THESE imposing aircraft flew hundreds of missions in the 1991 Gulf War, fighting to liberate Kuwait from Iraqi control.

Today, this top-of-the-range GR4 Tornado has found a new home at the Yorkshire Air Museum, at Elvington, York.

Museum director Ian Reed said he was thrilled to bring the bomber to the area. The museum will be the first in the country to have a GR4 aircraft on display.

The fuselage of the RAF's finest strike aircraft was donated to the Elvington museum by BAE Systems.

It is a P15 prototype version of the GR4 bomber, which first flew on May 29, 1993.

The upgraded GR4 aircraft, the RAF's latest model, is one of the most powerful aircraft in the world. It entered active service in September 1998, and is expected to remain operational until 2015.

Mr Reed said: "The Tornado aircraft has close links to North Yorkshire, as RAF Leeming operates the F3 variation with Nos. 11 and 25 Squadrons."

The Leeming base is home to a modified interceptor version of the original aircraft, the F3, which made its combat debut in the 1991 Gulf War. The Leeming Tornados are now part of the UK's air defence fighter force and NATO's Immediate Reaction Force.

During the first Gulf War, 48 G-class Tornado bombers flew 1,500 sorties.

Mr Reed said: "The significance of this acquisition should not be underestimated, as it undoubtedly increases our standing in the international aviation heritage sector.

"We are thrilled to be putting this aircraft on display and it is a 'feather in the cap' both for us and the Yorkshire region as a whole."

After its arrival by road, the 54ft, seven-ton fuselage section was craned off its transporter, ready for the reassembly of the wings and tail section over the next few weeks. The completed aircraft will be one of the attractions on display at the museum's Wings And Wheels Show on June 26.

Updated: 10:19 Wednesday, March 23, 2005