{"id":31163314,"date":"2026-11-04T10:02:56","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:02:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/"},"modified":"2026-11-04T10:03:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T09:03:21","slug":"patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid #0F1720;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;font-family:inherit;font-size:14px;font-weight:700;line-height:1;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;transition:background .15s,color .15s}\r\n.mfsh-trigger:hover,.mfsh-trigger:focus-visible{background:#0F1720;color:#fff;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-trigger svg{width:18px;height:18px;display:block;flex-shrink:0}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-bottom{margin:8px 0 28px}\r\n.mfsh-meta{position:relative;padding-right:190px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta{position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0;height:30px;padding:0 8.9px;font-size:13px}\r\n.mfsh-trigger.mfsh-inmeta svg{width:16px;height:16px}\r\n.mfsh-overlay{position:fixed;inset:0;background:rgba(15,23,32,.55);z-index:99999;display:flex;align-items:flex-end;justify-content:center;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open{opacity:1;pointer-events:auto}\r\n.mfsh-sheet{width:100%;max-width:520px;background:#fff;color:#0F1720;padding:18px 20px 28px;transform:translateY(24px);transition:transform .22s;box-shadow:0 12px 32px rgba(15,23,32,.25);font-family:inherit;max-height:92vh;overflow:auto;-webkit-overflow-scrolling:touch}\r\n.mfsh-overlay.mfsh-open .mfsh-sheet{transform:none}\r\n@media (min-width:640px){.mfsh-overlay{align-items:center}.mfsh-sheet{padding-bottom:20px}}\r\n.mfsh-head{display:flex;align-items:center;justify-content:space-between;margin:0 0 14px}\r\n.mfsh-head strong{font-size:18px;font-weight:800;display:flex;align-items:center;gap:8px;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-head strong svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-close{background:none;border:0;padding:6px;margin:0;cursor:pointer;color:#0F1720;line-height:0;box-shadow:none}\r\n.mfsh-close svg{width:18px;height:18px}\r\n.mfsh-preview{display:grid;grid-template-columns:96px 1fr;gap:12px;border:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:#F5F7FB;padding:10px;margin:0 0 12px;align-items:center}\r\n.mfsh-preview img{width:96px;height:72px;object-fit:cover;display:block;margin:0}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-kicker{font-size:10px;font-weight:700;letter-spacing:.14em;text-transform:uppercase;color:#5C91FF;margin:0 0 4px;line-height:1.2}\r\n.mfsh-preview .mfsh-title{font-size:14px;line-height:1.3;font-weight:700;margin:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-list{display:grid;margin:0;padding:0}\r\n.mfsh-item{display:flex;align-items:center;gap:14px;height:50px;width:100%;border:0;border-top:1px solid #DCE3EE;background:none;padding:0 4px;margin:0;text-align:left;font-family:inherit;font-size:15px;font-weight:600;color:#0F1720;cursor:pointer;box-shadow:none;letter-spacing:0;text-transform:none;line-height:1}\r\n.mfsh-item:hover,.mfsh-item:focus-visible{background:#F5F7FB;outline:none}\r\n.mfsh-item svg{width:20px;height:20px;color:#5C91FF;flex-shrink:0;display:block}\r\n.mfsh-item small{margin-left:auto;color:#5B6674;font-weight:500;font-size:12px}\r\n.mfsh-item.mfsh-done svg{color:#1E9E5A}\r\n.mfsh-toast{position:fixed;left:50%;bottom:32px;transform:translate(-50%,10px);background:#0F1720;color:#fff;padding:10px 16px;font-weight:700;font-size:13px;font-family:inherit;opacity:0;pointer-events:none;transition:opacity .2s,transform .2s;z-index:100000}\r\n.mfsh-toast.mfsh-show{opacity:1;transform:translate(-50%,0)}\r\n@media (prefers-reduced-motion:reduce){.mfsh-overlay,.mfsh-sheet,.mfsh-toast,.mfsh-trigger{transition:none}}\r\n<\/style>\r\n<svg width=\"0\" height=\"0\" style=\"position:absolute\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-share\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M12 3v12M8 7l4-4 4 4M5 12v8h14v-8\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-close\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"2\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"m5 5 14 14M19 5 5 19\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-wa\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M12 2a10 10 0 0 0-8.6 15.1L2 22l5.1-1.3A10 