Press service of the Luftwaffe of the Bundeswehr: It has been decided to operate the Tornado fighters until 2030
The German Air Force announced that, despite the modernization of the aircraft fleet, they do not intend to abandon the operation of Tornado fighters. It became known that the operation of these combat aircraft in the Luftwaffe decided to extend until 2030. At that time, the fighter from the time of the first flight will be 1 years old, and from the moment it was put into service with the FRG Air Force it is exactly half a century.
Today in Germany there is a program to extend the service life of Tornado fighters. One such fighter went through modernization procedures. The service life of its airframe was increased from 6 to 8 flight hours.
The German media noted that in order to extend the life of the Tornado fighter's airframe, several important structural elements were replaced, including the connecting link between the front and middle parts of the fuselage.
From the report:
Bundeswehr Luftwaffe Press Service:
It is stated that a total of about 400 structural parts are being replaced.
The "rebuilding" of the aircraft was carried out at a Bavarian plant in Manching.
Luftwaffe Press Service:
Information