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31st Squadron (Belgium)
The 31st 'Tiger' Squadron is a strike-fighter squadron (aviation), squadron in the Belgian Air Force, Air Component of the Military of Belgium, Belgian Armed Forces. It is part of the 10th Tactical Wing and operates F-16 Fighting Falcons. They use a tiger as their squadron emblem. History The 31st Tiger Squadron starts with its history on 1 October 1951, when it was founded as a part of the exhibition together with the 23rd and 27th squadron during the 10th Tactical Wing at Beauvechain Air Base. After that, the team of the 10th Tactical Wing transferred their airbase at Chièvres Air Base, Chièvres. There, a first flight was executed for the 31st Tiger Squadron and was registered as the legendary World War II Spitfire MK XIV on 4 January 1952. The squadron became a member of the NATO Tiger Association and attended the NATO Tiger Meet 1962, 2nd Tiger Meet in 1962. They then hosted the following year's event at their home airbase of Kleine Brogel Air Base in 1963.
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Close Air Support
Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of all forces involved. CAS may be conducted using aerial bombs, glide bombs, missiles, rockets, autocannons, machine guns, and even directed-energy weapons such as lasers.''Close Air Support''. United States Department of Defense, 2014. The requirement for detailed integration because of proximity, fires or movement is the determining factor. CAS may need to be conducted during shaping operations with special forces if the mission requires detailed integration with the fire and movement of those forces. A closely related subset of air interdiction, battlefield air interdiction, denotes interdiction against units with near-term effects on friendly units, but which does not ...
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NATO Tiger Meet 1962
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental transnational military alliance of 32 member states—30 European and 2 North American. Established in the aftermath of World War II, the organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949. NATO is a collective security system: its independent member states agree to defend each other against attacks by third parties. During the Cold War, NATO operated as a check on the threat posed by the Soviet Union. The alliance remained in place after the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact, and has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa. The organization's motto is . The organization's strategic concepts include deterrence. NATO's main headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium, while NATO's military headquarters are near Mons, Belgium. The alliance ...
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Squadrons Of Belgium
Squadron(s) may refer to: Military * Squadron (army), a military unit of cavalry, tanks, or equivalent subdivided into troops or tank companies * Squadron (aviation), a military unit that consists of three or four flights with a total of 12 to 24 aircraft, depending on the type of aircraft and service * Squadron (naval), a military unit of three to ten warships that may be part of a larger task group, task force, or a naval fleet; also an administrative unit for warships like submarines that usually operate alone Media * "Squadron" (''Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures''), an episode of ''Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures'' * ''Squadron'' (TV series), a 1982 BBC television series * Squadron Supreme, a fictional superhero team appearing in Marvel Comics * '' Star Wars: Squadrons'', a video game set in the Star Wars universe that simulates spaceship combat Other uses * Daniel Squadron (born November 9, 1979), former New York elected official * Squadron, Ellenoff, Plesent & Sheinfeld ...
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International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 according to the Bonn Agreement (Afghanistan), Bonn Agreement, which outlined the establishment of a permanent Afghan government following the U.S. invasion in October 2001. ISAF's primary goal was to train the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) and assist Afghanistan in rebuilding key government institutions; it gradually took part in the broader War in Afghanistan (2001–present), war in Afghanistan against the Taliban insurgency. ISAF's initial mandate was to secure the Afghan capital of Kabul and its surrounding area against opposition forces to facilitate the formation of the Afghan Transitional Administration headed by Hamid Karzai. In 2003, NATO took command of the mission at the request of the UN and Afghan government, marking i ...
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Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran border, west, Turkmenistan to the Afghanistan–Turkmenistan border, northwest, Uzbekistan to the Afghanistan–Uzbekistan border, north, Tajikistan to the Afghanistan–Tajikistan border, northeast, and China to the Afghanistan–China border, northeast and east. Occupying of land, the country is predominantly mountainous with plains Afghan Turkestan, in the north and Sistan Basin, the southwest, which are separated by the Hindu Kush mountain range. Kabul is the country's capital and largest city. Demographics of Afghanistan, Afghanistan's population is estimated to be between 36 and 50 million. Ancient history of Afghanistan, Human habitation in Afghanistan dates to the Middle Paleolithic era. Popularly referred to as the graveyard of empire ...
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General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American single-engine supersonic Multirole combat aircraft, multirole fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force (USAF). Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful night fighter, all-weather multirole aircraft with over 4,600 built since 1976. Although no longer purchased by the U.S. Air Force, improved versions are being built for export. In 1993, General Dynamics sold its aircraft manufacturing business to the Lockheed Corporation, which became part of Lockheed Martin after a 1995 merger with Martin Marietta. The F-16's key features include a frameless bubble canopy for enhanced cockpit visibility, a side-stick, side-mounted control stick to ease control while maneuvering, an ejection seat reclined 30 degrees from vertical to reduce the effect of g-forces on the pilot, and the first use of a relaxed stability, relaxed static stability/fly-by-wire fligh ...
