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This article appeared in the Fourth Quarter 2001 issue of Code One Magazine.
NATO tiger squadrons from across Europe donned orange and black stripes and roared to Kleine Brogel Air Base in northeast Belgium last summer for the 2001 NATO Tiger Meet. This fortieth anniversary of an annual ritual attracted a litter of cats, including tiger units from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Portugal, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the host country Belgium.
Most participating units sent several aircraft with at least one painted in a tiger scheme. Aircrews coordinated with tiger-matched flight suits and other tiger-striped accessories, including tiger tails pinned appropriately. Toting furry tiger mascots, they replenished their squadron kitties by hawking a veritable pride of tiger troves, like tiger hats, tiger T-shirts, tiger posters, and even tiger whiskey, thanks to the RAF. Tigerized vehicles, both motor-powered and people-powered, also populated the ramps at the Belgian base.
An uninformed spectator might mistake this striped spectacle for a public air show. Indeed, the public “spotters” day attracted over 3,000 avia-tion enthusiasts, who crouched around the edges of the ramps with ladders, binoculars, and millions of dollars worth of camera gear to cull and capture the colorful jets, helicopters, and crews. But the aircraft put on no aerial demonstrations aside from a few flyovers. The gathering of tigers is strictly tied to real-world military training. This year, participants flew in a NATO-sponsored exercise dubbed Clean Hunter.
Clean Hunter
The assorted tiger units assembled at Kleine Brogel completed over 200 training missions during their weeklong stay. The aircraft, including helicopters, bombers, and fighters, flew both Blue and Red roles in mock air battles over an area that extended from central Poland in the east; to southern Scandinavia, the North Sea, and the UK in the north; and to northeast France and the Benelux region to the south and east. Blue forces, the outer coalition, had to gain air superiority and air supremacy over the warring Red forces of the inner coalition. NATO tigers participated as both Blue and Red forces.
Tigers Of Various Stripes
Fighting Falcons were the dominant fighters at the Tiger Meet, with the air forces of Belgium (31st Squadron from Kleine Brogel AB), Netherlands (313th Squadron from Twenthe AB), and Turkey (192nd Filo from Balikesir AB) sending multiple F-16s. Germany provided Tornados from JbG 321 at Lechfeld. The French Air Force sent Mirage F1CT and F1B from the EC 05.330 at Mont-de-Marsan and Mirage 2000Cs from the Escadron de Chasse 01.012 at Cambrai. The Mirages from Cambrai won the Silver Tiger Award for best overall participant. The Portuguese Air Force sent Alpha Jets of Esquadra 301 from Beja AB. The UK Royal Air Force sent a Puma HC1 from the No. 230 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove, the last Tiger Squadron in the RAF. The Czech Air Force, recently integrated as a NATO member, sent two Mil Mi-24V Hind helicopters of the 331 Squadron from Prevov.
Tiger Symposium And Reunion
Aside from the usual planning and debriefings associated with air-to-air exercises, tiger aircrews were treated to presentations on a variety of current and future operational topics. As part of this larger Tiger Symposium, Lockheed Martin and BAE Systems sponsored a special fighter aircraft development symposium that consisted of presentations on the Gripen, the Eurofighter, and the F-22 Raptor. A Grand NATO Tigers Reunion took place on the last weekend of the Tiger Meet. More than seventy former Tigers traveled to Kleine Brogel for the reunion from as far away as the United States. These veteran tigers observed the last day of operational flying and took part in social activities and award presentations.
Given the success of the fortieth anniversary meeting, the next Tiger Meet will have to jump through a high hoop. Esquadra 301 of the Portuguese Air Force, the host of next year’s meet, looks forward to the opportunity. Portugal plans to make NATO Tiger Meet 2002 at Beja Air Base next summer an integral part of the fiftieth anniversary celebration of its air force. Tigers, mark your calendars!
Eric Hehs is the editor of Code One.
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