The special color Eurofighter Typhoon will attend NTM (NATO Tiger Meet) in Beja, Portugal.
The Italian Air Force has just published some images of the Eurofighter Typhoon in special color scheme the service is sending to Beja, Portugal, where NTM 2021 will be held from May 2 to 14, 2021.
NATO Tiger Meet is an annual, multinational, mid-size exercise attended by squadrons sporting Tiger (or feline) emblems. NTM is not an air show: the two-week drills include all types of air-to-air and air-to-ground and a wide variety of support missions, comprising large COMAOs (Composite Air Operations). However, the most known feature of NTM iterations is that almost all units taking part in the exercise bring with them aircraft painted in rather eye-catching tiger color schemes. If you browse through our archive, you’ll find many articles on NTM special-colored jets and helicopters.
The aircraft presented by the Italian Air Force is an F-2000A (as the single seaters are designated in Italy) assigned to the 12° Gruppo (Squadron) belonging to the 36° Stormo (Wing) from Gioia del Colle AB, in southeastern Italy. Although its insignia does not feature a Tiger but the famous prancing horse, the squadron was immediately issued a NTM Full Member status in 2002, when it was assigned the 351st Tiger flight (whose emblem is indeed a Siberian/White Tiger) after the disbandment of the 21° Gruppo, a full member of the NATO Tigers Association since the late 1960s.
The 21° Gruppo was re-activated in 2006 at Grazzanise AB and equipped with the AB.212ICO helicopters. The unit has also started to receive the new HH-101A Caesar recently and will take part in NTM 2021 too, with both types.