10 0 1 0 12 2Zm0 1.8a8.2 8.2 0 1 1-4.2 15.3l-.3-.2-3 .8.8-2.9-.2-.3A8.2 8.2 0 0 1 12 3.8Zm-3 4.4c-.2 0-.5 0-.8.4-.3.3-1 1-1 2.4s1 2.8 1.2 3c.1.2 2 3.2 5 4.4 2.5 1 3 .8 3.5.7.5 0 1.7-.7 2-1.4.2-.7.2-1.3.1-1.4l-.5-.3-2-1c-.3 0-.5-.1-.7.2l-.9 1.1c-.2.2-.3.2-.6.1-.3-.2-1.3-.5-2.4-1.5-.9-.8-1.5-1.8-1.7-2-.2-.4 0-.5.2-.7l.4-.5.3-.5v-.5l-.9-2.2c-.2-.5-.4-.5-.6-.5H9Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-x\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M17.8 3h3l-6.7 7.7L22 21h-6.2l-4.8-6.3L5.4 21h-3l7.2-8.2L2 3h6.3l4.4 5.8L17.8 3Zm-1.1 16.2h1.7L7.4 4.7H5.6l11.1 14.5Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-fb\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M13.5 22v-8h2.7l.4-3.2h-3.1V8.8c0-.9.3-1.6 1.6-1.6h1.7V4.4c-.3 0-1.3-.1-2.5-.1-2.5 0-4.1 1.5-4.1 4.2v2.3H7.4V14h2.8v8h3.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-li\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M6.5 8.5H3V21h3.5V8.5ZM4.8 3a2 2 0 1 0 0 4 2 2 0 0 0 0-4ZM21 13.4c0-3.4-1.8-5.2-4.5-5.2-1.6 0-2.7.8-3.2 1.7V8.5H9.9V21h3.4v-6.4c0-1.7.6-2.8 2.1-2.8 1.4 0 2 1 2 2.8V21H21v-7.6Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-rd\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M22 12.1a2.4 2.4 0 0 0-4.1-1.7 11.7 11.7 0 0 0-5.5-1.7l1-4.5 3.1.7a1.7 1.7 0 1 0 .2-1l-3.6-.8a.5.5 0 0 0-.6.4l-1.1 5.2a11.8 11.8 0 0 0-5.8 1.7A2.4 2.4 0 1 0 3 14.3v.5c0 3.4 4 6.2 9 6.2s9-2.8 9-6.2v-.5a2.4 2.4 0 0 0 1-2.2ZM7.5 13.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 3.4 0 1.7 1.7 0 0 1-3.4 0Zm8.9 4.5c-1.2 1.2-3.4 1.3-4.4 1.3s-3.3-.1-4.4-1.3a.5.5 0 0 1 .7-.7c.7.8 2.4 1 3.7 1s2.9-.2 3.7-1a.5.5 0 0 1 .7.7Zm-.6-2.8a1.7 1.7 0 1 1 0-3.4 1.7 1.7 0 0 1 0 3.4Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-tg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"currentColor\" d=\"M21.9 4.6 18.7 19.9c-.2 1-.9 1.3-1.7.8l-4.9-3.6-2.3 2.3c-.3.3-.5.5-1 .5l.4-5 9-8.2c.4-.3-.1-.5-.6-.2L6.4 13.5 1.6 12c-1-.3-1.1-1 .2-1.5l18.8-7.2c.9-.3 1.6.2 1.3 1.3Z\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-mail\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"M3 6h18v12H3z\"\/><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.8\" d=\"m3 7 9 6 9-6\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-link\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><path fill=\"none\" stroke=\"currentColor\" stroke-width=\"1.9\" stroke-linecap=\"square\" d=\"M10 14a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 0l3-3a4 4 0 0 0-5.7-5.7l-1.5 1.5M14 10a4 4 0 0 0-5.7 0l-3 3a4 4 0 0 0 5.7 5.7l1.5-1.5\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n  <symbol id=\"mfsh-i-more\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\"><circle cx=\"5\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"12\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><circle cx=\"19\" cy=\"12\" r=\"2\" fill=\"currentColor\"\/><\/symbol>\r\n<\/svg>\r\n<span class=\"mfsh-top-slot\"><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger\" data-mfsh-placement=\"top\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button><\/span>\r\n<script>\r\n(function(){\r\n  if (window.__mfsh) return; window.__mfsh = true;\r\n  var SECTION = 'afterburner';\r\n  function meta(p){ var m=document.querySelector('meta[property=\"'+p+'\"]'); return m ? m.getAttribute('content') : ''; }\r\n  function pageUrl(){ var c=document.querySelector('link[rel=\"canonical\"]'); return (c && c.href) || (location.origin + location.pathname); }\r\n  function pageTitle(){ var h=document.querySelector('h1.entry-title'); return (h && h.textContent.trim()) || meta('og:title') || document.title; }\r\n  function slug(){ return location.pathname.replace(\/\\\/+$\/,'').split('\/').pop() || 'home'; }\r\n  function kicker(){ var c=document.querySelector('.et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category tag\"], .et_pb_title_container a[rel=\"category\"], a[rel=\"category tag\"]'); return 'Afterburner' + (c && c.textContent.trim() ? ' \u00b7 ' + c.textContent.trim() : ''); }\r\n  function shareUrl(ch, placement){ return pageUrl() + '?utm_source=share&utm_medium=' + ch + '&utm_campaign=' + SECTION + '&utm_content=sheet_' + placement; }\r\n  function track(ch, placement, extra){\r\n    window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || [];\r\n    var ev = { event:'share', share_channel:ch, share_variant:'sheet', share_placement:placement, page_section:SECTION, content_id:slug() };\r\n    if (extra) for (var k in extra) ev[k]=extra[k];\r\n    window.dataLayer.push(ev);\r\n  }\r\n  var CH = [\r\n    ['whatsapp','WhatsApp','mfsh-i-wa',''],\r\n    ['x','X','mfsh-i-x',''],\r\n    ['facebook','Facebook','mfsh-i-fb',''],\r\n    ['linkedin','LinkedIn','mfsh-i-li',''],\r\n    ['reddit','Reddit','mfsh-i-rd','r\/aviation, r\/WarplanePorn'],\r\n    ['telegram','Telegram','mfsh-i-tg',''],\r\n    ['email','Email','mfsh-i-mail',''],\r\n    ['copy','Copy link','mfsh-i-link',''],\r\n    ['native','More','mfsh-i-more','Instagram, Signal, AirDrop']\r\n  ];\r\n  var overlay, toastEl, toastT, placement = 'top';\r\n  function build(){\r\n    overlay = document.createElement('div'); overlay.className = 'mfsh-overlay'; overlay.setAttribute('role','dialog'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-modal','true'); overlay.setAttribute('aria-label','Share');\r\n    var img = meta('og:image');\r\n    var items = CH.filter(function(c){ return c[0] !== 'native' || !!navigator.share; }).map(function(c){\r\n      return '<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-item\" data-mfsh-ch=\"'+c[0]+'\"><svg><use href=\"#'+c[2]+'\"\/><\/svg>'+c[1]+(c[3]?'<small>'+c[3]+'<\/small>':'')+'<\/button>';\r\n    }).join('');\r\n    overlay.innerHTML = '<div class=\"mfsh-sheet\"><div class=\"mfsh-head\"><strong><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share<\/strong><button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-close\" aria-label=\"Close\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-close\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-preview\">' + (img ? '<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"'+img+'\" alt=\"\">' : '<span><\/span>') + '<div><div class=\"mfsh-kicker\">'+kicker()+'<\/div><span class=\"mfsh-title\">'+pageTitle()+'<\/span><\/div><\/div>'\r\n      + '<div class=\"mfsh-list\">'+items+'<\/div><\/div>';\r\n    document.body.appendChild(overlay);\r\n    toastEl = document.createElement('div'); toastEl.className = 'mfsh-toast'; document.body.appendChild(toastEl);\r\n    overlay.addEventListener('click', function(e){\r\n      if (e.target === overlay || e.target.closest('.mfsh-close')) { close(); return; }\r\n      var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-item'); if (b) act(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-ch'), b);\r\n    });\r\n    document.addEventListener('keydown', function(e){ if (e.key === 'Escape') close(); });\r\n  }\r\n  function open(p){ placement = p || 'top'; if (!overlay) build(); overlay.classList.add('mfsh-open'); track('open', placement); }\r\n  function close(){ if (overlay) overlay.classList.remove('mfsh-open'); }\r\n  function toast(m){ toastEl.textContent = m; toastEl.classList.add('mfsh-show'); clearTimeout(toastT); toastT = setTimeout(function(){ toastEl.classList.remove('mfsh-show'); }, 1600); }\r\n  function act(ch, btn){\r\n    var url = shareUrl(ch, placement), t = pageTitle(), enc = encodeURIComponent;\r\n    if (ch === 'copy') {\r\n      var done = function(){ toast('Link copied'); btn.classList.add('mfsh-done'); setTimeout(function(){ btn.classList.remove('mfsh-done'); close(); }, 900); };\r\n      track(ch, placement);\r\n      if (navigator.clipboard && navigator.clipboard.writeText) navigator.clipboard.writeText(url).then(done, done); else done();\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    if (ch === 'native') {\r\n      track(ch, placement, { share_result:'opened' });\r\n      navigator.share({ title:t, text:t, url:url }).then(function(){ track('native', placement, { share_result:'completed' }); close(); }).catch(function(){});\r\n      return;\r\n    }\r\n    var target = {\r\n      whatsapp: 'https:\/\/api.whatsapp.com\/send?text=' + enc(t + ' ' + url),\r\n      x:        'https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=' + enc(t) + '&url=' + enc(url) + '&via=MiGFlug',\r\n      facebook: 'https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=' + enc(url),\r\n      linkedin: 'https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/sharing\/share-offsite\/?url=' + enc(url),\r\n      reddit:   'https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/submit?url=' + enc(url) + '&title=' + enc(t),\r\n      telegram: 'https:\/\/t.me\/share\/url?url=' + enc(url) + '&text=' + enc(t),\r\n      email:    'mailto:?subject=' + enc(t) + '&body=' + enc('Thought you would like this, from Afterburner, MiGFlug\\'s magazine:\\n' + t + '\\n' + url)\r\n    }[ch];\r\n    track(ch, placement);\r\n    if (target) { if (ch === 'email') location.href = target; else window.open(target, '_blank', 'noopener,width=680,height=560'); }\r\n    close();\r\n  }\r\n  var mq = window.matchMedia('(min-width:981px)');\r\n  function place(){\r\n    var t = document.querySelector('.mfsh-trigger[data-mfsh-placement=\"top\"]'), slot = document.querySelector('.mfsh-top-slot');\r\n    var meta = [].slice.call(document.querySelectorAll('.et_pb_title_meta_container, .et_post_meta_wrapper .post-meta, .single .post-meta')).filter(function(m){ return m.offsetParent !