On May 31, 2013, Eurofighter honoured the 75th Anniversary of the 36th Italian Air Force Wing by presenting to its X Squadron, declared combat ready on Typhoon, with a special Eurofighter Sword to a ceremony at the unit’s base in Gioia Del Colle, Italy.

On behalf of the Eurofighter consortium, Maurizio De Mitri, Senior Vice President of the Military Aircraft Sector at Alenia Aermacchi and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eurofighter GmbH, presented the Sword to Base Commander Col. Vito Cracas at Gioia Del Colle where the Sword will remain as a recogition of the achievements of the 36th Italian Air Force Wing and the relationship with the Eurofighter community.

Speaking at the ceremony, Maurizio De Mitri said: “It is a great honour for me to hand over this Sword in recognition of this landmark anniversary and the remarkable achievements of the 36th Italian Air Force Wing. The Eurofighter Typhoon Sword symbolises the collaborative strength and partnership in the Eurofighter community. It symbolises the qualities of precision and excellence that we, industry, seek to embody in the core of the weapon system, and that the Air Force has so successfully employed in operations.”

At the Sword Handover Ceremony, 36th Wing Commander said: “We fully appreciate the significance of this honour as it means a great deal to all of us in Base. The Eurofighter Typhoon is at the heart of the work that we do here at Gioia Del Colle and performs a vital role in the Italian Air Defence system. We are extremely proud to be celebrating this 75th Anniversary and we look forward to working with Eurofighter.”

The first swords were initially presented to the Chiefs of Air Staffs of the four partner nations: Germany, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom at the aircraft Type Acceptance in 2003. Ever since this event, the Swords have been presented for each new squadron to symbolise the long-lasting, successful partnership between industry and air forces across the Eurofighter community.