RAF Lossiemouth has redesigned one of its ground attack fleet in honour one of the air force’s most successful operations in recent history.
Personnel at the Moray airbase have marked the 25th anniversary of the liberation of Kuwait by painting a Tornado GR4 in distinctive Gulf War “desert pink” colours.
The new design scheme has also been mounted to celebrate the aircraft’s continuous service since that time.
On Sunday, February 28, the exact date upon which Saddam Hussein’s forces withdrew from Kuwait, the fast jet will play a key role in a ceremony honouring UK troops’ efforts during the conflict.
The desert pink craft, numbered ZG750, will perform a fly-past during an event at the National Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The tenured craft, which now serves with the XV(R) squadron at Lossiemouth, saw action in the Gulf War.
It carries 11 “battle honours” on its tail, recalling the Tornado’s service on operations worldwide since 1991.
Air Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, a former RAF Lossiemouth station commander, said redesigning the jet represented a “wonderful” tribute.
The Chief of the Air Staff (Designate) said: “Having flown the Tornado on operations, it is wonderful to see this aircraft in a paint scheme marking 25 years of almost constant deployed operations for the Tornado force.
“It has consistently been at the forefront of the RAF’s attack capability and continues to make an enormous contribution today on operations in the Middle East against Daesh, operating alongside Typhoon, and will continue to do so until its planned exit from service.”
The Tornado was introduced in 1979, and has been modified over the following decades to meet battlefield conditions.
Today’s Tornado GR4 jets descend from the Tornado F3 and GR1 bombers which were among the first allied aircraft to launch operations in Kuwait during January 1991.
Every year since then, Tornado aircraft have served worldwide in humanitarian, reconnaissance and strike roles.
The jets carry improved precision guided weapons like Paveway IV bombs and Brimstone missiles, as well as cutting-edge RAPTOR and Litening III surveillance and targeting pods.
Recent deployments include Libya, Nigeria and Afghanistan, and Tornado GR4s are currently flying in Iraq and Syria as part of a global coalition to help defeat the Daesh terrorist group.