PATROUILLE SUISSE

SWISS PRECISION

PATROUILLE SUISSE

SWISS PRECISION

PATROUILLE SUISSE

In 2024 Patrouille Suisse celebrated its 60th birthday. I have been travelling to airshows around Europe for many years, and I have always been a massive fan of the displays of Patrouille Suisse. Not in the last place because they are one of the few display teams in the world that perform with actual fighter aircraft instead of training jets.

The F-35 is making its way into the Swiss Air Force in a few years time and the F-5E Tiger will be decommissioned before the end of 2027. In this year the Patrouille Suisse in its current form will also stop flying So while they are still gracing our skies, it is time for an homage to one of the best display teams in the world. All photos in this story have been taken by me. 

PATROUILLE SUISSE

60 YEARS OF AERIAL EXCELLENCE

Gletscher on the Jungfrau Nordwand

Lauberhornrennen  |  18 January 2019

History of Patrouille Suisse

Patrouille Suisse is the official Swiss Air Force display team. Since it was founded in 1964 it has always been a beacon of precision for over half a century. The ambassadors of the Swiss Air Force, are an elite squad. They have have consistently delivered exceptional aerobatic displays that underscore Switzerland’s nature of precision and skill.

The Patrouille Suisse was founded in 1964. The first display was given at the Expo 64 in Lausanne with two Hawker Hunter Mk 58 aircraft. In the following year the Patrouille Suisse flies their first full season with four air display in 1965.

After an increase to 5 planes in 1975 and to 6 in 1978, Patrouille Suisse introduced the first red colour scheme on their Hunters in 1991. In 1995 Patrouille Suisse said goodbye to the Hawker Hunter Mk 58 after 31 years. The demo team started flying with six F-5E Tiger jets as of that moment.

The end of Patrouille Suisse

After 45 years of service the Swiss Air Force is currently phasing out their F-5E Tigers. After the people voted against replacing the F-5E fleet with JAS 39 Gripen in 2014, the F-5E  effectively has no successor. This means that there is no logical successor to replace the current F-5 planes as they go out. Also, the F/A-18 Hornets are being replaced with F-35 fighters until 2030. And the current arsenal of airworthy F/A-18 is fairly limited. This makes a transition from F-5 to F/A-18 not viable.

More-so as they too will be phased out in 2030. This means that with the current knowledge the Patrouille Suisse in its current from will stop flying once the F-5 has been decommissioned at the end of 2027.

Autumn colours

Axalp Fliegerschiessen  –  October 2018

DISPLAY

ACHTUNG! RAUCH! TOC!

Sunset Silhouettes

Sanicole Airshow  |  22 September 2024

Alpine skiing

Lauberhornrennen  |  18 January 2019

Lake Brienz

Axalp Fliegerschiessen  |  10 October 2010

The best place to watch Patrouille Suisse

Axalp Fliegerschiessen  |  16 October 2023

The complete six ship formation of the Patrouille Suisse at the Luaberhornrennen

Alpine Skiing II

Lauberhornrennen  |  18 January 2019

Wowing the crowd

Axalp  |  20 October 2022

PATROUILLE SUISSE ON DISPLAY

IN YOUR OWN HOUSE

You can buy most of the pictures in this story as a professionally printed photos, canvas or plexiglass picture. I even offer Hahnemühle fine art prints on selected pictures. Gallery quality in your own house..

Have a look at my Patrouille Suisse photo gallery to watch the photos that are for sale.

Webshop

SWISS AIR FORCE

F-5E TIGER II

Northrop F-5E Tiger in Service of the Swiss Air Force

The Northrop F-5E Tiger II is a lightweight, supersonic fighter aircraft designed for air superiority and ground support. With a length of 14.68m and a wingspan of 8.13m, the F-5E boasts a compact yet efficient design. Powered by two General Electric J85-21B turbojet engines, this aircraft achieves a maximum speed of approximately Mach 1.6.

F-5E Tiger II comes armed with a 20mm M39A2 revolver cannon and can carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. Its agility is further enhanced by a sophisticated avionics suite, making it a versatile in air combat scenarios. Over the years, the F-5E has been a reliable asset to the Swiss Air Force, but its age shows, making phase out inevitable.

 

Cornerstone of the Swiss Air Force since 1978

The Northrop F-5E Tiger II has been a cornerstone in the Swiss Air Force’s fleet since 1978. Since that year the Swiss Air Force has procured a total number of 98 planes. Since 1991 the F-5E has been the designated aircraft for the Patrouille Suisse. Much loved for its elegant and sleek appearance the F-5E Tiger II is synonymous with the precision aerial displays of the Swiss Air Force’s display team.

 

Northrop F-5E Tiger II of the Siwss Air Force at Meiringen Air Force Base

Key Figures of the Northrop F-5E Tiger II

The Northrop F-5E Tiger II is a lightweight, supersonic fighter aircraft. The Swiss Air force has used it for air superiority and ground support. With a length of 14.68m and a wingspan of 8.13m, the F-5E the jet is compact but could be used efficiently for all sorts of missions.

Powered by two General Electric J85-21B turbojet engines, this aircraft achieves a maximum speed of approximately Mach 1.6. The F-5E Tiger II is armed with a 20mm M39A2 revolver cannon and can carry a variety of air-to-air and air-to-ground munitions. 

After the failed procurement of the JAS39 Gripen, the F-5E will be decommissioned before the end of 2027. Many of the flyworthy jets have been sold to the US Air Force where they will serve as aggressor aircraft for combat training purposes.

THE TEAM

PATROUILLE SUISSE

A full time part time job

Being a demo team like Patrouille Suisse demands the utmost of man and material. Patrouille Suisse is quite serious in spending time in training, development of the skills of the team and maintenance of the planes to deliver ultimate reliability and precision.

