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Description
The cancellation of the EFA programme led to some serious re-evaluation of European defence priorities. With nothing in the pipeline to replace their Mirage fleet, Spanish authorities immediately ordered the F/A-18C/D to supplement their existing force of EF-18A/B’s; while the German government began looking into an upgrade to the small fleet of MiG-29’s it had inherited from the East. Italy and the UK, on the other hand, decided to make do and mend. Italian plans centred on acquisition of the F-16ADF, as it was readily available and compatible with the AMI’s existing weapons; the UK had something altogether different in mind.

The UK had announced in 1994 that it was to develop a 5th-generation fighter jointly with the USA, intended to enter service in the first decade of the 21st Century. In the meantime, there was a need to keep British air defences relevant over the coming years. Saab and British Aerospace had already teamed to offer the JAS 39 Gripen to the RAF as a Phantom and Jaguar replacement in lieu of the EFA. To operate in concert with this new aircraft, BAe proposed a thorough upgrade of the Tornado F.3.
For commonality’s sake the British Gripen was to be powered by an improved RB199 turbofan, the Mark 106. This combined the Mark 104’s more powerful afterburner with the Mark 105’s improved fan and compressor to produce an engine in the 18,000lb thrust class, and BAe proposed fitting this engine to the F.3 upgrade. The AI.24 Foxhunter radar, a major issue in the aircraft’s performance problems, had been patched and upgraded on an ad-hoc basis to the point that almost no two sets were alike. BAe intended to replace them all with an upgraded Blue Vixen pulse-Doppler radar, as used on the Sea Harrier FA.2. Compared to the SHAR’s version, the Tornado variant would feature a more powerful transmitter and larger antenna to considerably improve detection range. Other planned upgrades included reactivating the unused outer wing hardpoints to carry a BOZ chaff pod and Marconi towed radar decoy; and the complete upgrade of the aircraft’s IFF and communications suite, the latter to include Link 16 JTIDS datalink capability. Finally the cockpits would be completely upgraded with new displays, full pilot’s HOTAS controls based on the IDS’s planned GR.4 upgrade, and an ASRAAM-compatible pilot’s helmet-mounted sight. Unlike the F.2 and F.3 the pilot would now have full, sole control over weapons launch.
Dubbed the F.5, this project would keep the ADV relevant for years to come in terms of its avionic performance, but unfortunately even the additional thrust did not address the elephant in the room: agility. Although it was far more manoeuvrable than its predecessor, the F-4 Phantom, the Tornado was not a close-in dogfighter in the mould of the F-14 or F-15. Automatic wing sweep and flap/slat controls gave pilots a degree of carefree handling but could do nothing about the Tornado’s relatively high wing loading. Nothing short of re-winging the entire fleet with longer-span wings could address that, and there was no way such an insanely expensive move would be approved. Nevertheless, the MoD was happy to go ahead with the F.5 upgrade since considerable resources had been freed up by the EFA cancellation.

By the time the first F.5’s began re-entering service in 1995 the RAF had already begun working on maximising the ADV’s performance. The anti-AMRAAM tactics employed against F-15’s at Red Flag exercises were now standard doctrine throughout the F.3 community. Training on getting the best out of the new AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles continued through the rest of the 1990s.
The Tornado F.5 was deployed to Gioia del Colle alongside Harriers and Griffins of the RAF as part of the British contribution to Operation Allied Force in 1999. One aircraft, operating on a long-range CAP off the Croatian and Montenegran coast on 27 March, brought down a Yugoslav MiG-21 with a single AIM-120A AMRAAM. The MiG had been scrambled to intercept two German Tornado ECR’s and was both the second RAF kill of the conflict and the only air-to-air kill made by any Tornado variant.
Given the lack of an air force in Afghanistan, the F.5 was not deployed as part of Operation Herrick. However, given the aircraft’s excellent RWR fit the RAF decided to modify some to carry the ALARM anti-radar missile to supplement the GR.4 force. The three Leeming-based squadrons were so equipped, with their aircraft unofficially known as the EF.5 (although the term was never officially used by the RAF).
Nevertheless, the F.5 was never required to be deployed to Afghanistan. It saw out its days policing British airspace, being replaced by the Lockheed Martin/BAe Typhoon FGR.1 by 2012.

