Hey all I have a line on a 1/48 Tornado GR1/1A for 10$ is the 1A equal to the German version? IDS looks like it not sure.

Or make the gr1a into a gr4??

I believe interdiction strike aircraft are the GR3's.

There is no Tornado GR.3

All the ground attack variants are IDS with the German and Italian IDS being equal to RAF GR.1 standard, however they have had upgrades over time but not the same as the GR.4


From Wiki:
Variants
Tornado IDS

Tornado GR1
RAF IDS variants were initially designated the Tornado GR1 with later modified aircraft designated Tornado GR1A, Tornado GR1B, Tornado GR4 and Tornado GR4A. The first of 228 GR1s was delivered on 5 June 1979, and the type entered service in the early 1980s. A total of 142 aircraft were upgraded to GR4 standard from 1997 to 2003.

Tornado GR1B
The Tornado GR1B was a specialised anti-shipping variant of the GR1. A total of 26 were converted, which were based at RAF Lossiemouth, Scotland, replacing the Blackburn Buccaneer. Each aircraft was equipped to carry up to four Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles. At first the GR1B lacked the radar capability to track shipping, instead relying on the missile's seeker for target acquisition, later updates allowed target data to be fed from aircraft to missile.

Tornado GR4
In 1984, the UK Ministry of Defence began studies for a GR1 Mid-Life Update (MLU). The update to GR4 standard, approved in 1994, would improve capability in the medium-altitude role based on lessons learned from the GR1's performance in the 1991 Gulf War. British Aerospace (later BAE Systems) upgraded 142 Tornado GR1s to GR4 standard, beginning in 1996 and finished in 2003. 59 RAF aircraft are receiving the CUSP avionics package which integrates the Paveway IV bomb and installs a new secure communications module from Cassidian in Phase A, followed by the Tactical Information Exchange (TIE) datalink from General Dynamics in Phase B.

Tornado GR1A/GR4A
The GR1A is the reconnaissance variant used by the RAF and RSAF, fitted with the TIRRS (Tornado Infra-Red Reconnaissance System), replacing the cannon. The RAF ordered 30 GR1As, 14 as GR1 rebuilds and 16 as new-builds. When the Tornado GR1s were upgraded to become GR4s, GR1A aircraft were upgraded to GR4A standard. The switch from low-level operations to medium/high-level operations means that the internal TIRRS is no longer in use. As the GR4A's internal sensors are no longer essential, the RAF's Tactical Reconnaissance Wing operate both GR4A and GR4 aircraft.

And from Military Today:

The Luftwaffe has 276 IDS aircraft currently assigned to five wings. The aircraft went through a comprehensive mid-life update similar to the RAF's GR.4 programme that also added Litening targeting pods and towed radar decoys. New weapons include BLU-109 and GBU-22 Paveway III laser guided bombs, KEPD 350 Taurus tactical cruise missiles and IRIS-T self-defense air-to-air missiles.

The Marineflieger currently has a wing with around 50 IDS aircraft assigned conventional attack, anti-shipping (with Kormoran anti-ship missiles), defense suppression (with HARMs) and reconnaissance missions.

The Italian Air Force has three fighter-bomber IDS groups, one of which is assigned the anti-ship role with Kormoran missiles. Italy converted 16 aircraft to IT ECR standard with dedicated electronic equipment and HARMs for the defense suppression role.

Saudi Arabia was the only export customer with surviving of 82 aircraft assigned to three units, one of which operates 12 recce-configured Tornados. Recently Saudi Arabia upgraded around 80 aircraft.

Hope that helps.

Thanks guys last question as I've looked and looked, is there a distinctive difference between the GR1 and GR4 only thing I can see is the undernose pod. Is this right and some cockpit changes.

Just go to the Revell 1/48th scale offerings as they are great kits. The cost of them also makes them unbeatable in my books.

Thanks Darren

But I got an F3 and the GR1/1A from Airfix. But want to make a Gr4.

Little bit of help:

1. Gr.1/1a has single chin pod mounted on the righthand side. Gr.4/4a has two, one on the portside too.
2. Gr.1 has two cheek mounted Mauser cannons, Gr.4 has the left side deleted.
3. Gr.1/1a has different head box configuration on the ejection seats to Gr.4/4a.
4. Gr.1/4 have guns, Gr.1a/4a are reconnaissance birds and have no cannons.
5. Gr.1a/4a have vertical windows (orange coloured) in front of the intakes for the sidescan gear.

If doing a GR4 then the bang seats will need to be upgraded and the cockpit/IP's also if your doing a Gulf war version then you'll need to also add glare shields in the rear cockpit and other bits.

You may be interested in the Tornado SIG GUIDE
Check page 21 and 22