RAF Patch Royal Air Force TTTE Tri National Tornado Training Establishment Team Tornado NATO b

RAF Patch Royal Air Force TTTE Tri National Tornado Training Establishment Team Tornado No 1 In Europe Badge RAF Cottesmore Tornado Training Early 1980s Fully embroidered on twill cut edge 83mm three and one quarter inches diameter.

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The Tri-National Tornado Training Establishment TTTE was officially activated on 29 January 1981 at RAF Cottesmore to provide initial flying training and refresher training to all Royal Air Force Luftwaffe and Italian Air Force aircrews for the new jointly developed Tornado aircraft which was coming into service.

The first RAF Tornados arrived at RAF Cottesmore on 1 July 1980 followed by the German Air Force aircraft on 2 September 1980 with the Italian Air Force Tornados joining the fleet on 5 April 1982. Flying training began on 5 January 1981. TTTE was manned by personnel of all three participating nations training 300 crews a year when fully operational and with all servicing undertaken by RAF groundcrews. TTTE was funded by all three nations.

TTTEs flying element comprised the Tornado Operational Conversion Unit TOCU split into A Squadron with a German Air Force Commander B squadron with an RAF Commander and C Squadrons commanded by an Italian Air Force Officer together with a Standards Squadron responsible for advanced training instrument rating and special tasks. No weapons training was provided by TTTE. Theory and simulator training was conducted by Ground School with a Chief Ground Instructor rotated through the three participating nations. All instruction was in English.

With the end of the Cold War and the resulting reduction of units and the need for new Tornado crews the three nations reverted to their own type training and TTTE was disbanded on 24 February 1999 with Tornado flying at RAF Cottesmore ending on 31 March 1999.

This patch dates from the early 1980s.