The North Sea Air Combat Manoeuvring Instrumentation range (ACMI) opened in August 1990 for one air arm; this was an opportune moment.
The Swiss Air Force had been using the impressive Weapons Training Installation based at Decimomannu on Italy's Island of Sardinia for many years. These exercises were named SAKA (Sardinian Kampagne). This being the only facility outside the United States, it was bustling, as many older enthusiasts will well Know. In fact, it was so popular that NATO complained about the Swiss Air Force being given a yearly time slot when they would deploy with up to eighteen Mirages and Northrop F-5s.
By the late 1980s, NATO's demand for Air Combat Manoeuvring at Decimomannu would prevent future Swiss deployments. The Swiss Air Force quickly booked time on the newly constructed North Sea Air Combat Manoeuvering Instrumentation range (ACMI) or the "Show Ground" for you and me.
They arrived in the UK on the 16th of November 1990 for the first of twelve annual NORKA (Nordsee Kampagne) exercises. They would operate with F-5E and F-5F in the first instance, and later years saw Mirage IIIS and finally one year with their F/A-18C and Ds.
From my slide collection, I have included some of these lovely aircraft, notably the F-5E and two-seater F-5Fs, along with the Iconic Mirage 3S, not in any necessary order of appearance.
J-2308 Mirage IIIS is recovering back at RAF Waddington in the autumnal mist. Today, this aircraft is sadly scrapped.
J-3202/202 Northrop F-5F. Status is now at the Dübendorf Flieger-Flab-Museum.
J-2333 Mirage IIIS. The status is stored in a dismantled state at Sion AB.
J-3063/063 F-5E Flst 1. The status is stored at Sion and now carries both Flst1 and Flst19 marks.
Fliegersaffel 1 from Dübendorf airbase markings are noted on the nose of F-5E J-3063 as it lands at RAF Waddington.
321/212 F-5F wears the F-5 Tiger badge. Status currently active.
J-2313 Mirage IIIS. Status preserved at Buochs-Ennetbürgen.
J-3040 F-5E. Status sold to the USA. Beyond J-2309, Mirage IIIS today resides in the Österreichisches Luftahrt Museum at Graz-Thalerhof.
J-3204 F5F. Status moved from Meiringen to Emmen in 2019.
J-2322 Mirage IIIS. Sadly, it was scrapped.
J-2303 Mirage IIIS. Today, it hangs by wires from the ceiling of the MMW Militär Museum at Möriken Wildegg in the municipality of Aargau.
J-2327 Mirage IIIS. Its status is scrapped.
J-3025/025 F-5E. Status sold to the USA.
Taxiing at Waddington with Fliegerstaffel 18 marks from Payerne Airbase.
3212 F-5F completing final checks.
J-3212 cleared to line up. The good news here is that it is still active!
J-3202 F-5F is not so lucky, although preserved in the Dübendorf Flieger-Flab Museum.
J-3006 flieerstaffel 18 from Payerne airbase holds for take off at RAF Waddington.
Status sold to the USA.
J-3098 F-5E form 19 fliegerstaffel at Sion airport seen on finals for landing at FAF Waddington.
Today it is in the Flieger-Flab Museum at Dübendorf, "Pease Alps II"
J-2325 Mirage IIIS finals to land at RAF Waddington. It is seen wearing 16 Fliegerstaffel markings.
Today, it is domiciled in France at the Association of Dassault Aviation at Bordeaux-Merignac airport.
J-3075 F-5E is coming from 13 Fliegerstaffel at Payerne Airbase, having moved from Meiringen Airbase.
It was later sold to the USA.
J-2321 Mirage IIIS. Status scrapped.
J-3211 F-5F landing back at RAF Waddington. Status Active.
J-3053 F-5E was also sold to the USA.
J-3004 F-5E transferred to the US civil register as N64K, belonging to Comanche Maverick Air.
J-3075 F-5E and J-3208 F-5F depart RAF Waddington.
Status J-3075 was sold to the USA, and J-3208 is stored at Emmen.
If you managed this far, well done?
Thanks for taking the time, and I hope it or a stroll down memory lane may have been interesting.
Happy days!
