How much does the Tornado's RB.199 engine weigh?

Short answer

The RB199-104 weighs 976 kg (2,151 lb) dry, with a length of 3,600 mm (142 in) and a diameter of 720 mm (28.3 in). Its maximum thrust is 40 kN (9,100 lbf) dry and 73 kN (16,400 lbf) with afterburner, with a thrust-to-weight ratio of 7.6.

Published: November 4, 2026 · Updated: November 4, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How much does the Tornado's RB.199 engine weigh?

Aircraft engine Turbo Union RB199 Detail ReverseJaypee (CC BY SA), vía commons

The RB199-104 data sheet

The RB199-104's dry weight is 976 kg (2,151 lb). This version is 3,600 mm (142 in) long and 720 mm (28.3 in) in diameter. It delivers a maximum dry thrust of 40 kN (9,100 lbf) and 73 kN (16,400 lbf) with afterburner. Its thrust-to-weight ratio is 7.6.

Three designers for a single engine

The RB199 came from Turbo-Union, a joint venture of Rolls-Royce, MTU and Aeritalia. Rolls-Royce designed the fan, drawing on knowledge from the scaled-down Pegasus, as well as the combustion chamber, the high-pressure turbine and the afterburner. Fiat had built turbines for the Viper, so it took on the low-pressure turbine and the final nozzle. MTU designed the intermediate-pressure and high-pressure compressors, the intermediate-pressure turbine and the thrust reverser.

The first tests

The RB199 first ran on 27 September 1971 at Patchway in the United Kingdom. Flight trials were carried out with an Avro Vulcan carrying the engine mounted in a nacelle representative of the Tornado's.