Genesis
For about a decade before the establishment of the 313th Acrobatic Training Group the Air Force would assign the task of establishing an aerobatic team to a different fighter squadron. The first to be entrusted with this responsibility was the 4th Wing in 1952-1953, which gave life to the ‘Prancing Horse’ team, composed of four DH.100 Vampires, the first jet aircraft in service with the Air Force.
The widespread approval and enthusiasm generated in Italy and abroad convinced the Armed Force to continue in this sector, but the role of the ‘official’ aerobatic team was handed over to the 5th Air Brigade, equipped with new F-84G Thunderjets.
Thus, a new aerobatic team was formed in 1953, initially named ‘Guizzo’ (‘Wriggle’) and then renamed the ‘Thundering Jets’ two years later. The 51st Air Brigade also flew F-84G jets and represented the Italian Air Force with the ‘White Tigers’ aerobatic team in 1955-1956.
In 1957, the ‘Prancing Horse’ team of the 4th Air Brigade, composed of four F-86E Sabre MK4 aircraft, returned to the scene. These were the first jets with smoke systems to be used by Italian aerobatic teams.
Waiting for the National Aerobatic Team
The reserve aerobatic team for 1957 was the ‘Red Devils’ of the 6th Air Brigade, a team destined to write important chapters in the Italian tradition of collective aerobatics. Equipped with the mighty F-84F Thunderstreak fighter-bomber, the team’s name which became the ‘official’ team name starting from the 1958 season, was inspired by the emblem of the 6th Air Brigade. Initially, the ‘Red Devils’ flew with a formation of four planes, which soon became six, with the last F-84F serving as a soloist to capture the audience’s attention when the formation was absent from the sky. It was with this team that the aerobatic manoeuvre the ‘bomb,’ already part of the formation repertoire, was executed for the first time in a downwards direction. In a competition reserved for NATO aerobatic teams in the Netherlands, the ‘Red Devils’ arrived in first place, beating teams from Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, the United States, and Turkey.
For the 1959 season, the Italian Air Force had three aerobatic teams: the ‘Black Lancers’ of the 2nd Air Brigade who flew first with four F-86E aircraft and later with six and who acted as the ‘official’ team. The ‘Thunder Jets’ of the 5th Air Brigade, now equipped with F-84F jets, were the ‘reserve’ team, with the ‘Red Devils’ also forming part of the line-up.
In addition to being the first Italian aerobatic team to perform in the United Kingdom, the ‘Black Lancers’ made history by flying to Iran at the invitation of the Shah of Persia. In the same year, the pilots of the ‘Red Devils’ also toured the United States.
Although the F-84F aircraft provided by the USAF had slightly less powerful turbojets, the skills of the Italian pilots made any difference imperceptible.
The ‘Thundering Jets’ also made a significant return in 1960, coinciding with the Rome Olympics, where the entire world observed and admired Italy. They flew with F-84F aircraft and sported a vibrant Olympic livery featuring the five rings on the tail. The formation consisted of six planes with the soloist separating from the formation. Prominent manoeuvres in the Thundering Jets’ programme included the double barrel roll and the ‘bomb’, which, in the tradition of the 5th Air Brigade, is performed in an upwards direction with a subsequent crossing at a very low altitude.
Complex but spectacular manoeuvres which are still part of the PAN’s repertoire today. Another return was the F-86Es of the ‘Prancing Horse’ team, which acted as reserve in 1960. In the meantime, however, based on the experiences gained and with the aim of rationalising the use of both human resources and aircraft, the Italian Air Force decided to discontinue the practice of rotating the task of forming the aerobatic team and its reserve among the various Air Brigades, and so the 313th Group in Rivolto was born.
The basis for the creation of the National Aerobatic Team
The groundwork for the creation of the PAN, the National Aerobatic Team, was laid on 1st March 1961, at the Rivolto air base, where the Air Force General Staff established the Special Aerobatic Unit, which then became the 313th Acrobatic Training Group on 1st July. The aim of the Armed Forces was to perfect the specific training of pilots while preserving their valuable experiences.
This newly formed unit, called the Special Unit, was established at Rivolto, just a few kilometres from the Campoformido area, where the first aerobatic teams were born in the late 1920s. The core around which the unit developed was the team of the 4th Air Brigade, already designated as the ‘official’ team for 1961. In fact, on 1st March, the first six assigned pilots arrived in Rivolto, all with the emblem of the ‘Prancing Horse’ on their tail.
The aircraft used were the CL.13 Sabre Mk.4, the Canadian-licensed version of the North American F-86E, which had already been used by the ‘Prancing Horse’ and ‘Black Lancers’ teams.
More pilots and planes arrived, and on 1st May, the team called the ‘National Aerobatic Team’ was ready for its first official appearance at Trento airport.
On 1st July, the unit officially became the 313th Aerobatic Training Group.
For the 1961 season, the F-86E aircraft flew in formations of six. They were equipped with smoke systems, and they had a dark blue fuselage with a large blue diamond containing a black arrow on the tail. This livery was replaced for the 1962 season with today’s more familiar colour scheme, with the unmistakable three green, white, and red arrows on the fuselage and the sequential number in yellow on the tail.
The team had now acquired its identity and the ‘Frecce Tricolori’ aerobatic team was born.
The PAN expands
Meanwhile, the line-up expanded, and the PAN began performing with 9 aircraft.
On 28th December 1963, for the first time since the end of World War II, an Italian aerobatic team was equipped with a combat aircraft of national design and production: the G.91PAN, a version specially modified for the aerobatic training of the Fiat G.91 light tactical fighter.
