"METAMORPHOSIS"

Just in time for the beginning of this years NATO Tigermeet in Kleine Brogel, Belgium, 321 Tigersquadron announces the rollout of the new Tiger Tornado on this Monday, 18^th June 2001.

321 Squadron proudly presents TORNADO ECR 46+44 with a new design of L. Krach, for the 40^th anniversary of the NATO tiger association.

The design idea is representing a stage of metamorphsis of any of the Lechfeld ECRs during which the the old grey skin peels off and a new tiger marking appears underneath. The erosive force of the airstream is doing its job...

It is just a matter of time until the metamorphosis will start for all the other ordinary grey jets. In the meantime they are bound to wait but they all know: "there´s a tiger in all of us…"

Realization of this idea was done with the help of Tom Marschik who did an excellent job in computerizing the original design layout, W.Heidler who assisted constantly with his airbrush experience and the designer Lukas Krach himself who spent many hours in the hangar together with numerous members of 321 Squadron during their free time to ensure to meet the timeline.

For Lukas Krach this was aready the third tiger design after airplane 46+35 and the first version of airplane 46+45 in 1996.

Many thanks to all the helping hands and all the coordination jobs.

The new tigerjet making-of:

Maiden flight of the new tigerjet:

Tiger, tiger, tiger…

The "end" of Tigerjet 46+44

Goodbye Tiger Jet
Hello ECR Tornado 46+44

Beginning of 2003 the time has come: the tigerjet is "flown out", which means that he has collected enough flying hours since the last big inspection, that he is due again for the next one.

In the fourth calendar week 2003 "our" tigerjet goes into the depot inspection to EADS Manching (60 km north of Munich). Before the airplane gets totally disassembled the color coat must go down to the bare alluminum of the fuselage. With excemption of only a few spots which help to identify the Tigerjet, the color is gone and with it, one of the most spectacular (Tiger-) paintings in the german airforce "Luftwaffe". This Tigerjet is history - forever! Nonetheless, the Tiger will live on, not only in our minds, but also in uncountable models and pictures.

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