Frecce Tricolori

Infobox Military Unit
unit_name= Frecce Tricolori
313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico


caption=RIAT, England, 2005
dates= 1961 to date
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role= Aerobatic display team
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garrison=Rivolto Air Force Base
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Province of Udine Italy
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identification_symbol_label=Frecce Tricolori Badge
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aircraft_fighter=1961 - 1963 CANADAIR F86e
1964 - 1981 Fiat G.91 PAN
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aircraft_trainer=1982 - date Aermacchi MB-339 PAN
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The Frecce Tricolori (Italian, literally "Tricolour Arrows"), officially known as the 313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, based at Rivolto Air Force Base, in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, province of Udine. They were formed in 1961 as an Air Force team, replacing unofficial teams that had been sponsored by various commands by the end of 1920s [ [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/SitoAM/Default.asp?idsez=3&idarg=2494&idente=246 Aeronautica Militare official site] ] .

The team flies the Aermacchi MB-339-A/PAN, a two-seat fighter-trainer craft capable of 898 km/h at sea level, with nine aircraft and a solo (the highest number of aircraft of any aerobatic team in the world) [ [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/SitoAM/Default.asp?idsez=3&idarg=2494&idente=246 Aeronautica Militare official site] ] .

The teams official name is:

"313. Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico;"

"Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori."

History

The "Frecce Tricolori" were not the first AMI aerobatics team: military aerobatics as a group began in Campoformido, home of the 1st Wing, in the late 1920s under the supervision of Col. "Rino Corso Fougier" (an Italian pioneer in aerobatic group flying). Since then, except in the Second World War period, many fighter wings gave birth to demonstration teams like "Cavallino Rampante" (Rampant Horse), "Getti Tonanti" (Thunder Jets), "Diavoli Rossi" (Red Devils), "Tigri Bianche" (White Tigers) and "Lanceri Neri" (Black Lancers). Finally, in 1961, the Air Force General Staff decided to form a single aerobatic team, the "Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale" (National Acrobatic Patrol).

During the 2000 aerobatic season they reached 50,000 flying hours on the MB-339. [ [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/SitoAM/Default.asp?idnot=12999&idsez=668&idarg=&idente=246 Aeronautica Militare official site] ]

In 2005 they won the award for best exhibition at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, England (a major military airshow) and they have obtained, for the first time for a non-Russian unit, the Silver Medal for Aeronautical Merit. [ [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/SitoAM/Default.asp?idnot=13728&idsez=1531&idarg=&idente=1398 Aeronautica Militare official site] ] [ [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/SitoAM/Images/fn13728-4.jpgAeronautica Militare official site] ]

Ramstein Airshow Disaster

On August 28, 1988, in the Ramstein airshow disaster, over 70 people lost their lives and around 500 were hospitalised due to shrapnel and burning fuel.

The accident was triggered by the mid-air collision of three Frecce Tricolori jets. The burning jets broke up and crashed into the crowd.

Gallery

ee Also

* Italian Air Force
* Ramstein airshow disaster

External links

* [http://www.aeronautica.difesa.it/sitoam/default.asp?idente=246 Frecce Tricolori on the site of Italian Air Force]
* [http://hcilab.uniud.it/pan Free simulator of the Frecce Tricolori jet]

References