Tornado F.2A ZD902 (TIARA)

[Trident]

... or Tornado Integrated Avionics Research Aircraft. Used by now-Qinetiq for various test campaigns to evaluate air combat technologies (IRSTs, HMDs, sensor fusion, UAV control and various cockpit technologies etc.).

I'm posting this for no particular reason other than that I came across this rare and brilliant photo by pure chance, showing it fitted with an IRST (And mystery pods which are implied to be RAPTORs but don't look anything like it - why would you carry two anyway? Camera pods for separation tests, perhaps?).

http://www.mc.com/mediacenter/image.aspx?id=1078

 

[overscan (PaulMM)]

Text from the link is preserved in the Wayback Machine but not the photo sadly.

Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for TORnado (RAPTOR)

RACE Series™ multicomputers from Mercury Computer Systems are used in the U.K. Reconnaissance Airborne Pod for TORnado (RAPTOR) program, a real-time tactical reconnaissance system that has just achieved Initial Operating Capability with the Royal Air Force. The 15-foot long, 3-foot diameter self-contained pod carried under the belly of the Tornado aircraft houses the sophisticated long-range sensors that gather visual images and infrared data. (Photo courtesy of QinetiQ Ltd)