== null; })[0];\r\n    if (!t || !slot) return;\r\n    if (meta && mq.matches) { meta.classList.add('mfsh-meta'); t.classList.add('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== meta) meta.appendChild(t); var a = meta.querySelector('a'); if (a) { var pr = document.createElement('span'); pr.style.cssText = 'display:inline-block;width:0;height:0;vertical-align:baseline'; a.appendChild(pr); var base = pr.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; pr.remove(); var fs = parseFloat(getComputedStyle(a).fontSize) || 14, mb = meta.getBoundingClientRect().bottom; t.style.bottom = Math.max(0, mb - (base + fs * 0.12)) + 'px'; } }\r\n    else { t.classList.remove('mfsh-inmeta'); if (t.parentNode !== slot) slot.appendChild(t); }\r\n  }\r\n  if (document.readyState === 'loading') document.addEventListener('DOMContentLoaded', place); else place(); window.addEventListener('load', place); if (document.fonts && document.fonts.ready) document.fonts.ready.then(place); window.addEventListener('resize', place);\r\n  if (mq.addEventListener) mq.addEventListener('change', place); else mq.addListener(place);\r\n  document.addEventListener('click', function(e){ var b = e.target.closest('.mfsh-trigger'); if (b) { e.preventDefault(); open(b.getAttribute('data-mfsh-placement') || 'top'); } });\r\n})();\r\n<\/script><!-- \/mfsh:top -->\r\n<p>Somewhere over a Swiss valley, six red-and-white jets roll in tight formation, close enough for the pilots to read each other&#8217;s helmet visors, with the Alps filling the canopy. For more than six decades that picture has meant one thing to the Swiss: the <strong>Patrouille Suisse<\/strong>.<\/p>\r\n<p>Founded on 22 August 1964 with four Hawker Hunters, the Swiss Air Force&#8217;s flagship display team has flown two very different jets, survived several attempts to shut it down and become something close to a national treasure. Now, as things stand, its jet era ends with the retirement of the F-5 Tiger at the end of 2027. Here is the story of the team, from silver Hunters to red Tigers.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>Team:<\/strong> Patrouille Suisse, Swiss Air Force display team<\/li><li><strong>Founded:<\/strong> 22 August 1964<\/li><li><strong>First aircraft:<\/strong> Hawker Hunter F58 (until 1994)<\/li><li><strong>Current aircraft:<\/strong> Northrop F-5E Tiger II (since 1995)<\/li><li><strong>Formation:<\/strong> Four aircraft at first, six since the late 1970s<\/li><li><strong>Smoke:<\/strong> Introduced on the Hunters in 1977<\/li><li><strong>Home base:<\/strong> D&uuml;bendorf in the Hunter era, Emmen in the Tiger era<\/li><li><strong>Jet era ends:<\/strong> F-5 Tiger retirement planned for the end of 2027<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Born With the Hawker Hunter, 1964<\/h2>\r\n<p>The team was formed in 1964, the year of the Expo 64 national exhibition in Lausanne and the 50th anniversary of the Swiss Air Force. Four <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/hawker-hunter\/\">Hawker Hunters<\/a> flew those first jubilee shows, and a name stuck that has never changed since.<\/p>\r\n<p>The Hunter was a perfect partner: a beautiful, stable, forgiving British fighter that Switzerland flew as the F58. In 1968 the team briefly tried something else, flying two displays on the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/mirage-iii\/\">Dassault Mirage III<\/a> under the name &#8220;Patrouille de Suisse Mirage&#8221;, but it went back to the Hunter. A fifth aircraft joined in 1970 and the formation grew to six by the end of the decade. Smoke arrived in 1977, and with it the long white trails the team is still known for.