Tornado 2000

[Hobbes]

I built a model of the Tornado 2000 concept, in 1/72.

Build thread over on Whatifmodelers

 

[TomS]

Looks good.

What's the centerline pod? Fuel?

 

[Hobbes]

Yes, that's a fuel tank.

 

[pedrospe]

I built a model of the Tornado 2000 concept, in 1/72.

Build thread over on Whatifmodelers

Very impressive

 

[uk 75]

Love the model. How would range have compared with the F111?

 

[Colonial-Marine]

Very nice. I think it would have been great to see upgraded variants of many of the variable sweep wing fighters continue to serve well into the 21st century. That sort of wing is just very cool. Is there any chance such an aircraft might have received the EJ200 turbofans eventually used by the Eurofighter? Of course, realistically I don't see any possibility that the UK, Germany, Italy, and whoever else would have paid for both the Tornado 2000 *and* the Eurofighter

Love the model. How would range have compared with the F111?

The Tornado isn't exactly a huge aircraft so even with this upgrade it probably wouldn't compare well to the significantly larger F-111. But for a conflict in Europe I think it would still have all the range it needed.

 

[Hobbes]

The Tornado Projects thread has some info on the Tornado 2000 project. A range increase of 25% over the IDS was projected, with the conformal tank and two faceted tanks on the inner wing pylons.
So from 1390 to 1740 km, compared to 5940 for F-111F (using Wikipedia figures).

 

[Kiltonge]

Yes the problem with a stealthy Tornado is that you then need a stealthy tanker...

Flippant perhaps, but the key improvement that AST.425 called for over the Tornado, and over projects such as Tornado 2000, was range. Having to hit the tankers over the North Sea just to reach Warpac targets was abysmal.

 

[BlackBat242]

While it might be stealthy from head-on, that huge billboard of a vertical stabilizer would still make a big return on a radar off to the side.
Unless it's skin was radar-absorbing composite material.