News that the shell of a Tornado aircraft will be retained at Leuchars as a gate guard once the RAF leave and the army move in has been welcomed by Leuchars Community Council and local Fife councillor Tim Brett.
The RAF is due to formally hand over the Leuchars base to the army on March 31 next year.
Efforts have been made to sell other gate guards at the base, including the legendary phantom Black Mike.
However, confirmation by the RAF that the Tornado F3 gate guard will stay is being seen as a fitting way of retaining a link with what will become the base’s aviation past.
Mr Brett said: “The news that the Tornado aircraft gate guard will be retained has come as very welcome news to the Leuchars Community Council.
“I think it is very fitting that the army units that are coming to Leuchars from Germany want to retain the link with the RAF, to remember the nearly 100 years of service that the RAF have provided at Leuchars.”
Mr Brett added that the community council are also very pleased that the stone marker “RAF Leuchars” at the roundel by the guardroom is to be moved to junction gardens next to the railway station as another reminder of the close links between the RAF and the community.
The Courier revealed previously that the legendary phantom Black Mike, which helped defend Britain’s skies from Soviet incursions during the Cold War, was one of three former fast jets which have been put up for sale.
The aircraft, which has been stored at RAF Leuchars for many years, was put up for sale ahead of the base’s closure, along with another Phantom FG1, which stood as a gate guard, and a Lightning F3, which belonged to 111(F) Squadron. All three of these have been sold to enthusiasts.
The Tornado F Mk 3 ZE967 being retained as a gate guard was built in 1989 at the BAE Systems factory at Warton in Lancashire.