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RAF Tornadoes at War Andy Evans Looks at the Role of the GR.1 in the Gulf War

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RAF Tornadoes at War Andy Evans Looks at the Role of the GR.1 in the Gulf War WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM 46 OPERATION GRANBY COMBAT-ZONE ZA809/BA ‘Awesome Annie’ carrying a pair of LGBs CREDIT: Steve Morris Operation Granby RAF Tornadoes at War Andy Evans looks at the role of the GR.1 in the Gulf War or the RAF, Desert Storm could he The former RAF Muharraq - now Bahrain 14, plus Nos.13 and 617 Squadrons later on. truly described as the ‘Tornadoes International Airport - was first to receive GR.1s On station at Tabuk were fifteen Tornados, of war’. Representing three-quarters when a dozen aircraft left Bruggen, on 27 which seven were equipped to carry ALARM of the British air attack force at the August 1990. A second squadron of Laarbruch- missiles as an alternative to the usual bomb opening of hostilities, the GR.1 strikers based aircraft, but with Marham crews, load. Dhahran had fifteen GR.1s and six recce Fundertook assaults on Iraq’s war machine, began arriving there on 19 September, but GR.1As, and its RAF component came under hitting its airfields, weapon storage sites repositioned to Tabuk, in far north-western the command of Group Captain Cliff Spink and communications centres. Despite early Saudi Arabia, from 8 October onwards. A who, unlike his two fellow base commanders, misfortunes – the aircraft emerged from the further twelve Bruggen aircraft arrived on 3 was an air defence rather than ground attack conflict with its reputation immeasurably January 1991. The reconnaissance element, flyer. Also at Dhahran, No.31 Squadron led strengthened. In addition to bombing, the provided by Laarbruch, was of six GR.1As by Wing Cdr Jerry Witts was reinforced by aircraft hastily, yet successfully, introduced ferried to Dhahran between 14-16 January. personnel from Nos. 9, 14 and 17, plus Nos.2 a couple of untried systems, then still under At Muharraq No.15 Squadron, led by Wing and 13 Squadrons from the reconnaissance development, such as the ALARM anti-radar Cdr John Broadbent was the lead squadron, world. Each base made eight aircraft missile and the TIALD laser designator. although crews for the fifteen GR.1s on the constantly available in two flights of four, with Following the announcement that Jaguars base were provided by Nos 9, 17, 20, 31 and 617 the remaining aircraft being held in reserve and Tornado F3 fighters were on their way Squadrons. Tabuk’s lead squadron was No.16, or undergoing servicing. After a 15th January to the Gulf, on 23 August 1990 it was further under the leadership of Wing Cdr Travers ultimatum went unheeded, plans for the first announced that Tornado GR.1s would leave Smith, assisted by a large section of No.20 RAF combat missions were launched. For the their German bases and head for the Gulf. Squadron and other crews from Nos. 2, 9 and Tornado force this meant being equipped with 46-51-Combat-Zone-RAF-Gulf-MA-0118 copy.indd 46 08/12/2017 18:03 MODEL AIRCRAFT JANUARY 2018 47 COMBAT-ZONE A trio of Tornadoes refuel from a VC-10 tanker over the Gulf CREDIT: RAF The ‘Granby’ Tornadoes all wore the ‘Desert Sand’ colour scheme CREDIT: RAF two JP233s, two Sidewinder AAMs and two midnight, the Shaibah wave two hours later, two miles apart, the trailing pair thirty-seconds large drop-tanks. Thus, on the 17th January their shorter journey demanding only one flying time behind them. Turning towards Jerry Witts of No.31 Squadron led four aircraft pre-attack refuelling from a VC-10. To keep the airfield, the spacing was closed to one from Dhahran and John Broadbent led out the defending radars off the air, Tabuk-based mile and the interval to fifteen seconds, then eight similarly equipped aircraft from Bahrain, Tornado GR.1s, with the new ALARM anti-radar further tightened to ten. With one minute to all bound for Tallil airfield in south-east Iraq. missile patrolling the area. go, Flying Officer Ingle and Flt Lt McKearnan Taking the defences by complete surprise, the As the Tornados sped towards Shaibah, in ZD744 felt a bump and thought they had Tornados scattered their JP233s over the base’s they relied only on the radar altimeters to keep been hit, but the aircraft continued to fly, parallel runways and associated taxiways, them 200ft above the desert, and a map to albeit reluctantly. At 550kt the Tornados swept then made for home without loss, gliding locate the electricity pylons to the north and over the runway, Nos.1 and 2 dropping their hack into their bases from out of the dawn east of the field. All weapons were released JP233s at one-fifth and three-fifths distance sky. For many Tornado crews, this was their satisfactorily as the Iraqi gunners were still along its length, whilst