Jointly developed from the air forces of Germany, the UK, and Italy, the
Tornado was introduced in 1979, with the last of the 992 constructed in
1999. With three main variants, it is a major component of four air
forces worldwide. Tornadoes saw action in the Gulf War with the Italian
and British air forces, and the type was unjustly criticized after the
loss of 6 aircraft in this war.