Unleashing the Fury: The Tornado GR.4 - War Thunder's Tenacious Tonka

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At a glance

Today, we're introducing Britain's new top-ranked attack aircraft that rains down hellfire (or brimstone) that burns your enemies with hellfire!
The GR.4 was widely used in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, and accounted for most of the bombing operations carried out by the Royal Air Force.
It has a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) under the nose and is equipped with a more powerful RB199 Mk 103 engine compared to the RB199 Mk 101 engine...

“Big Fin” will be upgraded with Tornado GR.4! Today, we’re introducing Britain’s new top-ranked attack aircraft that rains down hellfire (or brimstone) that burns your enemies with hellfire!

Tornado GR.4 attack aircraft British rank VIII

Features:

It is a modernized version of the Tornado GR.1 equipped with more advanced weapons.

Equipped with a lightning targeting pod equipped with a 2nd generation thermal imaging device

Equipped with dual mode Brimstone Semi-Active Laser (SAL) precision guided weapon and Paveway IV

The Tornado GR.4 was born from the experience gained during the Gulf War in the 1990s. Lessons learned from Operation Granby and the need for more advanced and sophisticated weaponry led to a major RAF upgrade program undertaken by Panavia Aircraft GmbH in 1996. This adds all-weather and night flight capabilities, and equips the crew with night vision goggles (NVGs), allowing it to operate regardless of weather conditions or time of day. In addition, a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) was added to the lower part of the fuselage in place of one 27mm Mauser cannon. A variety of new precision weapons are introduced and equipped, including more advanced countermeasures pods and advanced air-to-ground smart weapons such as Paveway IV with GPS guidance, Storm Shadow cruise missiles, and Brimstone missiles, all of which are expanded. It is part of the Tornado’s armament.

The GR.4 was widely used in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, and accounted for most of the bombing operations carried out by the Royal Air Force. Furthermore, after the Harrier was retired in 2010, the GR.4 took over most of its duties. The 617th Squadron, which carried out air raids with Lancaster bombers during World War II and earned its name as the “Dambusters”, was one of the units that used this aircraft in combat. The Tornado GR.4 was used in combat operations until just a few months before its retirement, participating in Operation Shader and performing missions such as precision bombing and reconnaissance. In March 2019, the Tornado was completely retired from the Royal Air Force, and its role was taken over by the F-35B and Typhoon FGR.4, both of which were upgraded to carry the existing Tornado GR.4’s air-to-ground armament. I did.

Tornado GR.4 introduction

The Tornado has become a staple attack aircraft in many high-rank tank battle lineups, and you’ll definitely want to add it to your British lineup! The Tornado GR.4 is a modernized version of the Tornado GR.1, adding a single 27mm Mauser cannon, various gameplay improvements, and some powerful new weaponry. Let’s take a closer look!

It has a Forward Looking Infra-Red (FLIR) under the nose and is equipped with a more powerful RB199 Mk 103 engine compared to the RB199 Mk 101 engine of the GR.1, making the GR. 4 has improved performance in every aspect compared to its predecessor. It retains the traditional Tornado’s ability to carry a large number of bombs and guided bombs, but with some welcome improvements. The main improvements include a Lightning targeting pod with improved resolution and a generation of thermal imagers, as well as support for smart bombs such as the Paveway IV and EGBU-24B Paveway III. These weapons are combined with GPS and laser guidance, allowing them to be dropped precisely on designated points without putting the aircraft in too much danger.

Did you know? : The Royal Air Force’s Tornado GR.4 alone has flown over 30,000 hours using the Lightning III targeting pod. The Royal Air Force’s GR.4 can be used for photo reconnaissance missions as well as bombing missions by utilizing the Lightning III targeting pod.

In addition to this, along with the Tornado GR.4, we are introducing a new type of air-to-ground missile into the game called Dual Mode Brimstone (SAL *Semi-Active Laser)! This precision-guided missile’s semi-active laser mode behaves in-game like a further evolution of the Hellfire missile, but with a longer range. Additionally, the Tornado GR.4 can attach up to nine missiles, including a targeting pod, to the hard points located along the center.

Developer Comment: We would like to inform you that Brimstone will only have a Semi-Active Laser (SAL) homing mode in-game. “Fire and forget” mode and active radar homing seeker are not available for several reasons. The main reason is that the Seeker uses the Lock-on After Launch (LOAL) ability. This mode allows you to fire at the general area of the target without requiring any real precision from the pilot, and remain completely safe at a distance.

We believe that weapons that do not require advance reconnaissance or direct aiming by the player, and can be used from outside the target’s line of sight, are not suitable for the current game. Weapons such as Brimstone and AGM-114L will cause particular problems. Similarly, ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) such as Spike and AJ.168, which include the “Lock-on After Launch (LOAL)” function, have been removed. Implemented in-game.

These types of weapons pose a number of problems at once, including being easy to use effectively and leaving the attacker with no means of counterattack. Attackers can operate from outside the effective range of all air defense systems currently in the game, and Brimstone is immune to smokescreens.

Since electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare systems are not currently in place, air-to-ground missiles with ARH (Active Radar Homing) mode are not susceptible to natural or artificial interference with these guidance systems. We won’t implement it until it’s possible.

Implementing these weapons at this stage would be undesirable as there would be no way to counter them and they would function unilaterally and without hindrance. Furthermore, at close range, ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles) equipped with ARH (Active Radar Homing) are unable to distinguish between friend and foe, leading to many false team kills. Masu.

For protection, the Tornado GR.4 has two AIM-9M Sidewinder missiles and a HMD (head-mounted display) for the pilot. If you are caught in a dogfight, you can rely on the improved TERMA pod, which has missile warning and countermeasures. However, these new equipment come at the cost of not having one 27mm cannon, which I think is a trade-off that everyone can agree with!

Tornado GR.4 will take to the skies of “War Thunder” in the next major update! We hope you enjoy this improved British attack aircraft. That’s all for now, but don’t miss the latest information on the next major update that will be announced soon!