The first MRCA prototype to fly was the West German P01, serial D-9591, which was built at the MBB factory at Manching in Bavaria and made its maiden flight on August 14, 1974. Of the first nine prototypes, three were built by MBB, four by BAC at Warton and two by Aeritalia at Caselle, near Turin. All the prototypes bore the tri-national roundel on their port forward fuselages, with national markings on the starboard side.

The second prototype, and the first to be built at Warton, XX946 comes in to land at Warton after its first flight on October 30, 1974. Flown by the BAC Military Aircraft Division’s chief test pilot Paul Millett with Aeritalia pilot Pietro Trevisan in the back seat, the 1hr flight concluded with some low-level rolling passes over the airfield.

Tornado production at Warton, which continued until 1998. Despite the political headwinds which initially faced the MRCA project, the Tornado went on to become one of the most outstanding combat aircraft of its era, serving in the ground-attack and air-defence roles with four nations; the UK, Italy, Germany and Saudi Arabia.

Photographed taking-off from Caselle Sud during initial flight testing. Tornado P-09 has seen extensive trials over the Decimomannu test range in Sardinia, where stores release programmes have included Kormoran, retarded and normal Mk 83 bombs, twin-weapons carrier and subsonic tanks. It has also been involved in flutter testing.
In total, 16 MRCA development aircraft were built. The ninth prototype, X-587, was built by Aeritalia (itself a conglomeration of Fiat and Aerfer since 1969) at Caselle and made its first flight on February 5, 1977. The tenth prototype was used as a fatigue test airframe at Warton, and the remaining six were built as pre-production aircraft; three in the UK, two in Germany and one in Italy.

A BAC windtunnel model of the P.45 interceptor version with its variable-geometry wings fixed in the fully forward position. The wing-glove box was designed to be an integral part of the wing centre section, and housed a single Teflon-plated bearing that served as the pivot point for the outer wing panels. The wing could then be swept by means of a ballscrew-type actuator driven by a hydraulic motor.

An artist’s impression of the MRCA for promotional purposes, showing the proposed design adorned with the German cross on the starboard wing and RAF and Italian roundels on the port wing and forward fuselage respectively. By this point, the design includes the MRCA/Tornado’s distinctive double-wedge intakes with hydraulically actuated variable-geometry inlet ramps for optimum engine performance.

Another illustration of BAC’s P.45, this time in the interceptor role and fitted with what Warton described as the “Missile No 1”, which bears a striking resemblance to the American Hughes AIM-4 Falcon air-to-air missile. Four missiles were to be carried ventrally and one on each intake trunking. The broad outline of what would become the distinctive MRCA shape is already much in evidence. Artwork by CHRIS GIBSON © 2021

The BAC P.45 variable-geometry (“swing-wing”) design was originally conceived in 1964, as seen in this stores illustration from December that year, as a fighter counterpart to the TSR.2. After the latter’s cancellation in 1965 the P.45 evolved into the AFVG, then the UKVG in 1967, before becoming the basis for the MRCA in 1968.