With the new aircraft, the Frecce Tricolori developed two distinct flight programmes for high and low altitudes, the latter which served in case of adverse weather conditions. These programmes included such famed moves like the cardioid, double roll, Arizona, bomb, and Apollo 313.
Despite the aerodynamic configuration not being very different from that of the Sabre, the performance with the G.91PAN was more aggressive and took place in smaller spaces for the benefit of the audience.
Fast but highly manoeuvrable, as fits a light tactical fighter, the ‘ninety-one’ rendered the performance of the Frecce Tricolori an extraordinary event and a source of renewed pride for the Italian aerospace industry.
Over the course of 18 years with the 313th, hundreds of thousands of people in Italy and abroad have been fortunate enough to witness the G.91 aircraft of the Frecce Tricolori in their customary formation of 9+1, with the tenth aircraft serving as a soloist, a ‘figure’ introduced in the 1966 season.
The PAN with the MB.339
The 1981 season marked the final year of the National Aerobatic Team with the G.91. The Italian Air Force replaced it with the Aermacchi MB.339, once again an Italian-made aircraft, which had recently entered service.
In its PAN configuration, the MB.339 is essentially the training variant of the ‘three-three-nine’ but equipped with a smoke system, which, like the one installed on the G.91 PAN, is supplied by two tanks mounted benath the wings.
The first MB.339 PAN was delivered on 6th January 1982, but the actual transition occurred on 27th April when an unprecedented formation consisting of four G.91s and five MB.339s flew over the Rivolto base.
Following initial flights in reduced formations, the Frecce Tricolori resumed performing in their full 9+1 formation during the 1982 season.
Compared to the G.91, the MB.339 PAN is a more agile and user-friendly aircraft, allowing the formation to engage more closely with the audience. This allows spectators on the ground to appreciate not only the professional and technical aspects of each spectacular manoeuvre but also the harmonic coordination tailored to the performance and characteristics of the MB.339 aircraft.
The PAN worldwide
In 1992, the Frecce Tricolori flew over Niagara Falls during a long tour of the United States, commemorating the five hundred years since the discovery of America.
In 1995, the Frecce Tricolori made their first appearance in Eastern Europe.
In 2003, the team appeared for the first time in Russia, at Zhukovsky Airport (Moscow), while in 2004, the Frecce Tricolori became the first aerobatic team to perform in Beirut after the war.
In 2005, they won the ‘King Hussein Memorial Sword’ trophy for the best display at the Fairford Air Tattoo in Great Britain.
In 1995, 2001 and 2002, the Frecce Tricolori were invited to several Arab countries, including Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Syria, and Oman.
The PAN and Sport
During the Winter Olympics in Turin, the PAN executed a spectacular display in the skies of Rivolto, creating the iconic five Olympic circles emphasised by three colour smoke trails. The resulting video footage was used by RAI (the Italian public broadcasting company) to promote the event.
The formation of the figure required special training, as the pilots executed a manoeuvre at an altitude of approximately 1,800 metres at a speed of about 150 knots with flaps extended to allow greater aircraft manoeuvrability.
On 10th July of the same year, at Pratica di Mare, the PAN welcomed home the victorious national football team, celebrating their World Cup win in Germany.
In 2008 the PAN was awarded the ‘Premio Leonardo’ for lifetime achievement in the promotion of national image. On 1st September 2009 the Frecce Tricolori performed for the first time in Tripoli, Libya, and in mid-November, they appeared at the Dubai Aerospace Exhibition.
A Record Team and NAT2024
A grand ceremony on the 18th and 19th September 2021 marked the 60th anniversary of the National Aerobatic Team: two days of performances, four foreign aerobatic teams, numerous historical aircraft, and the main assets of the Italian Air Force on display, both on the ground and in the air, celebrated this significant milestone. A much-anticipated event that was delayed for over a year due to the Covid-19 emergency. It took place at the Rivolto airbase in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, home to the 2nd Wing and the ‘home’ of the Frecce Tricolori.
However, like all events and public demonstrations during that period, this anniversary celebration had to contend with restrictions imposed by the ongoing Covid-19 emergency Only eight thousand people, that included the general public, professionals, and authorities, were able to attend the event on each of the two days.
On 18th June 2022, the PAN entered the book of ‘GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS’ with the most jet aircraft in a military aerobatic display.
The Frecce Tricolori returned to North America after over 30 years from the “Columbus” mission for the North America Tour ’24 that touched the skies of Canada and the United States.
MB.339PAN
The MB.339A is an aircraft that has proven to be highly suitable for the exhibition exploits of the Frecce Tricolori, who use it in the PAN variant which is equipped with a smoke system. In its classic configuration, it is mainly used for training and liaison, but it can also be used for close air support missions.
313th Aerobatic Training Group
This is the official name of the unit established on 1st March 1961 at the Rivolto military base, inheriting a long tradition of all-Italian collective aerobatics dating back to 1929.
The military airport of Rivolto has a long history dating back to the early days of aerobatics. It is where, in March 1961, the first pilots of the Frecce Tricolori were welcomed and is now inextricably linked to the name of the National Aerobatic Team.
Today, it is also the home of the 2nd Wing and is undoubtedly one of the most well-known and visited places in the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region.
The dedicated personnel who work there are committed to its constant improvement and to making it as welcoming as possible. One cannot claim to truly know the PAN without having visited this small but important corner of the Italian Air Force.
