21°Gruppo team of 53°Stormo posing at the Tiger Meet at Beja AB, Portugal May 1996

During 1963 the 21°Gruppo moved on to the F-104G and was transferred to Cameri AB, where it became part of the 53°Stormo during 1967
as the “All Weather Fighter Interceptor Squadron”. 1968 it reached the status of NATO Tiger club member,
the allied squadrons’ prestigious association linked by the tiger emblem heraldry,
that meets once a year during the exercise named “Tiger Meet”.
In 1971, the first F-104G flew with the unit and from 1989 to 1996 the 21°Gruppo operated with the F-104S ASA,
flying over 82.000 hours on the “Starfighter”. During 1996 it began the transition onto the Tornado ADV which ended in 1997.
The following year the 21st Squadron won the prestigious “Silver Tiger” trophy at Lechfeld’s Tiger Meet.
From October 1998 to July 1999 the unit was temporarily deployed to Gioia del Colle airbase to participate in
NATO operations “Deliberate Force” over Bosnia and with allied forces in Kosovo.
Within this last operation the 21°Gruppo flew numerous combat missions over Balkan skies to protect NATO air forces during air strikes over Serbia.
On the 29th of July 1999, the unit moved to Gioia del Colle airbase becoming part of 36°Stormo.
On the 1st of March 2001, the unit reached “Quadro” status, but on the 23rd of March 2006 the 21°Gruppo was reactivated
with the 387th and 388th Flights at Grazzanise Airbase, flying the Agusta Bell AB-212 helicopters.

copyright © Riccardo Niccoli