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You can see the rest of the stuff in this AU here: Saxonverse: the Premiership of Harry Saxon

Description
The cancellation of the EFA programme led to some serious re-evaluation of European defence priorities. With nothing in the pipeline to replace their Mirage fleet, Spanish authorities immediately ordered the F/A-18C/D to supplement their existing force of EF-18A/B’s; while the German government began looking into an upgrade to the small fleet of MiG-29’s it had inherited from the East. Italy and the UK, on the other hand, decided to make do and mend. Italian plans centred on acquisition of the F-16ADF, as it was readily available and compatible with the AMI’s existing weapons; the UK had something altogether different in mind.

The UK had announced in 1994 that it was to develop a 5th-generation fighter jointly with the USA, intended to enter service in the first decade of the 21st Century. In the meantime, there was a need to keep British air defences relevant over the coming years. Saab and British Aerospace had already teamed to offer the JAS 39 Gripen to the RAF as a Phantom and Jaguar replacement in lieu of the EFA. To operate in concert with this new aircraft, BAe proposed a thorough upgrade of the Tornado F.3.
For commonality’s sake the British Gripen was to be powered by an improved RB199 turbofan, the Mark 106. This combined the Mark 104’s more powerful afterburner with the Mark 105’s improved fan and compressor to produce an engine in the 18,000lb thrust class, and BAe proposed fitting this engine to the F.3 upgrade. The AI.24 Foxhunter radar, a major issue in the aircraft’s performance problems, had been patched and upgraded on an ad-hoc basis to the point that almost no two sets were alike. BAe intended to replace them all with an upgraded Blue Vixen pulse-Doppler radar, as used on the Sea Harrier FA.2. Compared to the SHAR’s version, the Tornado variant would feature a more powerful transmitter and larger antenna to considerably improve detection range. Other planned upgrades included reactivating the unused outer wing hardpoints to carry a BOZ chaff pod and Marconi towed radar decoy; and the complete upgrade of the aircraft’s IFF and communications suite, the latter to include Link 16 JTIDS datalink capability. Finally the cockpits would be completely upgraded with new displays, full pilot’s HOTAS controls based on the IDS’s planned GR.4 upgrade, and an ASRAAM-compatible pilot’s helmet-mounted sight. Unlike the F.2 and F.3 the pilot would now have full, sole control over weapons launch.
Dubbed the F.5, this project would keep the ADV relevant for years to come in terms of its avionic performance, but unfortunately even the additional thrust did not address the elephant in the room: agility. Although it was far more manoeuvrable than its predecessor, the F-4 Phantom, the Tornado was not a close-in dogfighter in the mould of the F-14 or F-15. Automatic wing sweep and flap/slat controls gave pilots a degree of carefree handling but could do nothing about the Tornado’s relatively high wing loading. Nothing short of re-winging the entire fleet with longer-span wings could address that, and there was no way such an insanely expensive move would be approved. Nevertheless, the MoD was happy to go ahead with the F.5 upgrade since considerable resources had been freed up by the EFA cancellation.

By the time the first F.5’s began re-entering service in 1995 the RAF had already begun working on maximising the ADV’s performance. The anti-AMRAAM tactics employed against F-15’s at Red Flag exercises were now standard doctrine throughout the F.3 community. Training on getting the best out of the new AMRAAM and ASRAAM missiles continued through the rest of the 1990s.
The Tornado F.5 was deployed to Gioia del Colle alongside Harriers and Griffins of the RAF as part of the British contribution to Operation Allied Force in 1999. One aircraft, operating on a long-range CAP off the Croatian and Montenegran coast on 27 March, brought down a Yugoslav MiG-21 with a single AIM-120A AMRAAM. The MiG had been scrambled to intercept two German Tornado ECR’s and was both the second RAF kill of the conflict and the only air-to-air kill made by any Tornado variant.
Given the lack of an air force in Afghanistan, the F.5 was not deployed as part of Operation Herrick. However, given the aircraft’s excellent RWR fit the RAF decided to modify some to carry the ALARM anti-radar missile to supplement the GR.4 force. The three Leeming-based squadrons were so equipped, with their aircraft unofficially known as the EF.5 (although the term was never officially used by the RAF).
Nevertheless, the F.5 was never required to be deployed to Afghanistan. It saw out its days policing British airspace, being replaced by the Lockheed Martin/BAe Typhoon FGR.1 by 2012.

* * *

You can see the rest of the stuff in this AU here: Saxonverse: the Premiership of Harry Saxon