NATO Tiger Meet 2025 Beja Air Base, Portugal

Author: Ian French

Photography: Paul Witty & Ian French

Since 1961 annual training events have been organised by the NATO Tiger Association. The training applies NATO standards bringing together Allied and Partner aircraft for two weeks of flying in highly sophisticated, challenging scenarios. The multinational and joint training environment further increases flying skills, strengthens international relations among squadrons and promotes the NATO Tiger Association’s traditions.

Typically each NATO member has one or more Tiger squadrons and these squadrons are invited to participate each year. In addition, the hosting of the event is rotated amongst the member squadrons. For 2025 Beja Air Base in Portugal hosted the event.

The event ran from 21st September to 3rd October 2025 and involved more than 70 aircraft and helicopters and 1,000 personnel participating in a two wave campaign of Composite Air Operations covering a wide spectrum of the modern air warfare (Defensive/Offensive Counter Air, Air Interdiction, Dynamic Targeting, TST Targeting, Suppression – Destruction of Enemy Air Defense, APCLO, APCMO).

Participants based at Beja were:

335 Mira from Araxos, Greece with F-16C & F-16D

12 Flotille from Landivisiau, France with Rafale M

EHRA 3 from Etain-Rouvres with SA342M

12 Gruppo from Gioia del Colle, Italy with F-2000A

21 Gruppo from Grazzanise, Italy with HH-101A

TLG51 from Schleswig, Germany with Tornado ECR

11 Staffel from Meiringen, Switzerland with FA-18C

142 Escuadron from Albacete, Spain with EF-2000

6elt from Poznań, Poland with F-16C

211 tl from Čáslav, Czech Republic with JAS-39C

192 Filo from Balikesir, Turkey with F-16A

814 NAS from Culdrose, England with Merlin HM2

1 AEW&C from Geilenkirchen, Germany with E-3A

Esq 301 based at Beja with F-16A & F-16B

External participants:

4 Flotille from Lorient, France with E-2C

5 RHC from Pau-Pyrénées, France with Tigre & NH90TTH

LTG62 from Wunstorf, Germany with A400M

MFG5 from Nordholz, Germany with Super Lynx Mk88A

Esq506 with KC-390, Esq552 with AW119, Esq601 with P-3C all from Beja & Esq751 with EH101, Esq 501 with C-130H & Esq Hel da Marinha with Super Lynx Mk95 all from Montijo

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