NATO " Tiger Meet "  Orland MAS  -  2013

The 2013 NATO Tiger Meet edition took place from 17th  to 28th of June at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Main Air Station of Ørland. This edition was the third one hosted in the Air Station after the first one in 2007 and the second one last year. Organizer unit is the 338 Squadron which flies the F-16AM and F-16BM Fighting Falcons. This unit is member of the NATO Tiger Association since 2003. It inherited the tiger spirit when the 336 Squadron disbanded, because the Royal Norwegian Air Force wouldn’t have wanted to lose effective member title in the NATO Tiger Association.  NATO Tiger Meet is an exercise between units sporting a badge of a tiger or a big cat family. The 2013 event can be considered the largest air exercise of the year in Europe with more than 70 aircraft and helicopters participating. Each day a batch of 40-60 a/c usually carry out two sorties, one in the morning and a second one in the afternoon. They fly Composite Air Operation (COMAU) in an extensive area over the see and sparsely populated areas, under the control of E-3As of the 1° AEW&CS in cooperation with the Norwegian Deployable Air Control Unit. Also involves were forces from Royal Norwegian Army (defense missile equipment) and Royal Norwegian Navy (some ships). In addition the operational aspects, in the NATO Tiger Association there is a well-established tradition over the years, which consist in conferring awards to those teams that best testify the belonging to this unique Association. There are six competitions, but the Silver Tiger Trophy is the most desirable one. It awards the overall best squadron of the edition. 

Here’s the winners of each trophy :

Trophy                                                Winner 2013                                                  Air Force

                                      Tiger Games                        6 Eskadra Lotnictwa Taktycznego                            Polish Air Force

                                Silver Tiger Trophy                Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 “Immelmann”                           Luftwaffe

                                        Best Skit                           Escadron de Chasse 1/7 “Provence”                            Armée de l’Air

                          Best Painted Tiger Aircraft           Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 “Immelmann”                          Luftwaffe

                              Best Looking Uniform               Aufklarungsgeschwader 51 “Immelmann”                          Luftwaffe

                                   Best Flying Unit                                          338 Skvadron                                   Royal Norwegian Air Force

 

The 2013 edition saw the largest participation of NATO Tiger Meet unit ever seen since the first edition in 1961 at RAF Woodbridge. 

Here folllow the NTA Members participants and aircraft involved :

a/c                                                Unit                                                   AirBase                                          Air Force

                  F-16AM/BM                                      338 skv                                                Ørland                             Royal Norwegian Air Force
                     F-16C/D                                        192°Filo                                               Balikesir                               Türk Hava Kuvvetleri
                  F-16AM/BM                                      313 sq                                                  Volkel                               Royal Netherland Air Force
                     Rafale B                                      EC05.330                                BA-118 Mont-de-Marsan                          Armée de l’Air
                     Rafale C                                      EC01.007                                              St.Dizier                                      Armée de l’Air
                  F-16AM/BM                                      31 Sqn                                             Kleine Brogel                                Belgian Air Force
                   F/A-18C/D                                 Fliegerstaffel 11                                       Meiringen                                     Swiss Air Force
             Tornado ECR/IDS                                 AG-51                                          Schleswig-Jagel                                     Luftwaffe
                   JAS-39C/D                                       211 tl.                                                  Caslav                                      Czech Air Force
                       Mi-24                                         221 LtBVr                                               Námest                                     Czech Air Force
                     F-16C/D                                          6 ELT                                         Poznan-Krzesiny                                    Polish AF
                     F-16C/D                                       335 Mira                                                 Araxos                                    Hellenic Air Force
                        E-3A                                       1° AEW&CS                                       Geilenkirchen                                 NATO AEWCF
                       EF-18°                                          Ala 15                                                 Zaragoza                                   Ejército del Aire
                  Saab 105OE                                     1° JTS                                            Linz-Hörsching                            Austrian Air Force

 

and just like observer, with a/c present for 6 days :

                      EF-2000                                            JG-74                                                  Neuburg                                          Luftwaffe

The spotter day took place Friday 21st of June with usual batch of aircraft flying sorties despite clouds and rain. Saturday, the air base was opened to the people gathered to Orland for the planned air show, but flying display was cancelled due the fog. Anyway visitors were able on taking a close look of an interesting static display with tiger colored aircraft of each unit involved in this Tiger Meet edition.

                                                                                                                                                                 Report and photo by Renzo Del Bianco 
 

Thanks to 138th Air Wing, the Commander Brigadier Tom Guttormsen and the Press Center personnel of the perfect organization and hospitality given us all through the “spotter day”.

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