RAF Tornado Units in Combat 1992-2019

by Michael Napier, Janusz Swiatlon (Illustrator), Gareth Hector (Illustrator)

Overview

The Tornado units were deployed in many operational missions in the most recent conflicts over the Middle East and the Balkans. Featuring many first-hand combat accounts, this book tells the story of the backbone of the RAF frontline through the 1990s and up until 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 Intensive air operations were flown between 2014 and 2019, when the Tornado GR 4 was finally withdrawn from RAF Service.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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781472850249
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	01/18/2022
Series:	Combat Aircraft , #142
Pages:	96
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 9.70(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Michael Napier qualified as an RAF strike/attack pilot in 1985 and was based in Germany during the Cold War. He flew operations over Iraq after the first Gulf War and left the RAF in 1997 for a second career as an airline pilot. He has written articles for various aviation magazines including Flypast and The Aviation Historian as well as numerous books for Osprey focusing on modern airpower. Michael lives near Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire.

Janusz Swiatlon lives in Krakow, Poland. A veteran of service with the Polish Army's 6th Pomorska Dywizja Powietrzno-Desantowa (an airborne unit) in the 1980s, he is both an enthusiast of aviation historian and a military modeller. As an illustrator, he has created numerous colour aircraft profiles published in magazines and books by AF Editores, Kagero, Chevron, Stratus and other publishing houses, including Osprey.

Gareth Hector is a digital artist of international standing as well as an aviation history enthusiast. He lives in Perthshire, UK.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1

Iraq 1992–99

Chapter 2

Air Defence Operation 1992–2011

Chapter 3

Kosovo 1999

Chapter 4

Iraq 2000–09

Chapter 5

Afghanistan and Libya 2009–14

Chapter 6

Iraq and Syria 2014–19

Appendices

Colour Plates Commentary

Index