Patrouille Suisse
| Swiss Air Force Aerobatic team | |
|---|---|
| Patrouille Suisse | |
 Patrouille Suisse insignia | |
| Active | 8 August 1964 – present |
| Country |  Switzerland |
| Branch | Swiss Air Force |
| Role | Aerobaticteam |
| Size | 9 officers, 21 ground crew |
| Garrison/HQ | Emmen |
| Colors | Red, White |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Lt Col Nils Hämmerli "Jamie" |
| Aircraft flown | |
| Fighter | 6 NorthropF-5E Tiger II |
| Transport | 1Pilatus PC-6 Porter |
ThePatrouille Suisseis anaerobatic teamof theSwiss Air Force.The team flies sixNorthrop F-5E Tiger IIfighter jets.
History[edit]
The Patrouille Suisse was founded on August 22, 1964 with fourHawker Hunters.Two displays were also flown 1968 with theDassault Mirage IIIS under the name "Patrouille de Suisse Mirage". Other than those shows the Patrouille Suisse retained the Hunter. In 1970, a fifth aircraft was added to the team, followed by the sixth shortly thereafter. In 1977 a smoke system was introduced.[1]
The Patrouille Suisse flew its Hawker Hunters for the last time in 1994 and transitioned to the faster and more maneuverableNorthrop F-5E Tiger IIadding smoke systems in 1996. In April the following year, aPilatus PC-6 Portersingle-engineturboproplight aircraft was assigned as a support aircraft, painted in the team's colour scheme.[2]
In February 2013, the Swiss Minister of Defence,Ueli Maurer,stated that the Patrouille Suisse would be disbanded by early 2016 due to the withdrawal of the F-5 from service.[3]The Swiss parliament decided not to purchase 22Gripen Ereplacement aircraft. In summer of 2014, the Swiss Air Force released plans to move from six F-5Es to fourF/A-18Csby the end of 2016. To facilitate these reduced operations, fewer air displays would be flown and, as a result, the aircraft were unlikely to receive special paint.[4][5]
Swiss Air Force and the Swiss parliament planned to extend the service of eighteen F-5E and four F-5F until 2018. This would also include the continued operation of the Patrouille Suisse flying the F-5E until 2018.[6][7] A unique Flight Demonstration was performed by the Patrouille Suisse on September 7, 2014 at theAir14Air Show atPayerne Air Baseas they flew a 15-plane display with thePC-7 Team.[8]
Accidents[edit]
On June 9, 2016, two of the Northrop F-5E Tiger II's collided in mid-air, while training for theRoyal Netherlands Air ForceOpen Days airshow atLeeuwarden Air Base.One aircraft crashed in a pond nearBeetgumafter the pilot safely ejected, while the other was damaged, but landed safely.[9][10]Following investigation, errors by Patrouille Suisse pilots were found to be the cause of the crash, with prosecutors citing overconfidence as a factor.[11]
On June 15, 2023, two Patrouille Suisse aircraft made contact during a training flight for a performance at the Federal Yodeling Festival inBaar, Zug.Thenose coneof one aircraft was severed by the collision and impacted a house, breaking windows and injuring one person on the ground. Abraking parachutewas also deployed by the collision which also fell to the ground. The involved aircraft were able to land with no further incidents and without injuries to the pilots.[12]
Aircraft[edit]
The Patrouille Suisse normally operates six Northrop F-5E Tiger II aircraft out of total of twelve F-5Es that are maintained in team colours. Since 1996 ten aircraft are able to accept one of the eight smoke generators that were made byRUAG.[13]When fitted with a smoke generator, including the two 40 litres (8.8 imp gal; 11 US gal) bottles of diesel, the right gun of the F-5E is disabled.[14]
The teams F-5Es are also used for other purposes such as training and as target tugs flown by Target Squadron 12, facilitated by their high visibility colouring.[15][16]
APilatus PC-6V-622 "Felix", painted in Patrouille Suisse colours, transports the commander, announcer and the teamgroundcrew.[17][18]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^Insider (Patrouille Suisse Fanclub Newspaper) 2014 Page 9
- ^Patrouille Suisse photo gallery - official Swiss Air Force website (in German)Archived2013-06-14 at theWayback Machineretrieved 20 June 2013
- ^"20 minutes - Maurer annonce la mort de la Patrouille suisse - Suisse".20min.ch.Retrieved21 June2013.
- ^"So will Maurer die Armee noch schneller verkleinern".baz.ch/.
- ^Patrouille Suisse bei Gripen-Ja mit F/A-18Thurgauer Zeitung
- ^"Suche - Resultate".
- ^"Suche - Resultate".
- ^"HTTP Error 404".air14.ch.Retrieved10 June2016.
- ^"Straaljager neergestort bij Bitgum".lc.nl.Retrieved10 June2016.
- ^"Swiss Air Force Pilot Ejects After Formation Midair - AVweb flash Article".avweb.com.Retrieved10 June2016.
- ^"swissinfo.ch".Retrieved23 June2023.
- ^AIRLIVE (15 June 2023)."BREAKING Two aircraft of the Patrouille Suisse made contact mid-air during training".Retrieved24 June2023.
- ^"Northrop F-5E Tiger II".2 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 28 July 2016.
- ^Insider2014 (Patrouille Suisse Fanclub newspaper) 2014 Page 23
- ^"14.3575 - Zukunft der Tiger-Flotte und der Patrouille Suisse nach dem Nein zum Gripen - Curia Vista - Geschäftsdatenbank - Die Bundesversammlung - Das Schweizer Parlament".
- ^Leistungsspektrum Northrop F-5E/F Tiger IIArchived2014-05-17 at theWayback Machine
- ^"Bildgalerie Pilatus PC-6/B2-H2M Turbo-Porter".Lw.admin.ch. 29 August 2009.Retrieved21 June2013.
- ^"Geschichte".patrouille-suisse-felix.ch.Retrieved10 June2016.
External links[edit]
- Videoof oneAirbus A330and sixNorthrop F-5E Tiger IIaircraft at the Air14 airshow at Payerne.
- Official website-(in German, French, and Italian)only
- Patrouille Suisse photos
- Teambook 2016 (German /English Text)with a list of all pilots since 1964
| Authority control databases:National |
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