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Since October last year, RAF Tornado GR4 squadrons have been flying over the landscape of Afghanistan providing support to troops on the ground. But it is not just awesome firepower that these fast jets can deliver. RAF Marham, which operates four Tornado squadrons, put on a capability demonstration at the Norfolk-based airfield on Friday 26 November 2010 to show off the jets' capabilities. RAF Marham's Station Commander and Tornado Force Commander, Group Captain Pete Rochelle, said: "The Tornado GR4 is providing support to ground forces when they come under attack and its sophisticated intelligence and surveillance capabilities are playing a...

BAE Systems has been awarded an GBP8.6M contract to integrate improved weaponry onto the Tornado GR4 fleet, by the UK Ministry of Defence. Introduction of the Insensitive Munition (IM) variant of the Dual Mode Brimstone guided missile will provide the UK's Royal Air Force with a low collateral, precision attack capability against manoeuvring and fixed targets, in line with operational requirements and forms part of a wider weaponry package known as SPEAR (Selective Precision Effects At Range). A series of flight trials which will commence in 2011 will be carried out at BAE Systems Warton site to provide the necessary...

A RAF navigator gave plane-spotters a chuckle as he held up a sign reading 'I'm with stupid' with an arrow pointing to the pilot. The pair were on a training mission in a £13million Tornado GR4 aircraft, capable of reaching 1,400mph, when the navigator pulled the prank as they jetted through a valley in Wales. Based at RAF Lossiemouth in the Scottish Highlands, the men were flying through Snowdonia, in northern Wales, at the time of the Top Gun stunt. Knowing there would be spotters in the area, the amused navigator produced the homemade sign and sure enough, it was...

An RAF pilot and an aviator from the Luftwaffe have flown together on a combat mission for the first time since Britain and Germany were bitter Second World War enemies. The two airmen joined forces in the skies above Afghanistan in the war against the Taliban. Last night, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that an RAF flight lieutenant had piloted a Tornado GR4 supersonic jet with a German navigator behind him in the cockpit. The Luftwaffe major - the equivalent of a squadron leader in the RAF - speaks perfect English and is said to have fitted in well with...