For the first time in over three decades the infamous NATO Tiger Meet exercise was held in the skies over the Adriatic and Mediterranean seas, as the multinational exercise used the air base Gioia del Colle as their home station. As the exercise was held in October it was great to be able to have clear skies and warmth as we visited the base for the ‘Spotters Day’ and open day on the 6th and 8th October respectively.
The sprawling base in southern Italy was able to cope easily with the influx of over 80 jets and helicopters from 12 countries across Europe, with many of them sporting flamboyant schemes. In this report we’ll give an overview of this year’s participants for the exercise and focus on the hosts, 12° Gruppo, 36° Stormo.
Over 80 aircraft were involved in Tiger Meet ranging from the small but capable Aerospatiale Gazelle from the Aviation légère de l’armée de Terre (ALAT) to the iconic Panavia Tornado flown by the Luftwaffe. The exercise saw over 1100 sorites completed with 800 hours flown.
The exercise is split into two waves, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning wave is usually reserved for the Composite Air Operations, which throughout the exercise, increase in complexity. The afternoon wave, called Shadow Waves, are more diverse looking at different missions that the participants want to train on, including Basic Fighter Manoeuvres, Electronic Warfare, Personnel Recovery, Air Combat Manoeuvring and Slow Mover Interception.
Helicopters are playing a greater role in the NTM exercise with these assets being utilised in both the COMAO and the shadow waves. They are working with Joint Terminal Air Controllers/Forward Air Controllers, Special Forces, Combat Search and Rescue and insertion and extraction of the JTAC/FAC and Special Forces. This year saw a trio of types including the ALAT EC665 Tigre and Gazelle and the Aeronautica Militare HH-101.
Participants
Austrian Air Force 2 staffel zeltweg Eurofighter EF2000 Typhoon
Belgian 31 SMD Kleine Brogel Lockheed-Martin F-16 MLU
Czech 211 TL Caslav SAAB Gripen
Armée de l'air et de l'espace ECE 1/30 BA 118 Mont de Marsan Dassault Mirage 2000D and
Rafale
ALAT EHRA 3 BA Etain-Rouvres EC665 Tigre and SA341 Gazelle
Aeronautice Militare 12 Gruppo Gioia del Colle EF2000 Typhoon
Aeronautica Militare 21° Gruppo Grazzanise HH-101 Caesar
Luftwaffe TLG 51 Schleswig – Jagel Tornado and TLG 74 Neuburg EF2000
Hellenic Air Force 335 Mira Araxos Lockheed – Martin F-16
Hungarian 101/1 Sqn Kecskemet SAAB Gripen
Marine Nationale 4 Flottilles Lann Bihoue Grumman E-2D Hawkeye
NATO AEW&C Geilenkirchen MOB Boeing E-3A Sentry
Polish 6.ELT Poznan-Krzesiny Lockheed – Martin F-16
Portuguese Air Force Esq 301 BA5 Monte Real Lockheed – Martin F-16
Swiss Air Force Staffel 11 Meiringen AB Boeing F/A- 18
Turkish Air Force Air Force 192 Filo Balikesir Lockheed – Martin F-16
36° Stormo
The 36th Wing was born at the Bologna Borgo - Panigale airport on 1st February 1938 as a Bombardment Unit. During the Second World War, the Unit was involved in bombing operations in North Africa, the Mediterranean and the island of Malta, actions for which the Wing Flag was awarded countless decorations for Military Valor. The war actions of the Second World War, characterized by value, courage and aviation expertise allowed the Unit to be nicknamed the "Invincible Wing". From 1948 to 1966 the Unit underwent numerous transformations and reorganizations before assuming its current configuration as a fighter unit on 1 June 1966. From the 1990s to the present day, the Unit has participated in various types of war operations, including: Locusta, Deny Flight, Sharp Guard, Decisive Endeavor, Deliberate Force, Allied Force, Joint Guardian. Since 5 January 2009 the Wing has been part of the national and NATO alert service for Air Defence, also collaborating in the Unified Protector and Air Policing operations in the airspace of Iceland, Estonia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland and Romania, also ensuring, from the Gioia del Colle airport, the defence of the skies of Albania, Slovenia and Montenegro.
Wing tasks
– Ensure the Air Defence of the area of national interest by contributing to the control, since peacetime, of the relative airspace.
– carry out air defence operations in assigned areas, as part of participation in international crisis prevention and management operations.
– ensure the expected readiness and operational efficiency to carry out attack and reconnaissance operations against targets related to enemy forces and war potential, as well as combined operations in support of surface forces.
Services provided
– Air defense: 24/7, 365 days a year without interruption with Eurofighter 2000 Typhoon aircraft equipped with specific armament and pilots and specialists in sufficient numbers to satisfy logistical and operational needs;
– Force Protection: 24/7, 365 days a year, continuously defending the military installation, sensitive points, logistics and operational areas to ensure the full efficiency of weapon systems and guarantee air defense. It also contributes to national public safety operations and to support the community.
– OPS – BOC: the BOC, under the Wing Operations Office, is the branch that guarantees the management and control of the training and operational activities of the 36th Fighter Wing. Furthermore, it is the first emergency garrison in the event of accidents, collapses, explosions and other events of exceptional severity, implementing specific procedures for the type of intervention required and activating the relevant branches both inside and outside the Wing.
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