NATO Tigermeet, former NATO TIGER ASSOCIATION (NTA)

For more than 15 years the 1st Squadron of Fighterbomberwing 32 (GEAF) has been a member of the NATO Tiger Association. With the disbandoning of the squadron in the course of disbandoning the whole wing, the Lechfeld Tigers left the community of the NATO Tigers forever.

ORIGINS

“Although the origin of the NATO Tiger Meet is a bit fuzzy, it appears to have started with the US 79th and No 74 squadron RAF getting together for some whiskey and cheer in 1960. In 1961 the meeting was continued, with the addition of the French EC 1/12. In 1962 then Lt Mike Dugan volunteered as project officer. Li Dugan, never one to let authority corrupt fighter pilot activities, decided it should be a true “NATO Tiger Day“. He therefore sent letters directly to all the tigers for which he found an address. ...

To read the rest go to the official NTA homepage

The Tiger

Each of these squadrons had a tiger's head in their squadron crest. The tiger stands as a symbol of strength, speed and hunting prowess.

The program of the first Tiger Meet saw combined operational flying, as well as a close formation flyby of all the participating squadrons.

Following on from this success, it was decided that future Tiger Meets would be held annually.The 79th TFS continued to establish relationships with all tiger squadrons, with the result, that 8 squadrons from 6 different countries participated in the 1962 Woodbridge event.

Aims

At this second Tiger Meet, the following aims were formulated. These aims remain valid to this day:

Improvement of solidarity between NATO members
Creation and maintenance of team-spirit and cameraderie between the participating members
Exchange of experiences and cooperation in line with the military goals of NATO

Today the NATO Tiger Association consists of 26 squadrons from 14 countries, including No 11 squadron from Switzerland, which holds a special observer status for non-NATO members.

Military Benefits

The outcome and the benefits of membership in NTA and participation in Tiger Meets cover a wide variety:

The common planning, preparation and flying of missions is the overall goal for all participants.
The participants fly combined missions encompassing the entire spectrum of military operations.
Alongside low flying, emphasis is placed on air to air refueling, air combat, formation flying, combat survival training, the use of weapon ranges and so on.
The exchange of experiences between aircrews must not be underestimated. For countries that can not afford to participate in large Flag Exercises in North America, the NATO Tiger Meet is one of the few multinational exercises available.
In view of the changing world security situation, participation is becoming ever more important.

The Tiger Meets - Overview and reports on selcted Tiger Meet events

More information through the "central organ" of the NATO Tiger Association: https://natotigers.org/

A (the) Ronald Wong story about an outstanding tiger painting on the nose of an F-111E

Tiger Painter

Invitation to all Tigers visiting Sheppard AFB

Tigermeet of the Americas 2002
A small photo series of Ecki's CF-18 ride

Ecki shows the flag (scarf)

The Members of NTA

For an up-to-date and complete overview of the active and probationary members, as well as the disbanded units, and a complete list of all Tiger Meets, switch to the official homepage of the NATO Tiger Association.

https://natotigers.org/