Should the Tornado have been retired?

The Tornado’s retirement from Royal Air Force Service in 2019 has sparked a lot of debate within the industry. While it loyally served the UK for a number of decades with advanced features such as its variable sweep wings and precision guided weapon capabilities, the introduction of more modern aircraft such as the Typhoon and the F35 Lightning 2 presented a compelling argument for its replacement. Some argue that despite several upgrades, the Tornado was becoming more and more expensive to maintain, plus it lacked the stealth and advanced avionics of more modern fighters. The aircraft severely lacked in capability compared to the F35, with its superior stealth, sensory array and networking capabilities. Nevertheless some argue that the Tornado’s retirement left a premature gap in the RAF’s capabilities and that the aircraft could still serve a useful role.

What do you think - should the Tornado have been retired in 2019?