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-hawker-hunter-f58-greenham-common-1981.jpg\" alt=\"Three Patrouille Suisse Hawker Hunter F58s at Greenham Common in 1981\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">Patrouille Suisse Hunter F58s at Greenham Common in England, June 1981, in the natural metal and camouflage of the era. Photo: Simon Butler \/ CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>In the Hunter years the team was based at D&uuml;bendorf near Zurich and its jets looked much like any other Swiss Hunter. Only in 1991, for the 700th anniversary of the Swiss Confederation, did some of them get red undersides and bold red-and-white markings. This footage from 1992 shows the Hunter team in action, two years before the end:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NGmWLgLjY74\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Farewell to the Hunter, 1994<\/h2>\r\n<p>Switzerland retired its Hunters in 1994, and the team flew its last Hunter display on 25 September 1994 at Nancy in France. Fredy Ramseier, according to the German-language Wikipedia, was the only team leader to lead the Patrouille Suisse on both the Hunter and its successor.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-hawker-hunter-f58-fairford-1991.jpg\" alt=\"Patrouille Suisse Hawker Hunter F58 formation at Fairford in 1991\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">The Hunter team at Fairford in July 1991, with three jets in the red-and-white anniversary markings. Photo: Simon Butler \/ CC BY 2.0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>British airshow crowds knew the Hunters well. Here is the team at the Royal International Air Tattoo in 1993, one of its last seasons on the type:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/F9d3vLkmCuE\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Red Tigers of Emmen<\/h2>\r\n<p>From 1995 the team moved to the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/northrop-f-5\/\">Northrop F-5E Tiger II<\/a>, based at Emmen, and the jets were painted all over in the red and white of the Swiss flag. The Tigers flew their first season without smoke; generators were fitted from 1996. Since 1997 a <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/pilatus-pc-6-porter\/\">Pilatus PC-6 Porter<\/a> in team colours has carried the commander, the commentator and ground crew around the airshow circuit.<\/p>\r\n<p>The pilots are professional military pilots who also fly operational squadron duties, and new members are chosen by the team itself. In 2014 the Patrouille Suisse celebrated its 50th anniversary, and at the Air14 show at Payerne it flew a 15-aircraft display together with the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/pc-7-turbo-trainer\/\">PC-7<\/a> Team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-j-3082-riat-2014.jpg\" alt=\"Patrouille Suisse F-5E Tiger II J-3082 arriving at RIAT Fairford 2014\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">F-5E Tiger II J-3082 arriving at the Royal International Air Tattoo in July 2014, the team&#8217;s 50th anniversary year. Photo: Adrian Pingstone \/ public domain<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n<p>Close formation flying is never risk-free. In June 2016, while training for an airshow at Leeuwarden in the Netherlands, two Tigers touched. One, J-3086, crashed into a pond and its pilot ejected; the other landed with a damaged tailplane. A military court later convicted the pilot. In June 2023, two jets made contact again during training for a display over Baar, and a nose cone broke off and fell into a residential area. Both aircraft landed safely.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Why the Jet Era Is Ending<\/h2>\r\n<p>The Tiger itself is the problem. Switzerland&#8217;s F-5s are decades old, and the army says they are no longer fit for air defence. In March 2024 it put that plainly:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;In aerial combat against a modern adversary, they would stand no chance.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Swiss Armed Forces<\/strong> &mdash; statement on the F-5 Tiger fleet, 15 March 2024 (translated from German)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>The team has been reprieved before. In 2013 the defence minister said it would end by 2016, but the Tigers kept flying after the planned Gripen purchase fell through. In 2022 the Federal Council wanted the F-5 out by the end of 2025, and both chambers of parliament said no. But in March 2024 the army announced that the Tigers would fly until the end of 2027, and in December 2024 the Council of States rejected a motion to keep a minimum Tiger fleet for the team by 25 votes to 19.