the others unloaded first taste of flying the aircraft with two JP233s gathering their wits, but three minutes their wares at the two-fifths and four-fifths aboard, and to their dismay they discovered later ZA392, flown by No.27 Squadrons points. After turning for home, Ingle was that their hitherto docile mounts began to commander, Wing Cdr Nigel Elsdon, was seen having difficulty flying his aircraft and could fly, as one pilot commented, ‘like pigs’! The to crash into the ground having been hit by a not maintain control above 350kt. Eventually second attack wave of the day was not so SAM, killing both the pilot and his navigator, Fit finding the tanker, he could only maintain fortunate. Four Tornados from Muharraq were Lt ‘Max’ Collier. The Ubaydah bin al Jarrah raid formation by adopting a forty-five-degree sent to Shaibah, close to the city of Basra, for also had its share of heart-stopping moments. wing sweep, but managed to complete the a daylight lofting attack of 1,0001h bombs. Having taken on fuel at above 10,000ft, the journey to Muharraq without further incident. Flt Lts ‘John’ Nicholl and John Peters of No.15 Tornadoes dropped to 300ft, crossing the Inspection later showed that a birdstrike had Squadron, flying ZD791, were hit by AAA, Iraqi border and steadily descended to 200ft removed a large section of the port wing’s causing one of their Sidewinders missiles during a black and uneventful low-level flight leading edge, so the aircraft was patched to explode, forcing them to eject. Shaibah of thirty minutes over the desert. The target up and flown back to Bruggen for repair. A ‘jinx’ would strike again that night when the was sighted in a blaze of anti-aircraft activity a mere three days later, it was re-delivered to Marham contingent from Muharraq sent four full five minutes before the attack went in, the the Gulf and went on to complete thirty-five aircraft there and four more to Ubaydah bin softening-up force having also woken up the missions, most of them from Tabuk. The al Jarrah, all of them armed with JP233. The defenders. Flying parallel to the runway, the following night, 18-19 January, more Muharraq Ubaydah bin al Jarrah formation took off at formation was in ‘card four’, the leading pair Tornadoes armed with JP233 visited Tallil Ground crew load JP233s onto the waiting jets CREDIT: Andy Evans Collection Messages were also applied to ordnance! CREDIT: Andy Evans Collection 46-51-Combat-Zone-RAF-Gulf-MA-0118 copy.indd 47 08/12/2017 18:03 WWW.SAMPUBLICATIONS.COM 48 OPERATION GRANBY guns continued to blaze at random, except that their operators had now learned to fire almost horizontally, so greatly increasing the danger to low-flying aircraft. Switching to medium altitude and using free-fall bombs, the Tornado GR.1 losses receded drastically, although the aircraft did not take kindly to medium level attacks. Optimised for precision delivery of weapons from low-level, it required new techniques of bombing to be introduced. Not least of these was revised software tor the weapons computer which was unable to cope with corrections it was now faced with. As a means of improving accuracy, dive-bombing was tried. Starting from at 24,000ft, the Tornado was rolled onto its back (to maintain positive-g) and dived at thirty-degrees, while the pilot acquired the target in his HUD. Pull- out was achieved at about 16,000ft — still Who Ya Gonna Call? CREDIT: Andy Evans Collection above SA-8 SAMs and most of the light flak - the aircraft’s computer then determining the air base. They were preceded one minute attack by eight Tabuk Tornadoes with 1,000lb correct moment of weapon release. Airfield earlier by other Tornadoes lofting thousand- bombs on a radar site claimed the lives of targets were becoming mixed with petro- pounders, fused for an airburst fifteen-feet Squadron Leaders Garry Lennox and Paul chemical plants, fuel and ammunition storage, above the ground. This served only to stir Weeks from No.16 Squadron in ZA467, during barracks and radar sites during the closing up a hornet’s nest and, after releasing their the early hours of 22 January. The following days of January, with Tabuk sending a six-ship bombs, Flt Lts Dave Waddington and Robbie day, Dhahran lost its only Tornado of the war, up to drop thirty bombs a Scud missile test site Stewart of No.27 Squadron in ZA396 were hit when Pilot Off Simon Burgess, the youngest on the 30th. The two TIALD laser designation ‘in the face’ by a Roland SAM which they had RAF pilot in the conflict, and Squadron Leader pods if (described elsewhere) were rushed tried unsuccessfully to out-manoeuvre. Pilot Bob Ankerson of No.17 Squadron suffered through trials for Gulf deployment, but Waddington was knocked unconscious by the the premature explosion of one of their own something was needed immediately.
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