The Turbo-Union RB199 powered the Panavia Tornado combat aircraft.
The RB199 is a three-spool afterburning turbofan developed by Turbo-Union, a consortium involving Rolls-Royce, MTU Aero Engines and Fiat Aviazione. It was designed for the Panavia Tornado, a multinational aircraft developed by the United Kingdom, West Germany and Italy.
The engine’s variable-area exhaust nozzle and afterburner helped the Tornado operate across a demanding flight envelope. The aircraft was built in several versions, including the IDS strike variant, the ECR electronic-combat-and-reconnaissance variant and the ADV air-defence fighter.
The RB199 is sometimes confused with the RB211 because both names begin with “RB,” but they served very different purposes. The RB211 is a civil high-bypass engine family, while the RB199 is a military afterburning turbofan optimized for a supersonic combat aircraft.