RDAF Patch Royal Danish Air Force 730 Esk Squadron F 16 Maintenance b

RDAF Patch Esk 730 Birdsong Fighter Squadron Royal Danish Air Force RDAF F 16 Fighting Falcon Maintenance Area Groundcrew Skrystrup Air Base 2005 Velcro Embroidered on twill merrowed edge.

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Squadron History 1954-2013

Eskadrille Squadron 730 was established on 1 January 1954 at Flyvestation Karup with the F-84G Thunderjet and moved in September 1954 to Skrydstrup Air Base where the unit got famous nickname Birdsong a direct translation of the name of a local beer brand Fuglsang. The Squadron moved back to Karup in 1959 and returned to Skrydstrup in 1961. Esk 730 re-equipped with North American F-100 Super Sabre in 1961 in the ground attack precision bombing role.

Esk 730 was the second RDAF unit to receive the F-16 when it replaced its F-100 Super Sabre aircraft in 1982 in addition to its ground attack tasks the Squadron undertook air defence missions as backup to the Aalborg AB bases units.

In 1984 the Squadron participated for the first time in the US Red Flag exercise now regularly attended by the Squadron providing experience of large scale out of theatre deployments including air-to-air refuelling vital in allowing the Squadron to join NATOs Immediate IRF and Rapid Reaction Force RRF. Esk 730 upgraded to MLU F 16s in 2001.In 2005 the Squadron was given the additional reconnaissance task following the disbandment of Esk 726 and the concentration of all F 16s at Fighter Wing Skrydstrup AB. The Quick Reaction Alert QRA is also maintained with 4 F-16s on standby and the QRA also provides Red Air adversaries in air-to-air combat training.

Esk 730 has participated in Operation Allied Force Balkans 1999 and Operation Enduring Freedom 2002 2003 and has provided NATO Air Policing tasks in the Baltic 2004 2009 2011 and Iceland 2009 2010 with its sister unit Esk 727.

This patch dates from 2005