The Panavia Tornado multirole combat aircraft of the Royal Saudi Air Force crashed at 04:41 AM local time in Asir Province on 12 July.
According to Arab Coalition spokesman Col. Turki Al-Maliki, a Saudi Arabian Royal Air Force Tornado jet came down in Asir region.
“The aircraft was returning from a training mission when it crashed in the southern region due to a technical failure,” said Al-Maliki.
The pilot and navigator, is reportedly, ejected from the aircraft before it crashed and after they were airlifted to hospital.
The Royal Saudi Air Force currently operates about 100 British
Saudi Tornado GR4 ground attack fighters are playing a central role in the Royal Saudi Air Force’s bombing campaign against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. And by this, some sources report that the plane could be shot down by rebels.
The Tornado is a multirole aircraft is operational in five different forms: interdictor strike aircraft for close air support; counter air attack and defence suppression; tactical reconnaissance aircraft; long-range maritime attack aircraft andlong-range air defence fighter.
According to the airforce-technology.com, the Tornado entered service in 1980 and ceased production in 1998. The Tornado was manufactured by Panavia, a consortium of BAE Systems, EADS (formerly Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace) and Alenia Aeronautica.