Panavia Tornado Combat Aircraft

In 2007, a detachment of six Tornados of the Aufklärungsgeschwader 51 "Immelmann" (51st reconnaissance wing) were deployed to Mazar-i-Sharif, Northern Afghanistan, to support NATO forces. The decision to send Tornados to Afghanistan was a controversial decision, including one political party launching an unsuccessful legal bid to block the deployment as unconstitutional. In support of the Afghanistan mission, improvements in the Tornado's reconnaissance equipment were accelerated; improving the Tornado's ability to detect hidden improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The German Tornados were withdrawn from Afghanistan in November 2010.
Defence cuts announced in March 2003 resulted in the decision to retire 90 Tornados from Luftwaffe service. This led in its Tornado strength reducing to four wings by September 2005. On 13 January 2004, the then German Defence Minister Peter Struck announced further major changes to the German armed forces. A major part of this announcement is the plan to cut the German fighter fleet from 426 in early 2004 to 265 by 2015.
Assuming the full German order for 180 Eurofighter Typhoons is delivered, the planned reduction of aircraft numbers would see the Tornado force reduced to 85, with the type expected to remain in service with the Luftwaffe until 2020. By 2010, a significant number of the Tornados were reaching the end of their service life, thus the aircraft being retained for continued service have been undergoing a service life extension programme.