Frecce Tricolori

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico

Active	1961- Present
Role	Aerobatic Display
Garrison/HQ	Rivolto Air Force Base
Equipment	1961 - 1963 CANADAIR F86e 1964 - 1981 Fiat G.91 PAN 1982 - present Aermacchi MB-339 PAN

The Frecce Tricolori ("Three-coloured Arrows"), officially known as the 313° Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico, is the aerobatic demonstration team of the Italian Air Force, based at Rivolto Air Force Base, in the north-eastern Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, province of Udine. They were formed in 1961 as an all Air Force team, replacing a number of unofficial teams that had been sponsored by various commands by the end of 1920s^[1].

The team flies 9 aircraft and a solo (the highest number of aircraft of any aerobatic team in the world)^[2]; the team flies the Aermacchi MB-339-A/PAN, a two-seat fighter-trainer craft capable of 898 km/h at sea level.

Their official name is:

313. Gruppo Addestramento Acrobatico;

Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (PAN) Frecce Tricolori.

1 History
2 Gallery
3 External Links
4 References

[edit] History

The Frecce Tricolori were not the first AMI aerobatics team: military aerobatics as a group began in Campoformido, home of the 1st Wing, in the late 1920s under the supervision of Col. Rino Corso Fougier (an Italian pioneer in aerobatic group flying). Since then, except in the Second World War period, many fighter wings gave birth to demonstration teams like Cavallino Rampante (Rampant Horse), Getti Tonanti (Thunder Jets), Diavoli Rossi (Red Devils), Tigri Bianche (White Tigers) and Lanceri Neri (Black Lancers). Finally, in 1961, the Air Force General Staff decided to form a unique aerobatic team, the Pattuglia Acrobatica Nazionale (National Acrobatic Patrol), with the best men and aircraft available.

On August 28, 1988, the Frecce Tricolori were involved in the Ramstein airshow disaster in which over seventy people lost their lives.

During the 2000 aerobatic season they have reached the 50,000 flying hours on the MB-339.^[3]

In 2005 they won the award for best exhibition at the Royal International Air Tattoo at Fairford, England (a major military airshow) and they have obtained, for the first time for a non-russian unit, the Silver Medal for Aeronautical Merit.^[4]^[5]