Italy Patch d Group Italian Air Force b 20 Gruppo Aeronautica Militare F 104 Starfighter

Italian Patch Air Force Aeronautica Militare AM 20 Gruppo F 104 Starfighter Conversion Unit Patch Badge 1980s TF 104 F 104 G Starfighter Embroidered on twill merrowed edge 76mm three inches diameter.

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Grosetto Caserta Air Base under 4 Stormo

At the end 1947 20 Gruppo equipped with P 47 D Thunderbolt fighter aircraft relocated from Lecce AB to Vicenza AB before moving to Treviso AB and Sant Angelo AB and then to Aviano AB where the Squadron converted to F 84F Thunderstreak fighter bombers. 20 Gruppo upgraded to F 84G Thunderstreaks in the summer of 1952 and relocated to Istrana AB where it was disbanded in October 1955.

20 Gruppo was reactivated on 26 February 1965 at Grosseto AB under 4 Stormo as the Operational Conversion Squadron for the F 104 G Starfighter taking over from the Starfighter Conversion Section at Pratica di Mare AB 20 Gruppo comprised 356 357 and 358 Flights equipped with two seat TF 104G F 104G and F 104F training all the Italian Air Force Starfighter pilots. The Squadron added F 104S Starfighters to its fleet in 1993 and in June 1994 20 Gruppo carried out the Italian Air Forces last F 104G Starfighter sortie at the Grosseto AB Open Day. TF 104 AM Starfighters joined 20 Gruppo in 1997 and deployed a detachment to Amendola AB to take part in combat maritime patrols over Montenegro and Albania as part of operations in Kosovo. 20 Gruppo disbanded in 2004 on the retirement of the last F 104 ASA Starfighter.

20 Gruppo OCU Operational Conversion Unit was reactivated in March 2004 equipped with EF 2000B twin seat Typhoon aircraft to carry out pilot conversion training to EF 2000 Typhoons.

This patch dates from 1980s