[Military Martial Plane]: Pig Rider
Due to the reduction of defense budget, all the "Storm" Gr4 in the UK will be retired at the end of March 2019. On January 25, Royal Air Force held a flight show to celebrate the 40 years of service of the "Storm" Gr4 fighter jet, and also commemorated its upcoming retirement at the end of March.
▲"Storm" Gr4 performs a farewell flight performance
As part of the "Shadower" operation, the "Typhoon" FGR4, deployed at the Akrotiri Air Force Base, conducted its last combat flight on January 31, 2019. On February 4 and 5, 2019, eight "Storm" squadrons stationed at the RAF Akrotiri base returned to the RAF Mallum base, leaving 6 "Typhoon" squadrons to continue their mission. From September 2014 to January 2019, the RAF killed 4,315 people in its campaign to combat ISIS terrorists, 31% of which came from the "storm" of the RAF.
▲"Storm" Gr4 performs a farewell flight performance
In the 1960s, the UK has canceled the procurement of TSR-2 and subsequent F-111K and is looking for replacements for the "Vulcan" bomber and "Predator" attack aircraft . Britain and France launched the AFVG (Anglo-French Variable Wing) project in 1965, but the project was terminated in 1967 due to France's withdrawal. The UK has decided to seek new partners to develop new fighter jets.
▲AFVG project is very similar to the later "Storm Wind"
1968, West Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium , Italy and Canada formed a working group to develop the replacement of the F-104 "Star Warrior" fighter . The project was originally called the Multipurpose Aircraft (MRA) and later renamed the Multipurpose Fighter (MRCA). Due to the diversified demands, it was decided to develop an aircraft that could perform various tasks previously performed by different fleets of aircraft. The UK joined the MRCA Group in 1968 and expected to purchase 1,500 aircraft from these six countries. Due to differences in combat requirements, Canada, the Netherlands and Belgium successively withdrew from the MRCA development plan. On March 26, 1969, the remaining British, German and Italian governments determined that Panavia Aircraft Company, jointly formed by British Aerospace, German Aerospace and Italian Alania Aircraft Company, to be responsible for the development of the fighter.
▲"Stormless"GR1 and F2
are limited by electronic and aviation technology levels and cannot meet the tasks of air control and ground attacks on one body at the same time. Therefore, the new aircraft realizes multi-purpose capabilities by installing different equipment on the same body. It is divided into IDS type, ADV type and ECR type. The IDS model is the largest model, used to perform ground strike missions, and also has certain self-defense air combat capabilities. It is equipped with the Air Forces of the United Kingdom, Germany, and Italy and the German Navy Air Force. It is known as the GR1 in the United Kingdom. The ADV type is mainly used for air defense interceptors. It was developed based on the IDS type and equipped with the British and Saudi Air Forces. It is called F2 in the UK. ECR is an electronic warfare and reconnaissance type, and is also developed on the basis of the IDS type. It is used to suppress and destroy enemy air defense firepower. In order to install necessary electronic reconnaissance equipment, the machine cannon was removed and the German and Italian Air Force was equipped.
▲The "Storm Wind" ECR of the German Air Force can mount the United States' "Ham" and "Rattlesnake" missiles
In 1991, the Gulf War broke out, and "Storm Wind" participated in actual combat for the first time. During Operation Gramby, nearly 60 "Storm" IDS-type fighters from the RAF were deployed to Bahrain and Saudi Arabia . Air cover provided by several "Storm" ADV fighters, the long-range missiles it carries have a huge deterrent to Iraqi pilots. In the early stages of the conflict, the "Storm" IDS type attacked military airports across Iraq, dropped 454 kilograms of unguided bombs at high altitudes, and dropped JP233 anti-runway sub-compartment bombs .
▲"Storm" Throwing JP233 Anti-Running Track Core Bulletin
The Royal Air Force lost 6 "Storm" in total, 4 were shot down when throwing unguided bombs, 1 was shot down when throwing JP233, and 1 was shot down when trying to throw a laser-guided bomb.Because the "Storm" lacks laser indication capabilities, the UK sent a detachment of the old Blackburn "Praiders" attack aircraft equipped with an AN/AVQ-23 laser indication pod to provide laser illumination for the "Storm" when it drops laser-guided bombs. Although laser indicator pods proved to be effective in the Gulf War, by 2000, Britain purchased only 23 laser indicator pods, seriously hindering combat operations in Kosovo.
