Corgi 1/72 AA39803 Panavia Tornado F3 ADV 5 Sqn RAF Coningsby 1991
Corgi brings you AA39803 a 1/72nd scale diecast model of the RAF Tornado F3 ADV based at RAF Coningsby during 1991.
Towards the end of the Cold War period the RAF realised that its fleet of English Electric Lightnings, whilst still very fast and capable interceptors, were becoming increasingly hampered by their short range and limited armament. To replace the Lightnings and the McDonnell Douglas F4 Phantoms then in service, the RAF introduced the Panavia Tornado F3.
This swing wing high speed interceptor immediately proved to be popular with crews, carrying a large range of weaponry and capable of much longer sorties than its forebears. Using Tornado F3s based at RAF Coningsby towards the end of the Cold War, 5 Squadron was tasked with the air defence of the United Kingdom and regularly intercepted Soviet reconnaissance aircraft on the borders of the United Kingdom’s airspace. In 1991 the squadron was also deployed to the Gulf to bolster Allied air defences during the first Gulf War.