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Kabul International Airport
Kabul International Airport () is located in the northern part of Kabul, Afghanistan. It is one of the country's main international airports, capable of housing over a hundred military and civilian aircraft. It is currently operated by UAE-based GAAC Holding and Afghanistan's Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation. The airport was originally named as Khwaja Rawash Airport because it was built in the area named Khwaja Rawash. It was given the name Kabul Airport in 1960 after the Soviet Union built a terminal and a concrete runway. From 2014 to 2021, it was named Hamid Karzai International Airport in honor of former president Hamid Karzai. After the Taliban returned to power in 2021, the name was changed back to Kabul International Airport. Sitting at an altitude of approximately above sea level, the airport is surrounded by parts of the Hindu Kush mountains. It serves as a hub for Ariana Airlines and Kam Air. International companies such as Air Arabia, Flydubai and Turk ...
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Kleine Brogel Air Base
Kleine Brogel Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield located east of Kleine-Brogel, in the municipality of Peer, Belgium. It is home to the Belgian 10th Tactical Wing, which operates F-16 Fighting Falcons. As part of nuclear sharing it is also the home of the United States Air Force's 701st List of United States Air Force munitions squadrons, Munitions Support Squadron. As of 2023, Kleine Brogel is one of six active air bases in five European countries with B61 nuclear bombs in underground Weapon Storage Security System (WS3), WS3 Weapon Storage and Security System inside aircraft shelters. It is also the site of a popular Belgium air show, which has been hosted periodically by the Belgian Air Force. The air show has many new and also historical aircraft on display for the public. An aviation museum for Klein Brogel with many historical items was established in 2010 in the area, featuring some of the historical aircraft that operated from the base. History ...
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NATO Tiger Association
The NATO Tiger Association or the Association of Tiger Squadrons was established in 1961. Promoted by French Defence minister Pierre Messmer, its role is to promote solidarity between NATO air forces. However, it is not part of the formal NATO structure. The 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) of the United States Air Forces in Europe took the initiative and on 19 July 1961, they invited No. 74 Squadron RAF and EC (Fighter Squadron) 1/12 Cambresis of the French Armée de l'air to RAF Woodbridge in England. France was then a full military member of NATO. Capitain Michael Dugan of the 79th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS) searched for another squadrons in all European NATO air forces. He managed to find 5 new squadrons, the second meeting in 1962 with 8 squadrons participating. As of May 2025, the squadrons included in the Association are 24 full members, 9 honorary members, 1 probationary member, 8 disbanded members and 4 former members. All members of the Asso ...
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Nuclear Strike
Nuclear warfare, also known as atomic warfare, is a military conflict or prepared political strategy that deploys nuclear weaponry. Nuclear weapons are weapons of mass destruction; in contrast to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can produce destruction in a much shorter time and can have a long-lasting radiological result. A major nuclear exchange would likely have long-term effects, primarily from the fallout released, and could also lead to secondary effects, such as "nuclear winter", nuclear famine, and societal collapse. A global thermonuclear war with Cold War-era stockpiles, or even with the current smaller stockpiles, may lead to various scenarios including human extinction. To date, the only use of nuclear weapons in armed conflict occurred in 1945 with the American atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On August 6, 1945, a uranium gun-type device (code name "Little Boy") was detonated over the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, on August 9, a pl ...
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Chièvres Air Base
Chièvres Air Base , also referred to as SHAPE Airfield at Chievres Air Base, is a NATO airfield operated by the United States Air Force. It is located east southeast of the Wallonia, Walloon town of Chièvres in the province of Hainaut (province), Hainaut, Belgium and about from Headquarters, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), in Casteau. It is mainly used to provide logistic support to NATO and SHAPE. Infrastructure support is provided by the United States Army Garrison Benelux for NATO. History The first airfield at Chièvres was established in 1914 by the German Empire during their occupation of Belgium in World War I. The current airfield was built by the Belgian Army in the 1930s, and at the end of 1939, the Belgian military began converting Chièvres into a diversion airfield. It was captured during the Battle of Belgium by the invading German Wehrmacht in May 1940. German use during World War II Shortly after its capture, the airfield was turned over t ...
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Beauvechain Air Base
Beauvechain Air Base is a Belgian Air Component military airfield in Belgium, located south of Beauvechain in Wallonia (Walloon Brabant Province); east-southeast of Brussels. It is home to the 1st Wing, operating A109BA helicopters, and the Basic Flying Training School, operating SIAI Marchetti SF.260 trainer aircraft. It is used as a base for the operational helicopter squadrons, and as a training center for pilots. Beauvechain also houses the Wing Meteo and the Air Force Band. It employs 1,100, therefore being the second employer of Walloon Brabant. History Beauvechain Air Base was a pre-World War II Belgian Air Force military airfield established in 1936 as "Le Culot Airfield". It was captured during the Battle of Belgium by the invading German Wehrmacht on 10 May 1940, destroying several Hawker Hurricane and Gloster Gladiator aircraft stationed at the airfield. German use during World War II During the occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany, the facility became a major ...
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