TORNADO Modernisation for Bundeswehr

The Bundeswehr’s Tornados will receive modernised radar warning equipment by 2025 after parliament cleared the way for a comprehensive obsolescence and vulnerability elimination of the combat aircraft’s self-protection equipment last month. To this end, the NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency (NETMA) has concluded a corresponding contract worth €102.3M with the prime contractor Panavia Aircraft, which provides for the adaptation development and integration of components in the period 2021 to 2025.

Under a subcontract, Saab will deliver modernised radar warning equipment for around €40M, which will provide future-proof processor performance and extend the service life of the Tornado’s radar warning system. According to Saab the state-of-the-art radar warning equipment provides aircrews with superior situational awareness in the electromagnetic spectrum, even in challenging scenarios. Saab was first awarded a contract to renew radar warning equipment for German Tornados in 1999.

Gerhard Heiming