RAF draws down Tornado training

[Zarvan]

A pair of XV(R) Sqn Tornado GR4s prepare to taxi out at RAF Lossiemouth on 12 January. The last course, for refreshers, started in January. The last ab-initio pilot finishes his training in February, ahead of the squadron's disbandment in March. Source: Alan Warnes

The Royal Air Force is drawing down its training on the Panavia Tornado GR4 strike aircraft, with the service's training unit, XV(R) Squadron, beginning its last course in January.

After completion of the final course, XV(R) Squadron will disband on 31 March; ahead of the retirement of the Tornado in early 2019.

Based at RAF Lossiemouth in Scotland since November 1993, XV(R) Squadron became the Tornado Operational Conversion Unit in 1998. Hundreds of pilots and Weapons Systems Operators (WSOs) have since graduated onto an aircraft that has been serving continuous overseas operations for 27 years. In 2015 the unit celebrated its 100th anniversary, which ironically was the same year the official decision was made to close the squadron down in 2017.

Wing Commander Paul Froome, the unit's Officer Commanding (OC) told IHS Jane's on 12 January, that the decision to disband the OCU was on the basis that it would generate enough crews for the three front line units through to 2019.

The training courses are now grinding to a halt, with the final refresher training course beginning in January, and the last nine-month Long Course (No74) for ab-initio pilots set to finish in February. "We are cliff-edging" said Wg Cdr Froome who has been OC since May 2015, "We are pushing students right to the end so the Force is set up for the full two years."

The last two exchange pilots, from the United States, who had flown the A-10 and F/A-18 Hornet also graduated from XV(R) Sqn before Christmas. The last ab-initio WSOs had graduated in May 2014.

Most of the XV(R) Squadron staff crews, with their training qualifications, will be posted to one of the three squadrons at RAF Marham, Norfolk, for the duration of the Tornado Force, and will, in addition to their operational duties, carry out refresher training if required.

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[Penguin]

It will be sad to see the Tornado go, eventually. It's a fine flying machine.