<\/p>\r\n<p>Air Force commander Peter Merz did not sugar-coat what that means:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;But the fact is that the Patrouille Suisse will then no longer be able to fly a jet.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>Peter Merz<\/strong> &mdash; Commander, Swiss Air Force, interview with SRF, 15 March 2024 (translated from German)<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Displays will not stop. The army&#8217;s preferred option is to carry on with the turboprop PC-7, cheaper and lower in emissions than a jet, and Merz said the Air Force intends to keep flying displays after 2027. Whether the PC-7 Team simply becomes the new Patrouille Suisse is still open. Until then, the Tigers are flying a reduced calendar, mostly at home. This is the team at its peak, at the Zigermeet in Mollis in 2019:<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VH6MNgZK5iY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p>Sixty-plus years, two jets and countless valleys later, the jet-powered Patrouille Suisse has perhaps one more season left. If you have ever wanted to see six red Tigers fill a Swiss sky, 2027 looks like the last chance. You can read more about the team on our <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/display-teams\/patrouille-suisse\/\">Patrouille Suisse page<\/a>.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: Wikipedia (English and German), Swiss Armed Forces (VTG), SRF, blue News, swissinfo.ch<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>When was the Patrouille Suisse founded?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Patrouille Suisse was founded on 22 August 1964, the year of the Expo 64 national exhibition and the Swiss Air Force\u2019s 50th anniversary. It started with four Hawker Hunters and grew to six aircraft by the late 1970s.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What aircraft does the Patrouille Suisse fly?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Patrouille Suisse flew the Hawker Hunter F58 from 1964 until 1994. Since 1995 it has flown the Northrop F-5E Tiger II in an all red-and-white paint scheme, supported by a Pilatus PC-6 Porter in team colours.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the Patrouille Suisse stop flying the Hawker Hunter?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Switzerland retired its Hawker Hunters in 1994. The Patrouille Suisse flew its last Hunter display on 25 September 1994 at Nancy in France, and switched to the F-5E Tiger II for the 1995 season.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Is the Patrouille Suisse being disbanded?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Swiss Armed Forces plan to retire the F-5 Tiger at the end of 2027, after which the Patrouille Suisse can no longer fly jets. The army\u2019s preferred option is to continue flying displays with the turboprop PC-7, but the team\u2019s future form is still open.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why is Switzerland retiring the F-5 Tiger?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The F-5 Tiger is no longer suitable for air defence, and keeping it flying beyond 2027 would need new investment in ejection seats, avionics and navigation. The army prefers to spend the money on new systems as the F-35A enters service alongside the F\/A-18 Hornet.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where is the Patrouille Suisse based?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The Patrouille Suisse was based at D\u00fcbendorf near Zurich during its Hawker Hunter years. In the F-5 Tiger era its home is Emmen Air Base in central Switzerland.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When was the Patrouille Suisse founded?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Patrouille Suisse was founded on 22 August 1964, the year of the Expo 64 national exhibition and the Swiss Air Force\u2019s 50th anniversary. It started with four Hawker Hunters and grew to six aircraft by the late 1970s.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What aircraft does the Patrouille Suisse fly?