Italy Patch j Radar Italian Air Force 15 CRAM Aeronautica Militare

Italian Patch Air Force Aeronautica Militare 15 CRAM 15 Centro Radar Aeronautica Militaire Air Defence F 104 Patch Badge 1978 Capo Mele Rubber on wool cut edge 100mm by 79mm four inches three and one sixteenth inches.

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Capo Mele a promontory used by the Italian Navy was identified as an Air Defence Radar site by the Italian Air Force and became operational with an American AMES 6 vehicle mounted mobile radar in July 1952 which was easily deployable and fully operational in five minutes. The radar with call sign Remo was linked to the Air Forces IV Sector Operations Centre in Milan via a radio relay on Mount Settepani. The radar system was expanded in 1953 and 1954 with AMES 6 15 radar and in 1956 when an AN FPS 8 Radar and operations room was installed as the Centro Radar di Capo Mele Capo Mele Radar Control Center CRC and redesignated the call sign to Trout. The CRC emblem crest was a trout superimposed on an F 84 Thunderjet fighter interceptor aircraft on a blue shield background to represent the call sign the Centres role for Air Defence and being part of the Air Force. CRC was redesignated The function of the Center was to aid in the interception of enemy aircraft.CRP then 15 CRAM Centro Radar Aeronautica Militare 15 Air Force Radar Centre and in 1978 the emblem was changed to include an F 104 Starfighter instead of the F 84. The radar was upgraded to as AN FPS 89S in 1979 and 15 CRAM was redesignated 15 Group Radar Aeronautica Militare 15 Gr RAM reporting air traffic information to 21 Gr RAM in Poggio Ballone Grosseto and alternating with 12 Gr RAM Mortara Pavia. On 10 April 1995 15 Gr RAM was inactivated when work began to convert the installation to a remote radar with a three dimensional RAT 31 SL radar completing in May 1997 and following testing 115 Squadriglia Radar Remota 15 Remote Radar Squadron was activated 1 June 1998 and became fully operational on 9 August 1999. The emblem changed to a trout in a stormy sea against the background of the promontory of Capo Mele with five stars in the dawn of the rising sun with the Squadron designation above.

This patch dates from 1978.