Last Special Color Tornado for RAF 31 Squadron

Last Special Color scheme for Tornado GR4 of RAF 31 Squadron

Royal Air Force (RAF) 31 Squadron has painted a Tornado GR4 in this cool special colour scheme.

The Goldstars have operated the Tornado since 1984, initially in Germany and then from RAF Marham since 2001. Following the retirement of the Tornado next year 31 Squadron will stand down but will in due course reform to operate the Protector RG.1.

The RAF is to transition 31 squadron to a new type of aircraft as it retires the last Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft from service over the coming months.

Speaking at the Air Power Conference 2018 in London, Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshall Sir Steven Hillier said that 31 Squadron will be re-roled to the MQ-9B Protector unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).

31 Squadron at RAF Marham, will in fact stand down in early 2019 before being reformed as the service’s first Protector unit at RAF Waddington. ACM Hillier did not say when 31 Squadron would be stood up again, but it is not expected to receive its first aircraft until 2024.

Reduce to Produce programme

Following the withdrawal of the RAF’s Tornado F3 fleet from service in 2010, BAE Systems created the Reduce to Produce programme. The scheme, based at RAF Leeming, strips down the decommissioned F3 fleet and recycles parts that can be used as spares for the UK’s in-service GR4 fleet.

The scheme was designed to help cut costs on support for the Tornado Squadrons whilst still maintaining a fully comprehensive spares supply chain for the aircrafts. It has been a resounding success since its introduction with the teams able to recover between 800-1200 parts per airframe; creating a huge saving for the RAF.

Photo credit: Crown Copyright