RNLAF Patch s Royal Netherlands Air Force 313 Squadron F 16 oac

RNLAF 313 Squadron Tiger Blue Patch Netherlands NATO F 16 Royal Netherlands Air Force Flying Suit Ops 1990s F 16s Twenthe Air Base NATO Tiger Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 104mm four inches diameter

This version has a darker blue background, has bright yellow writing and is slightly bigger

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History RNLAF 313 Squadron Tiger Blue

313 Squadron was activated on 1 December 1953 at Twenthe Air Base on the renaming of the T 33 Flight of RNLAF Fighter Pilots School unofficially known as 2 Fighter Pilots School to provide conversion and advanced jet training to pilots who had completed initial training in the US or Canada. The Squadron relocated to Woensdrecht Air Base in 1958 and was disbanded in 1959.

313 Squadron was reactivated at Twenthe AB on 12 October 1972 equipped with single seat and two seat NF 5 Freedom Fighters again as the training and conversion unit for Dutch pilots who had completed initial training in the US or Canada providing Theatre Operational Conversions Courses TOCC followed by Advanced Operational Courses AOC to adjust to European operations weather and weapons usage. The Squadron emblem was a young bird above a runway indicating the Squadrons flying training role.

The Squadron received F 16 fighting Falcons in May 1988 and was retasked for multi role fighter missions. With the change to offensive tasking the Squadron adopted a new tigers head emblem and motto Scherpgetand sharply serrated. The tiger emblem allowed Dutch membership of the NATO Tiger Association in October 1990 and resulted in the Squadron hosting of the 1992 NATO Tiger Meet.  

313 Squadron received additional Training tasks from 1 April 1994 providing F 16 Tactical Qualification Training TQT, Initial Qualification Training IQT and F 16 Refresher Courses. Training tasks where handed to 306 Squadron RNLAF in November 2001 allowing 313 Squadron to concentrate on its multi role fighter operations. 313 Squadron relocated to join 311 and 312 F 16 Squadrons at Volkel AB in 2005 on the closure of Twenthe AB.

313 Squadron has been active internationally taking part in operations over former Yugoslavia Op Deny Flight 1993 1995, Decisive Endeavour 1995 1996 Deliberate Guard 1996 1998 Determined Falcon 1998 Deliberate Forge 1998 2001 and Allied Force 1999 operations over Afghanistan Enduring Freedom Kyrgyzstan 2003 and International Security and Assistance Force Kabul AB Afghanistan 2006 Kandahar AB 2008 2010 Mazar e Sharif AB 2012 2013 and Baltic Air Policing Malbork AB Poland 2014.

This patch dates from the 1990s