The Belgian Air Forces 2 Wing held an international airshow at Florennes Air Base over the weekend of the 28th and 29th of August in 1993. With aircraft types including F-104S Starfighters from the Italian Air Force, F-111s from USAF Upper Heyford, F-16s and F-18s, as well as Mirages and many more, the airshow was excellent. With great weather and a spotter/photographer's day on Friday, the 27th of August.
It still remains one of those memorable events, and the memories of the taxing Italian Air Force F-104 Starfighters stopping in front of the photographers, so close you could not even photograph them with a wide-angle lens as they waited for a leader vehicle to their parking ramp. They were followed by Portuguese Air Force A-7P Corsairs and Turkish Air Force F-16s. great memories of eyes running from the fumes of JP-8 aviation fuel.
Florennes was the home of NATO's Tactical Leadership Programme (TLP) from 1989 through to July 2009, when it moved South to Albercete, Spain. This allowed contact with the many squadrons that attended the 1993 airshow.
Looking at the photographs below, it seems impossible to believe it was thirty-three years ago this year; how time flies.
XX289/289 Hawk T1A 19 Squadron RAF. Parked in front of a GAF RF-4E from AG52 and a pair of BAF Mirage 5s, one a BR and one a BA.
The Hawk T1A XX289 passed to RAF Cosford as an Instructional Airframe.
Status: Still active.
38+74 Phantom F-4F JG 71 GAF arriving at Florennes from its home base at Hopsten.
Status: Preserved at Neuburg Museum.
ZD990/Q Hawker Siddeley Harrier T4A RAF from 20 (R) Sqn/233 OCU.
Status: Became a Harrier T8 operated by the Royal Navy. Used by the Royal Navy School of Flight Deck Operations at Culdrose. On the 15th of August 2017, it was transported by road to RAF St Athan and, in 2019, given the civil registration G-RNTB and was to undergo restoration to flying condition. The CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) has refused to allow it to be displayed in the UK.
ZD345/J Harrier GR7 from 20 Sqn RAF arrived with a second aircraft from 20 Sqn, ZD322/A Harrier GR7.
Status: ZD345 was written off in July 1999; ZD322 was bought by the US Marine Corps and is stored at MCAS Cherry Point, Naval Air Depot.
ZD322/A Harrier GR7 20 Sqn RAF, this aircraft was upgraded to a Harrier GR9A before being acquired by the US Marine Corps.
41 BR1050 Atlantic 22F French Navy.
Status: To Nimes-Garons and scrapped.
Those were the days, just look at the aircraft types on the TLP ramp at Florennes.
MM6825/36-11 F-104S from 12 Gruppo/36 Stormo Italian Air Force from Gioia del Colle Air Base in Apulia, Southern Italy.
Status: Preserved as a gate guard on a pole at Cervia, the serial number is now MM6916.
Status: Became a Jaguar GR3 with the RAF's 41 Sqn and was written off in July 2001.
654/33-CL Mirage F1CR 01.033 'Belfont' AdlA.
Status: registered with the US Civil Register as N635AX.
373/3-JV Mirage 2000D EC02.003 'Champagne' AdlA.
Status: Active and upgraded to M2000D RMV in December 2024.
XX337/K Hawk T1A 92Sqn RAF.
Status: Stored at RAF Shawbury.
87/30-ST Mirage F1C EC01.030 AdlA from Colmar/Mayenheim.
Status: To Rochefort St Agnant as an Instructional Air Frame.
6/30-SJ Mirage F1C EC01.030 "Canard Col Vert" AdlA.
Status: Last seen on the old German runway at Chateaudun, presumably scrapped.
5508 A-7P Corsair from 304 ESQ Portuguese Air Force, with 5527 A-7P behind.
Status: Both aircraft had their serials changed to 15508 and 15527. A-7. 15508, now resides at the 'Museu do Ar' at Alverca. And 27 was scrapped.
The Portuguese Air Force (Força Aérea Portuguesa) operated a mixed fleet of 44A-7ps and 6 TA-7Ps. All were upgraded to A-7P aircraft from ex-US Navy A-7As. Portugal used them in the anti-ship, air interdiction, and ground-attack roles.
