB: 11.7
Air RB: 11.7
SB: 11.7
AB: 11.7

Weapons:

Up to 12× Mk.83 bombs
Up to 12× Mk.83 Ballute bombs
2× AIM-9L
Chaff (1200 max)
Flares (56 max)
MAW system
GBU-10 Paveway II
GBU-12 Paveway II
GBU-16 Paveway II
GBU-24 Paveway III
EGBU-24B Paveway III
GBU-31 JDAM
GBU-32 JDAM
GBU-38 JDAM
GBU-39B SDB

Air-to-air armament:

2× AIM-9L only

Guided strike capability:

Extensive modern precision strike package

Across all variants:

Same airframe family (Tornado IDS)
Similar flight performance
No radar-guided air-to-air missiles
Only 2 short-range IR missiles
Designed primarily as strike aircraft

The major differences between variants lie almost entirely in air-to-ground capability and countermeasure/avionics upgrades.

However, Air RB performance is heavily influenced by air-to-air capability, survivability, and engagement flexibility rather than strike loadouts alone.

Do you think the current BR placement of the Tornado IDS family properly reflects their effectiveness in Air RB?

Or is strike capability currently weighted too heavily compared to air-to-air performance?

I would be interested in hearing opinions from players who have extensive experience flying these aircraft in Air RB.

Terminated_800 · June 3, 2026, 9:27pm

I think they could get an extra 2 aim-9Ls and stay at the same br since they aren’t that great in air rb

MeanBROSofD72805 · June 3, 2026, 10:06pm

No

YaSen · June 4, 2026, 12:33am

Something is wrong here:

GRB: 10.0
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.3
AB: 11.0

GRB: 11.3
Air RB: 11.3
SB: 11.7
AB: 11.7

GRB: 11.3
Air RB: 11.7
SB: 11.7
AB: 11.7

That’s why 1995 variant is just a waste of time, especially because of the shit quality of its thermals.
Imo it could sit at 11.0, just like a regular AMX compared to a premium.

Beeschurger · June 4, 2026, 5:43am

@Morvran

Beeschurger · June 4, 2026, 5:46am

Anyway

This whole concept goes out of the window with multiroles but let me ask this, if were gonna balance strike aircrafts mainly around their A2A capability, isnt it like balancing air superiority fighters mainly around their A2G capability?

They have different roles, its perfectly fine to have specialised ground strike and specialised air superiority aircrafts at same BR since both specialize in different things.

Its just that
A) current ARB setup doesnt accomodate anything other than fighter (if you want to win that is)
B) multiroles exists (but at least multiroles with same ground strike capability as tornadoes sit at much higher BRs as result)

Thodin · June 4, 2026, 5:50am

Imho guided ground strike capabilities have no significance in Air RB.

All what matters is the a2a capability, evasive capabilities and the bomb loadouts vs. bases. Here are napalm bombs the fotm, cause you need less bomb load than with HE bombs. Means you’re faster.

All Tornados have no fire bombs, unfortnately. So for Air RB all versions could have the same BR. Maybe the top Tornado with MAW can be +0.3. But all others play exactly the same in Air RB and every fighter with two big enough fire bombs is superior @ base striking.

Morvran · June 4, 2026, 7:10am

11.3 is fine. The issue is expecting a ground attacker to be a fighter.

decompress
actually make the game modes decent for ground attackers
End the diminishing Returns mechanic. Stop punishing an aircraft just because it can take a lot of bombs. It’s naturally mitigated

After that, just finishing the Tornados would be useful too. The FM is half finished, especially in regard to top speed. So giving them combat thrust like the Mig-21Bis has could be all the direct buff the Tonkas need for now.

Though I would also like to see CBUs added at some point and they could be tuned to give the Tonkas a Napalm-esque weapon

On a personal note. I absolutely destroyed an F-5E in a gunfight last night in the GR1, which is the weakest of all the IDSs with the weakest engines. Sure, there is a limit to what you can do, but at 11.3 it’s manageable

The 12.3 ones should be 12.0 though