Italian Air Force Tigers ready for NATO Tiger Meet 2022

Five Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons are ready to head to the Araxos Air Base, Greece, to participate in the NATO Tiger Meet 2022. One of them features an amazing tiger livery.

The Tigers of the Italian Air Force are ready to fly to Greece to participate in the Tiger Meet 2022 which will take place at the Araxos Air Base from 9 to 20 May 2022. Italy will be at the forefront of the exercise with five Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft belonging to the 12th Group, 36th Squadron at Gioia del Colle AFB, Southern Italy, one of which received an amazing tiger scheme to compete for the prize for the best livery. The special livery was designed by Italian Scale Models starting from a 1:72 scale model as a prototype.

The Tiger Meet is an exercise with aircraft and pilots representing different NATO forces from various countries, traditions and cultures, who all fly under the symbol of the Tiger and meet to develop and strengthen their espirit de corps, cooperation and operations.

The NATO Tiger Association was formed in 1961 to promote cooperation and solidarity between NATO squadrons with a Tiger's head in their squadron crest. While the emblem of the 12th Group does not feature a tiger, it is included in that of its subordinate unit, the 351st "White Tigers" Squadron.

The objective of the exercise is to train a new generation of pilots, prepare them for future challenges on the international scene, and encourage the integration of new skills with new weapons systems in order to facilitate the transition towards fifth-generation aircraft and strategies.

The 2022 exercise is hosted by the 335 Mira of the Hellenic Air Force, with the participation of over 60 aircraft from eight different nations.