The exercise involving the Armed Forces of over 10 countries took place in Gioia del Colle. 35 years after the last time, next October our country will host the exercise which will see around 80 aircraft from over 10 countries redeployed at Gioia del Colle Airport, home of the 36th Fighter Wing of the Air Force Military
The 2 edition of the “NATO Tiger Meet”, one of the most important and complex international exercises that aims to refine cooperation and facilitate the sharing of training experiences between the Armed Forces of the Allied Countries.
The "NATO Tiger Meet” – which every year since 1960 has brought together the Flight Groups of the various Armed Forces whose coat of arms features a “tiger” – took place for the first time in Italy fifty years ago (1973) at the Cameri base, and then returned there in 1980 and 1988. Thirty-five years later, Italy will host this important international training meeting again, also in conjunction with the celebrations for the Centenary of the Air Force, established as an autonomous armed force in 1923.
The Gioia del Colle (BA) air base, home of the 36 ° Stormo "Hunting", will be the meeting place for pilots and flight crews from over 10 NATO countries and its partners, who will exercise - with operations that will affect the airspace of Puglia, Calabria and Basilicata - to perfect the interoperability of the assets in defense and air interdiction missions, support for troops on the ground (Close Air Support – CAS) or search and recovery of personnel in a hostile environment (Personnel Recovery – PR). This training, which in jargon is called Large Force Employment (LFE), will involve around 70 fixed-wing and 10 rotary-wing aircraft, coming from over 10 nations, many of which with special liveries dedicated specifically to the Tiger Meet. In addition to Air Force units, Navy assets will also be used in the exercise.
In Italy there are two members of the NATO Tiger Meet Association, both from the Air Force. The 12th Flight Group of the 36th "Fighting" Wing - heir since 2001 of the "White Tigers" Squadron of the 21st "Fighting" Group - in 2021 won the prestigious "Silver Tiger Trophy", an award given to the Flight Group which stands out most during the exercise. The 21st Flight Group of the 9th Wing of Grazzanise (CE), however, which became part of the then NATO Tiger Club in 1968, was awarded the "Silver Tiger Trophy" both in 1998 and in 2015, while in 2021 it was awarded the equally prestigious award as the best helicopter group participating in the exercise.