Annotated Bibliography
Richardson, Doug. Modern Fighting Aircraft: Tornado. New York: Prentice Hall Press, 1986.
Richardson explains in full detail why NATO was in need of a new Multirole Combat Aircraft (MRCA). The Tornado was a collaboration project that included five countries at first and then scaled down to three: Great Britain, Germany, and Italy. The Panavia Tornado might not match the dogfighting capabilities of the F-15 or the long range capabilities of the F-111, but no other aircraft can match the Tornado’s combination of small size, long range, and high speed in low-level terrain-following flight. The Tornado is an exceptional plane and this book will certainly help me to convey that, mostly because the history of how the Tornado became to be is well displayed and is expressed in great detail.
Green, William. The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books, 1994.
Green does a good job of explaining the different forms of the Panavia Tornado. The Tornado ADV (Air Defense Version) was developed by the British. The Tornado IDS (Interdictor Strike) was the multinational version (UK, Federal Germany, and Italy). Theses two variations had 80 percent commonality. The ADV first flew on October 27, 1979 as it was developed to specifically meet an RAF requirement. Green explains that there are many different variations of the Tornado, each with it’s own unique feature, for example the Tornado F Mk w was equipped with two Turbo-Union RB199-34R Mk 103 turbo fans of 4,380 kgp and 7,675 kgp with max afterburning. This book really shows how much power is behind the Tornado, not only has it a huge amount of weapons it can carry, but it also has the speed that most other aircraft don’t have. Being able to go up to Mach 2 is a huge advantage for this plane mainly because it will have time to complete it’s mission and get out in one piece.
Winchester, Jim. Encyclopedia of Modern Aircraft: From Civilian Airliners to Military Superfighters. Thunder Bay...