Unlike other military aerobatics teams like the Red Arrows or the Frecce Tricolori, being a member of the Patrouille Suisse is not a full time job. The pilots perform their duties alongside their daily work, mostly as F/A-18 pilot and or instructor.

The Pilots

The  Patrouille Suisse consists of six pilots, and one spare pilot. These pilots, recruited from F/A-18 and PC-21 squadrons, are the Swiss Air Force’s finest. New recruits start their training in pairs. They then progress to full formation aerobatics. After 30 extra hours of practice, the team clears rookie pilots for real displays.

However, the phasing out of the F-5 has halted new recruit training in recent years. The current team has been stable since 2020. That year, “Salim” joined the team as Tiger Due.

The rest of the team

Commander Nils Hämmerli, or Tiger Zero, leads the team. He commands and supervises the team from the ground. Hämmerli flew with the Patrouille Suisse from 1999 to 2004. The team also includes two speakers, Tiger Otto and Tiger Novi. A technical and ground staff of 20 people keeps the team flying.

Martin Schär

New Tiger Uno in 2025 

After having been in the Patrouille Suisse since 2015 and leading the team since 2020, 2024 has been the last year that Lt. Col. Michael “Püpi” Duft will be the leader of Patrouille Suisse

The role of Tiger Uno will be taken over by Capt. Martin “Jaydee” Schär. “Jaydee” has been with the Patrouille Suisse since 2017 and in the last four years he has been flying as Tiger Sexi (1st solo).

Apart from “Püpi” leaving the team, Tiger Quatro, Claudis “Mac” Meier , will also leave the team in 2025, after having been on board PS since 2018.

Flatty

Flat Eric, or “Flatty”, is the team’s mascot. He joined the team in 2000. Unlike the rest of the team, “Flatty” doesn’t wear a Patrouille Suisse overall. In 2004, the Red Arrows kidnapped him and gave him a Red Arrows overall. “Flatty” participates in every display, always onboard with Tiger Due. This makes him the most experienced team member.

Flat Eric or

TIGERS

PATROUILLE SUISSE

MAJ MICHAEL DUFT

TIGER UNO
“PÜPI”

NAME            LT COL MICHAEL DUFT
CALL SIGN    PÜPI
POSITION     TIGER ONE
ROLE             LEADER

MAJ MICHAEL DUFT, TIGER UNO, “PÜPI”, Patrouille Suisse
CAPT SERIM WETLI, TIGER DUE, “SALIM”, PAtrouille Suisse

CAPT SERIM WETLI

TIGER DUE
“SALIM”

NAME            CAPT SERIM WETLI
CALL SIGN    SALIM
POSITION     TIGER DUE
ROLE             LEFT WING

MAJ DAVID PEREIRA

TIGER TRE
“PEPE”

NAME            MAJ DAVID PEREIRA
CALL SIGN    PEPE
POSITION     TIGER TRE
ROLE             RIGHT WING

CAPT CLAUDIUS MEIER

TIGER QUATRO
“MAC”

NAME            CAPT CLAUDIUS MEIER
CALL SIGN    MAC
POSITION     TIGER QUATRO
ROLE             SLOT

MAJ LUKAS NANNINI

TIGER CINQUE
“BIGFOOT”

NAME             MAJ LUKAS NANNINI
CALL SIGN    BIGFOOT
POSITION     TIGER CINQUE
ROLE             2nd SOLO

MAJ LUKAS NANNINI, TIGER CINQUE, “BIGFOOT”, Patrouille Suisse
CAPT MARTIN SCHÄR, TIGER SEXI , “JAYDEE”, Patrouille Suisse

CAPT MARTIN SCHÄR

TIGER SEXI 
“JAYDEE”

NAME            CAPT MARTIN SCHÄR
CALL SIGN    JAYDEE
POSITION     TIGER SEXI
ROLE             1st SOLO

RAUCH! FINITO! TOC!

PATROUILLE SUISSE

Patrouille Suisse will stop in 2027

As a long standing supporter of the Patrouille Suisse I am sad to see them forced to stop their activities. But the climate for European Air Forces is harsh. As air forces face budget caps while needing to build strength given the rising political tensions in Europe.

This is especially true for the Swiss Air Force. The Swiss government has limited manoeuvrability from the critical Swiss people. The Swiss people are able to give votes in public referenda on important topics, and have proven to be very critical of high defense spendings. The most dramatic one being a certain procurement of the JAS 39 Gripen as a replacement for the F-5E Tiger. It was rejected in a referendum in 2014.

Preparing for the F-35 Lightning II

Furthermore, the arrival of the F-35 at the Swiss Air Force means a huge burden on the Swiss Air Force, especially financially. Also the F/A-18 Hornet will only serve until 2030 before it too will be phased out. That is simply too short of a timespan to switch to the Hornet, even if money would be available.

Final Note

Despite this rather sad ending, I cherish the many memories and performances I have seen from Patrouille Suisse over the years. With Patrouille Suisse the Swiss Air Force have shown for many years where a small country can be big. An aspect that I can appreciate as a Dutchman. So, merci vielmal Patrouille Suisse!!

Here You can find my other aviation stories. Please visit my webshop to find all the professional prints, canvas and acrylic prints you can order from Patrouille Suisse.

PATROUILLE SUISSE ON DISPLAY
IN YOUR OWN HOUSE

You can buy most of the pictures in this report as a professionally printed photos, canvas or plexiglass picture. I even offer Hahnemühle fine art prints on selected pictures. Gallery quality in your own home.

Have a look at my Patrouille Suisse photo gallery to watch the photos that are for sale.

Webshop