Italian Panavia Tornado IDS (ECR in progress)

Italy also decided to develop its own version of the Tornado ECR, called IT-ECR to distinguish it from the German one. An initial intervention consisted of adapting around twenty Tornado IDSs to use the HARM missile. These aircraft were operated by the 50th Wing of Piacenza starting from 1992. The HARM has its own sensor to identify enemy radar emitters, but its capabilities are obviously limited, more suitable for a self-defense context than for real offensive actions. When the missile is combined with a real ELS system, its offensive capabilities (in particular the range and coverage of radar frequencies) increase exponentially. Italy thus decided to convert sixteen aircraft to the IT-ECR standard, and the prototype of this version flew in 1992. Development was not particularly fast, and only in 1998 did the first examples reach the 50th Wing. Deliveries were completed only in 2002.