Derived from the IDS version, which is perfectly capable of carrying out its attack missions, the TORNADO ECR (Electronic Combat Reconnaissance) - 15 machines in force at the 6 ° Stormo di Ghedi - is an aircraft dedicated to the suppression of defenses enemy areas ( SEAD).
The ECR is equipped with a system for the identification, classification and localization of radar emissions (ELS), which covers a large 180 ° frontal sector. The removal of the two Mauser guns from 27 mm made it possible to obtain the space for the installation of a lateral scan IR reconnaissance system (IRLS) and a turret containing a FLIR sensor.
The main weapon of the fighter-bomber is the anti-radiation missile AGM-88A HARM. During the operation ALLIED FORCE (from 24 March to 17 June 1999) in Kosovo, the TORNADO ECR of the Air Force accomplished 176 attack missions by launching a total of 115 HARM missiles.
Recently, the Air Force announced the conclusion of the validation campaign, on the TORNADO ECR, of the anti-radiation / multi-role missile AGM-88E Advanced Anti-Radiation Guided Missile (AARGM), developed in cooperation with the US Navy.
The new weapon is characterized by the installation of a new driving unit with GPS receiver, a digital signal processor and a multimode terminal guide head, including an updated anti-radiation antenna and a new millimeter wave antenna. These features allow the missile to hit both targets that emit radiation and non-broadcast targets of opportunity.
(photo: Aeronautica Militare)
