Tornado

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At the conclusion of the project definition phase in May 1970, the concepts were reduced to two designs; a single seat Panavia 100 which West Germany initially preferred, and the twin seat Panavia 200 which the RAF preferred and which would become the Tornado. In September 1971 the three governments signed an Intention to Proceed (ITP) document. At this point, the aircraft was intended solely for the low-level strike mission. The RAF decided it needed an air defence fighter, and initiated the development of the Tornado ADV.

The contract for the Batch 1 aircraft was signed on 29 July, 1976. The first aircraft were delivered to the RAF and Luftwaffe on 5 June and 6 June, 1979 respectively. The first Italian Tornado was delivered on 25 September, 1981. On 29 January, 1981, the Tri-national Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) officially opened at RAF Cottesmore.

Production ended in 1998. The last aircraft, a RSAF (Royal Saudi Air Force) IDS, was completed by British Aerospace on 24 September that year.