RAF Tornado Units in Combat 1992-2019
After the Gulf War of 1990, No Fly Zones (NFZ) were established over northern and southern Iraq and the Tornado GR 1 force stepped up to operations over the southern NFZ.
The Tornado GR 4 took responsibility for RAF combat air operations in Afghanistan from the Harrier force in 2009, and in 2011 was involved in missions against the Gaddafi regime in Libya. The unique multirole capabilities of the aircraft enabled it to support ground operations with the Raptor reconnaissance pod, Brimstone missiles and Paveway IV laser-guided bombs until withdrawal in 2014. The Tornado GR 4 was also used for operations over Iraq and Syria against the ISIL terrorist organisation. Intensive air operations were flown between 2014 and 2019, when the Tornado GR 4 was finally withdrawn from RAF Service.
This volume, written by former RAF pilot Michael Napier, provides detailed first-hand accounts of the missions undertaken by the Tornado crews during the most recent conflicts over the Middle East and the Balkans.
Michael Napier is the author of 11 books on aspects of aviation and military history, including the Royal Air Force: A Centenary of Operations, Cold War Skies, Combat Aircraft – RAF Tornado Units of the Gulf War and Combat Aircraft – Wellington Units of World War 2 published by Osprey. Michael, who spent nearly ten years flying the Tornado GR1 from RAF Bruggen in the late 1980s and early 1990s, has been an airline pilot for the last 21 years. He lives near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.
ARTIST:
Based in Poland, Janusz Swiatlon has produced artwork for a variety of British and European publications for many years. This will be his fifth commission for Osprey.