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Patrouille Suisse flew the Hawker Hunter F58 from 1964 until 1994. Since 1995 it has flown the Northrop F-5E Tiger II in an all red-and-white paint scheme, supported by a Pilatus PC-6 Porter in team colours.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did the Patrouille Suisse stop flying the Hawker Hunter?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Switzerland retired its Hawker Hunters in 1994. The Patrouille Suisse flew its last Hunter display on 25 September 1994 at Nancy in France, and switched to the F-5E Tiger II for the 1995 season.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Is the Patrouille Suisse being disbanded?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Swiss Armed Forces plan to retire the F-5 Tiger at the end of 2027, after which the Patrouille Suisse can no longer fly jets. The army\u2019s preferred option is to continue flying displays with the turboprop PC-7, but the team\u2019s future form is still open.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why is Switzerland retiring the F-5 Tiger?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The F-5 Tiger is no longer suitable for air defence, and keeping it flying beyond 2027 would need new investment in ejection seats, avionics and navigation. The army prefers to spend the money on new systems as the F-35A enters service alongside the F\/A-18 Hornet.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where is the Patrouille Suisse based?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The Patrouille Suisse was based at D\u00fcbendorf near Zurich during its Hawker Hunter years. In the F-5 Tiger era its home is Emmen Air Base in central Switzerland.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/hawker-hunter-most-beautiful-jet\/\">The Hawker Hunter: Britain\u2019s Most Beautiful Jet<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/de-havilland-venom-swiss-air-force-last-operator-1983\/\">De Havilland Venom: Switzerland Flew It Until 1983<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dassault-mirage-iii-delta-fighter-history-six-day-war-swiss-affair\/\">Dassault Mirage III: The Delta That Made France a Fighter Power<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters, the Swiss Air Force display team has flown red F-5 Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":31162964,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[666,664],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31163314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history-and-legends","category-military-aviation"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Afterburner - MiGFlug&#039;s Magazine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@migflug\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tamika Johnson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"9 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\"},\"headline\":\"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1343,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"History &amp; Legends\",\"Military Aviation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/\",\"name\":\"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00\",\"description\":\"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/11\\\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":900,\"caption\":\"Patrouille Suisse F-5E Tiger II jets in formation trailing smoke at ILA Berlin 2016\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Startseite\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"name\":\"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine\",\"description\":\"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\\\/cb:0e0_.b970\\\/w:897\\\/h:278\\\/q:mauto\\\/ig:avif\\\/https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png\",\"width\":897,\"height\":278,\"caption\":\"MiGFlug GmbH\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/MiGFlug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/migflug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/migflug\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/user\\\/MiGFlug\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/migflug.com\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.pinterest.ch\\\/migflug\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/it\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d\",\"name\":\"Tamika Johnson\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Tamika Johnson\"},\"description\":\"Tamika Johnson tells the human stories of aviation \u2014 the pilots, pioneers and characters behind the machines.