The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment (TTTE) was a multinational air unit based at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland, England, from 1981 to 1999.

It was chosen above contemporary American aircraft at that time because the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon lacked all-weather capability, the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle had inferior radar and electronic countermeasures and the Grumman F-14 Tomcat was too expensive.

When the TTTE was established, the RAF was concerned it may not have enough trained pilots to fly the aircraft, due to poor recruitment and perceived low pay.

The Royal Air Force provided technicians and logistics personnel, the staff and the three training squadrons were manned by the three nations.

At Mattersey in north Nottinghamshire on 21 January 1999 at 11.35pm, a Cottesmore Tornado 'ZA330' had a mid air collision with a light aircraft Cessna 152 'G-BPZX'[8] [9] In the Tornado was Flt Lt Greg Hurst, aged 35, and Second Lt Matteo di Carlo, an Italian, who had been with the RAF since 4 December 1998, from Rieti, and he had his 25th birthday on 16 January 1999.

[11][12][13] In the post-Cold War era and the growing differences in the aircraft variants, the three nations decided that they would be better served performing their own type training.

There was also a need to find space for British aircraft returning to the UK from Royal Air Force Germany bases, such as RAF Bruggen, that were closing.

Rather the Eurofighter partners (Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom) have chosen to run national training schemes.