94/12-KA Mirage 2000C EC02.012 'Picardie' AldA.
Status: Yet another AdlA aircraft to Rochefort St Agnant as an instructional airframe.
114 Etendart 4P 16F French Navy.
Status: Sadly, written off in December 1997.
41+55 Alpha Jet JBG 49 German Air Force.
Status: Became 98+55 before being sold to the UK as ZJ646 at RAF Boscombe Down.
58-0129/BB KC-135Q 9th SRW USAF.
Status: Still active as a KC-135T serving with the 171st ARS of the Michigan Air National Guard.
MM6701/36-13 F-104S 12 Gruppo/36 Stormo ItaF.
Status: Preserved at Capodrise.
MM6879/51-02 22 Gruppo/51 Stormo Italian Air Force.
Status: Was stored at Grazzanise Air Base.
Up close with a Legendary aircraft.
5508 A-7P 304 ESQ Força Aérea Portuguesa.
5527 A-7P 304 ESQ Força Aérea Portuguesa.
F-16 Fighting Falcons of the Turkish Air Force (Türk Hava Kuvvetleri).
90-0022 F-16D 161 Filo Turkish Air Force.
Status: Active with 182 Filo.
90-0017 F-16C 161 Filo Turkish Air Force.
Status: Active with 191 Filo.
67-0121/UH F-111E 55FS USAF.
Status: Scrapped.
68-0061/UH F-111E 55FS USAF.
Status: Scrapped.
35+26 RF-4E from AG52 German Air Force.
Status: Sold to the Turkish Air Force as 69-7473.
45+40 Tornado MFG2 German Navy.
Status: Scrapped.
C-10 F27 KLu (Koninklijke Luchtmacht).
Status: Stored at Soesterberg.
BR15 Mirage5 BR, from 42 SM Belgian Air Force: a mix of 6 Mirage 5 BR/BA were seen.
A BR15 landing with a brake chute is always lovely to see.
128 F-5A 'Freedom Fighter' from SKV336 RNorAF.
Status: Passed to Bardufoss as an instructional airframe.
594 F-5B SKV336 RNorAF.
Status: Preserved at Gardemoen in full 'Tiger Marks'.
188924 CF-18B 433Sqn RCAF.
Status: Active with 410 Sqn RCAF.
C15-70/12-28 EF-18A ALA12 EdA from Torrejon de Ardoz Air Base. C15-69/12-27 was also present.
Status: Both aircraft are still active with the EdA.
T.12B-68/37-15 CASA212 EdA coming from ALA 37 at Villanubla.
Status: Was stored at Cuatro Vientos, but is now missing.
90-0828/SP F-16C 480FS USAF.
Status: Still active with the 480th Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem, Germany.
MM6820/51-07 F-104S 22Gr/51ST ItaF, in the static park with two Belgium Air Force F-84Fs behind.
FA-28 F-16A 350SM BAF and one of the many based Falcons seen at Florennes.
Status: Today, scrapped at Rocourt Barracks.
BA53 Mirage 5BA 42SM BAF.
Status: Preserved in the Montelimar Museum.
BA44 Mirage 5BA 42SM BAF. I achieved better photographs of the Mirage 5s here than at Bierset for their farewell/retirement airshow, when the heavens opened all day.
AT12 Alpha Jet from 11SM BAF Special 'BAT' marks for 75 years of 11Squadron.
Status: Stored at Beauvechain Air Base.
CS-02 HS748 Andover 21SM BAF arriving from Brussels/Melsbroek.
Status: to the Benin Air Force as TY-22A.
FU-154 Republic F-84F Thunderstreak Belgian Air Force.
Status: Preserved.
FU-52/YL-P Republic F-84F Thunderstreak BAF: the code is fake.
Status: Preserved.
K-6/TP-25 Republic F-84E Thunderjet KLu (Koninklijke Luchtmacht).
Status: Preserved at the Florennes Spitfire museum; now re-registered as FS-7/3R-B. The code is fake.
If you got this far, I hope you enjoyed a trip down memory lane to the days when there were still multiple aircraft types to attend airshows.
Happy Days!
