Tornado IDS - AG51 "Immelmann" (Luftwaffe)
Comments
MariusThank you so much James, Murad, Cuajete and Skywalker. There are still 3 Tornados to post 🙂, so your annoying weekly Tornado post is not over yet.
NeulingI agree with Charles-Henri! I also want to mention that I read your information with great interest. 👍
MariusThank you Charles-Henri, Hajo and Neuling!
@Hajo: yes, there are panther paws indeed on the landing gear door (as mentioned in my description above). Unfortuntately the only picture showing this detail is found only in the "Panavia Tornado - Colours and Markings". For the book (with decals) you can see a review here:
originalundmodell.de..s/4plus-wkd48011.htm
while the detail picture (in bad resolution) can be seen here:
[img1]
The symbol of the air wing is a black panther (as seen on the vertical tail). Since the logo has a feline in it, the AG51 (nowadays named TaktLwG 51„I") is part of the "Tiger Association" and takes part in the anual NATO Tiger Meet events. This is basically the source of all those kitschy temporary feline-related painting schemes and horrible (if you're asking me) tiger stripes. These events are having the purpose of gathering and bonding similar air units (with feline in their logos) from different NATO countries.
Album info
At the beginning of the 90's, the Luftwaffe has slowly phased-out its RF-4E and therefore disbanded its two associated recoinnasance air wings.
Elements of the soon to be disolved Navy Tornado unit MFG1 (1992-1993) joined the Luftwafe to form the new 51st Reconnaissance Wing (Aufklärungsgeschwader 51/AG-51). The other remaining Tornados of MFG1 joined MFG2 (see my gallery for MFG1 and MFG2). Although Tornado ECRs dedicated to electronic warfare were already available as soon as 1990, the AG51 was formed in the beginning only with the Tornados IDS from the disolved MFG1. This officially took place in 1993 with newly painted Tornados in the standard Luftwaffe Norm 83 (green based camouflage).
Since a new grey-based camouflage pattern (Norm 95) was adopted for the Luftwaffe only 2-3 years later, the green-based camouflage dedicated for ground attack (Norm 83) did not last long for the newly formed AG51. For this reason there aren't that many photographs of AG51 Tornados in the green camouflage.
A dedicated reconnainssance pod was used exclusively by the AG51: the EADS GAF RECCE Pod. Here, it seems there were two versions of this pod, but I haven't really understood much about the differences.
At a later stage while painted in the grey scheme of Norm 95, the AG51 Tornados took part in several reconnaissance missions in the Bosnian and Kosovo conflicts as part of Einsatzgeschwader 1 and later on in reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan as part of ISAF. I have read somewhere, that although their primary and sole role in Afghanistan was reconnaissance, the Tornados of AG51 were called at least once (while being already airborne) for emergency support of ground troops with cannon fire (lacking other dedicated ground attack weapons).
Particular to the Tornado 45+85 are the tiger paw marks on one side of the front landing gear door. One photograph showing this detail is found in the book "Panavia Tornado - Colours and Markings" accompanying the decals from my project references.
P.S: this is as well an older model