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/migflug.com\\\/afterburner\\\/author\\\/tamikajohnson\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug","description":"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug","og_description":"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.","og_url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/","og_site_name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","article_published_time":"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":900,"url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Tamika Johnson","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@migflug","twitter_site":"@migflug","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Tamika Johnson","Est. reading time":"9 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/"},"author":{"name":"Tamika Johnson","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d"},"headline":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers","datePublished":"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/"},"wordCount":1343,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg","articleSection":["History &amp; Legends","Military Aviation"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/","name":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to Red Tigers | MiGFlug","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg","datePublished":"2026-11-04T09:02:56+00:00","dateModified":"2026-11-04T09:03:21+00:00","description":"The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964 on Hawker Hunters and has flown red F-5E Tigers since 1995. Its jet era is due to end in 2027.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/patrouille-suisse-f-5e-tiger-ii-formation-ila-berlin-2016.jpg","width":1600,"height":900,"caption":"Patrouille Suisse F-5E Tiger II jets in formation trailing smoke at ILA Berlin 2016"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/patrouille-suisse-history-hawker-hunter-f-5-tiger-1964-2027\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Startseite","item":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Patrouille Suisse: From Hawker Hunters to the Last Red Tigers"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#website","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","name":"Afterburner - MiGFlug's Magazine","description":"for those interested in flying military jets and aviation related  topics","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#organization","name":"MiGFlug GmbH","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:0e0_.b970\/w:897\/h:278\/q:mauto\/ig:avif\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/06\/MIGFLUG_LOGO-no-background.png","width":897,"height":278,"caption":"MiGFlug GmbH"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MiGFlug\/","https:\/\/x.com\/migflug","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/migflug\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/MiGFlug","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/migflug.com\/","https:\/\/www.pinterest.ch\/migflug\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/it\/#\/schema\/person\/88afb39d0a02d6de10537662492fb68d","name":"Tamika Johnson","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0aec3158aff3d47ac0cba1da9c62fe9994a454e4e6a14b6260de35a598abdb4d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Tamika Johnson"},"description":"Tamika Johnson tells the human stories of aviation \u2014 the pilots, pioneers and characters behind the machines.","url":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/author\/tamikajohnson\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31163314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31163314"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31163314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31163419,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31163314\/revisions\/31163419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31162964"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31163314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31163314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31163314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}